As a part of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, the federal government helps support state and local agencies to provide early intervention services to children with disabilities and developmental delays. Early intervention services serve children from birth to age three and sometimes even up to five years of age, depending on the state. Children receiving early intervention services often have conditions including low birth weight, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, expressive language delays, visual impairment, hearing impairment, autism, or other developmental concerns. Comprehensive Individualized Family Service Plans are developed to provide therapeutic services designed to meet the child’s needs. Research shows that the younger a child is when service begins, the better the outcome.
Imua Family Services is the non-profit organization that provides early intervention services to our local community here on Maui. They first operated as the Maui branch of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association for Crippled Children and Adults and served to help people overcome the crippling effects of polio. The organization became a part of Easter Seals for many years and subsequently became Imua Rehab. In 2003, Imua Rehab became Imua Family Services and developed a mission to support children and their families with resources to achieve their full potential in life. Imua helps children regardless of their family’s ability to pay for services. They receive referrals from physicians, parents, and other community agencies.
Each year Imua serves 2,300 children and their families. An example of their success rate is their Newborn Hearing Screening program that has reduced the average age of hearing loss identification from three years of age to six months. Early identification accelerates treatment and prevents unnecessary developmental delays. Imua staff screen every healthy baby born at Maui Memorial Medical Center and will provide outpatient testing for home births or infants born elsewhere. This program reaches 1,600 infants each year and that number grows with Maui’s birth rate.
As a tribute to Imua, we are spotlighting Jill Prishivalko, one of their licensed physical therapists. She conducted a small survey of the effects of babywearing on a group of 15 babies and their caregivers. Conditions impacting these babies included in-utero drug exposure, prematurity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic lung disease, vestibular dysfunction, cerebral palsy, and seizure disorder. Participants reported that using a carrier was beneficial for their children in these ways: “he gets calmer, he becomes less angry or agitated, he likes being close to me, I am better able to talk to my baby, and he is better able to stretch out his legs. As for the adult carrying the baby, participants reported the following benefits: “I have more freedom, it is easier on my back, it helps keep my hands free while shopping, I can get more things done, it is easier to use than unpacking the stroller, I can do more things around the house, and my arms get tired when I carry my baby.
Jill was impressed with the survey results and reported the following:
One of the children that I treat with a severe neurological injury really benefitted from using a carrier. Due to her neurological injury, she has spastic hip adductor muscles. This spasticity causes her legs to cross when she is placed in a supported standing position and prevents her from sitting on the floor independently. Spending time in the carrier provided her with a prolonged stretch to her hip adductor muscles. Having her hips flexed in the carrier also helped to decrease the spasticity in her legs. On the days that she spent time in the carrier before her physical therapy treatment sessions, I noticed that he legs were more relaxed. She showed an improved ability to sit on the floor with less support provided by the therapist. This little girl also tended to become fussy when she was not being held or entertained by someone, making it difficult for her mother to do things around the house during the day. She was happy when in the carrier and was more content throughout the day after spending time in the carrier.
Another child that I treat benefitted from babywearing. He was born 6 weeks premature and suffered from gastroesophageal reflux disease. Often when children are born premature they can become overwhelmed with sensory stimuli causing them to be more irritable and fussy. This child was very fussy and his parents had a difficult time getting him to sleep. When his parents put him in the carrier, he would fall asleep within a few minutes. This helped him to get on a better sleep schedule and become a much calmer baby overall. Due to his reflux, his parents needed to keep him upright for about 30 minutes after feeding him. Putting him in the carrier helped them to keep him upright after feedings.
The parents that I work with have been very satisfied with using carriers. Overall, they reported that their babies were happier and the parents have had their hands free to get things done while carrying their children.
I feel that babywearing is a beneficial practice for many special needs children and their parents and I would recommend it to others. Close physical contact has been shown to improve regulation of heart rate and breathing in infants. Babywearing also allows for developing a close bond or attachment between infants and their parents. Developing this attachment is especially important with special needs babies who spend a lot of time in the hospital where they may not be able to spend as much time being held by their parents.
I was drawn to special needs children because I have always had a passion for working with children and am very interested in child development. I chose working with children with special needs because with my education and training I have the opportunity to improve their quality of life. They inspire me every day and working with them is extremely rewarding.
I love what I do for a living. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to make an impact on these children’s lives. It is an honor for me to be invited into these children’s lives and watch them progress through treatment is incredibly heartwarming and rewarding.
Through these experiences, I have learned from every child and family that I have worked with. They have taught me what it takes to persevere against all odds. They have taught me to be humble and to appreciate even the simplest things in life.
Written by Sydney Seaver and Jill Prishivalko.
