Friday we went to Advent Feeding Clinic in Bethlehem. Now, I didn't know anything about food therapy before. They will concentrate on EVERY aspect of getting Gracie to eat and bringing her up speed developmentally. They have a swallowing therapist as well as a speech therapist who will help her to learn to swallow, now that her palate is closed, and help her to learn to close her mouth. How they will do that, I have no idea. But I guess we will learn. Because of the hole when her palate was open, her tongue is always out of her mouth, so this is supposed to take care of that problem as well.
When you don't have a "special needs" child , there are so many things you take for granted. Gracie is on the lower spectrum of the special needs scale but she is behind enough developmentally to qualify for therapy. But there are so many kids out there with needs greater than hers. it took us a while to decide to switch to the "Waiting Child" or "Special Needs" program because we weren't sure we could deal with the extras that come with the child's condition. Now in hindsight, it was one of the two best things we ever did. The "special needs"actually made her more special if only that it opened our eyes that there was NO difference between a special needs child and a non-special needs child- they both blossom when love is poured on them.
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