Kids on the Move is Utah County's Early Intervention program. We have been receiving services from them since March 2010. We originally noticed that Hunter was not hitting developmental milestones when he couldn't lift his head while on his tummy. We found out about Kids on the Move (KOTM)and called for an assessment. At the initial assessment Hunter qualified for physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and general development therapy (GD). Fisher did not qualify for any services at that point. Hunter eventually added speech therapy. About 4 months shy of 3 years old, Fisher qualified for speech therapy too. It has been a sad month. Kids age out of KOTM at 3 years old and transition to the school district if they qualify.
We have loved the help that we have gotten from working with KOTM. The therapist come right to your home and work with your child in his own environment. It has made a major difference for Hunter and Fisher.
Hunter's PT
Hunter's original PT was Becca Smith and she was awesome! In May of 2012 she had a baby and quit with KOTM so we got a new PT. Her name was Nicole Poland. Hunter really liked Nicole. She was always so nice and positive. Nicole helped Hunter with balance and movement in and out of the walker. We worked for countless hours on the steps trying to teach Hunter to come down backwards. We are still working on this! Nicole came to see Hunter one time per month.
Hunter's OT
Hunter's OT was Gary Robinson. Gary was the very first therapist to start working with Hunter. He came to our home the longest. Gary was our favorite. We especially liked Gary because we felt like he genuinely cared for Hunter right from the beginning. Gary helped Hunter hit so many milestones. He helped Hunter roll over, go from tummy/back to sitting, and he brought us the corner chair that eventually helped Hunter to sit. Gary helped Hunter learn the pincer grasp and to reach for his own spoon when eating. Gary introduced Hunter to Cherrios, Motorclass, and Horseback riding. In the beginning Gary came twice a month and then he eventually came once a month.
Hunter's Speech Therapy
Hunter started speech therapy at about 2 years old. Gayleen Bennitt was his speech therapist. The thing that we learned about Hunter early on is that he had a super sensitive gag reflex and that he has oral-motor sensory issues. For Hunter that means he doesn't like mixed texture foods. Because of Hunter's low muscle tone it has taken a while to learn how to chew his food. Gayleen's specialty is with feeding. She helped us get from baby food to purees to textures. She introduced Hunter to the Cheeto!! His favorite food! She has helped us slowly work in different types of textures. Hunter has made progress with his eating but it is a work in progress. Gayleen never really got the chance to work on actual speech with Hunter because he still has things he needs to be able to do before he learns to talk. Gayleen came twice a month until the last 4 months and then she only came one time a month.
Hunter's General Development
Hunter's GD was Marsha Lima. We have had several of GD's in our time with KOTM. Our first one was Charity Wheeler, then Kimber Goodwin and then finally Marsha Lima. Marsha should have been the one we worked with from the beginning but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Marsha introduced Hunter to "communication". Because Hunter is still a ways a way from talking Marsha taught us that speech and communication is two different things. She helped us recognize that Hunter was actually communicating with us in non-verbal ways. Marsha was originally assigned to Fisher and she feel in-love with Hunter and I really liked her ideas so I had KOTM make the switch. Marsha saw Hunter twice a month. Marsha taught me about CONNECTION... with not just Hunter but with my other kids too.
Fisher's Speech
Fisher qualified for speech therapy with about 4 months before aging out. Gayleen Bennitt was also Fisher's speech therapist. Fisher loved when she would come and play with him with her bag full of toys. They worked on using your lips to make sounds. Gayleen taught me that if you want the child to say it correctly then the adults should say it how it is meant to be learned. So none of this baby talk. Gayleen showed us lots of tricks to get Fisher to use his lips and say sounds correctly. Gayleen has worked with Fisher on 3 word phrases and annunciation. Gayleen saw Fisher once per month.
Fisher's General Development
Fisher's GD was Marsh Lima. Marsha came into our home with only 4 months remaining in the program. She helped Fisher with listening and complying. Marsha taught me to be consistent. She taught me to ask the question, "Does it really matter? If so, what are you going to do about it?" She taught me to give lots of positive reinforcement and never give anything negative. These couple of things have helped me be a better mom. Marsha saw Fisher once per month.
We have loved KOTM! We are sad about aging out of the program because they have provided us with so many things we can do to not only help Hunter and Fisher progress but has helped our family progress! Change is hard and transitioning to the school district has been tough. But this change is inevitable so we are going to take it head on with a positive attitude.
Hunter qualified to go to the school district's "special education preschool". Fisher did not qualify for services.
