31 for 21 day 2

From my friend Anna:

How early can you start therapy? How early is it recommended? What therapies are recommended?

Therapy, or Early Intervention, can begin as soon as the baby is born. Most likely, if you had a prenatal diagnosis, your Early Intervention would start sooner than later. Because we didn't know about Lillian's Down syndrome until after she was born she began her's a little late, at around 4 months old.

It's recommended that you start as soon as possible. Hence, the name Early Intervention.

For the most part, children with Down syndrome will or may need to have Physical, Occupational, Speech and Developmental therapies. Not all need it all. For instance, currently Lillian is only receiving Physical and Developmental therapies. She will soon be evaluated for Speech and O.T. Some children receive them sooner than later. Also, it depends on your location. Every State, City and County does things differently. When we were in Washington, Lillian only received Developmental Therapy once a month. After our move to California, she began Physical and Developmental once a week each. But please remember, it is not a one size fits all type of thing! Each therapy is catered to the needs of each individual child, because even with Down syndrome, they are all still different and unique in their own way!

Questions about Down syndrome are important and I hope I'm able to answer them as they come. So, please feel free to ask me anything you would like to know.