Hudson Valley Parent

HVP October 2014

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6 Hudson Valley Parent ■ October 2014 M y daughter was practically born talking. She babbled early, she said her fi rst words early, and frankly hasn't stopped talking since. My son was a different story. Friends and family said, "Oh, that's how it is with boys" or "It's because he can't get a word in edgewise!" or "Just give it some time — soon enough he won't shut up!" At his 15-month checkup, I ex- pressed my concerns, but his pedia- trician said is was too soon to worry. I was confl icted. On the one hand, I wanted to address any delays as soon as possible. On the other hand, I didn't want to push my son or seem like I was some tiger mom trying to win a developmental milestone race. One part of me was worried that I had unreasonable expectations. I wanted my son to develop at his own pace. I wanted to listen to the other parents who said, "Relax! He's so young! My own kid didn't say a word for years, and he's totally fi ne!" The other part of me wanted to do something as soon as possible. My son was growing frustrated with his lack of speech. He was becoming increasingly withdrawn. I wanted to help him before it got worse. I decided to make the call to the New York State Early Intervention Program. He was evaluated and found eligible for speech therapy twice per week. The process was easy, and the councilors were friend- ly and professional. Looking back, I honestly can't believe I ever had so many reser- vations. My son has been receiving services for close to two years, and the progress he's made is astounding. His speech therapist is like part of the family and their sessions are playful and not at all like what- ever stressfull drudgery I feared they'd be. I am so thankful I listened to my gut, ignored my reserva- tions, and made the call. If you're wondering whether your child might benefi t from the free ser- vices available from early interven- tion, please read "Making the call" on page 20. Local experts and par- ents explain the process and weigh in on their experiences. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. Pumpkin time! A big "Thank you!" to all of the readers who submitted photos of their kids picking pumpkins. You'll fi nd them all on page 18, along with some of Hudson Valley Parent's top choices for pumpkin picking in the area. It's a wonderful time of year, and nobody does autumn better than the Hudson Valley! Enjoy! I'm so glad I made the call KATY WEBER Editor's Journal Ava Joyce, 3, shares her pic of the patch at Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh. Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor KATY WEBER kweber@excitingread.com Media Advisor KIMBERLY MAYER kmayer@excitingread.com Executive Assistants to the Publisher MERLYN AKHTAR makhtar@excitingread.com BRITTANY L. MORGAN bmorgan@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Web Ad Designer LESLIE CORTES Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family baby The HUDSON VALLEY G U I D E Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication. A MEMBER OF

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