Dear Parents,

Welcome to Early Intervention. As parents of children with special needs, we know firsthand that this can be an overwhelming time. You are being introduced to social workers, teachers, therapists and other specialists, as well as hearing new terminology and acronyms for the first time. We have had a very good experience with the Early Intervention system, seeing our children, and those of others we have met, grow and develop in many ways. So even though it may seem difficult at first, the benefits definitely make it all worthwhile.

Our first child was born in 1997. We didn't know much about children with special needs, but we did know that our son was not progressing like we thought he should. He was not meeting his developmental milestones, he was not walking or talking and he was nearly two years old.   Many times we asked his pediatrician what she thought. She would tell us that all children develop at different rates and not to worry.   Even though this brought us a little relief, we couldn't get it out of our minds that something just wasn't right.   Shortly after he turned two, someone told us that we could call the Early Intervention program for help. We did, and they came out to our home and identified our son as having significant developmental delays. Quite honestly, we had no idea what that meant, but we were grateful that he was finally going to get the help he needed.

Through Early Intervention services, we began receiving in-home visits by teachers and therapists. We were also able to meet other families with children in the program. This allowed us the opportunity to connect with them, learn from their experiences, and share some of our own too. This past year our youngest child was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.  Having the resources and support available for our children and we has been extremely beneficial.

The Family Resource Committee has been an integral part of the Early Intervention system for us. It is a source of support for families whose children, ages birth to kindergarten, have special needs. The committee is a joint effort of parents and professionals committed to connecting parents and families to resources and support. It provides information, resources and networking opportunities for families. This it does through fun family activities, a resource library and a periodic newsletter.

We invite you to become a part of this working committee. As a member, you would help plan and implement the ongoing commitment to connecting families. Being a part of this committee has been a rewarding experience for our family. If you are interested, please contact Sarah Hickman at Sarah.Hickman@co.anoka.mn.us (763-323-6079) or Sharon Bergh at s.bergh@worldnett.att.net (763-427-0746).

Sincerely,