Recently I had the opportunity to talk about one of my FAVORITE organizations with Melissa Andrews on WTOL channel 11 news. So many times I talk with others about my passion when it comes to helping other mommas discover an avenue of help they have so longed for…it was nice to catapult my story for others to hear on a much larger scale. Help Me Grow (HMG) has not only worked with all three of our girls from about the age of 9 months until the age of three (and still working with our youngest), but I am certain my girls would not be where they are today without the expertise of the individuals working for HMG. Anywhere from holding our hand through the ever-so-intimidating process and making it seem easy, to comforting us when we were clueless which avenue to go down; we never felt alone or lost in the system.
Our story is one of learning and growing to understand what it meant when our children were born with something called hypotonia (aka low muscle tone). Starting with our oldest, we knew something just wasn’t right at a very early age. At nine months she was having a hard time holding her head up when on a swing, she was still not crawling and nowhere close to it, she didn’t sit up until almost about 8 months and she didn’t seem to grasp walking and how to do it when all of her little friends at the same age seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Comparing our daughter to the “norm” (whatever that may be) turned out to be the worst thing we could have done. Enter in HMG. Once evaluated by the HMG staff, the process went flawlessly and quickly. We were given the support we needed, the endless resources available and the shoulder when things seemed too tough to handle.
Two and a half years later, our second daughter was born with the same diagnosis (low muscle tone) and the feeling of grief struck once again. The ease HMG brought to our family and the kindness they showed displayed the exemplary work they do. Within one week we had met with a team of individuals who worked quickly and efficiently to come up with a plan of action to best help our daughter…all the while reassuring my husband and I and making sure we were ok with the plan they were putting in place. We all worked as a team to best serve the needs of my daughter. In those years of help, we noticed my daughter was acting a bit different than what I would call “typical.” She was showing strange behaviors that would best be described as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I mentioned it to the HMG team that worked with us and they quickly shifted her plan to one that better suited her needs. We were able to take their advice, get her evaluated, and find out she had something called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). She was having a hard time with external stimuli and it would cause her to try to control any part of her life she could…which resulted in major temper-tantrums. Our pediatrician was at a loss of how to help our child and we were, again, feeling lost. Help Me Grow was there to help, they gave us resources along with the expertise we so desperately needed. Our daughter has since learned coping mechanisms for her SPD and is a different child (I give all credit to HMG).
When our third daughter was born three years after our second, it was pretty obvious she too suffered from hypotonia. With a quick phone call, within one week she was in the books to get evaluated by the HMG team. Since being evaluated, she has been recommended for private physical therapy and other groups that best suit her needs at this time. By starting her in the process early, she has made huge strides and gains. I can only imagine how far she will come in just a short amount of time.
I’m sure it’s obvious that our family has been positively impacted by Help Me Grow. I can fervently say our three girls would not be where they are right now with their low muscle tone if they hadn’t been through the program. If you are contemplating getting your child evaluated or you notice something just isn’t right with your child’s skills or development, I encourage you to reach out and just see. Don’t wait for your doctor to give the ok, I encourage you to call and set the appointment. The sooner you are able to get your child help, the better off they will be in the long run.
For more information on Help Me Grow, check out their website:
https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/know-our-programs/help-me-grow/help-me-grow
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