Talking about donated ‘goodies’ - Part 3

Thanks to a generous grant from the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charity, the bag holds lots of wonderful new developmentally appropriate toys that Cody, and many other children followed by Queens Early Childhood Development Association, will enjoy.

The toys in the bag today were carefully chosen to encourage Cody to learn skills that he is currently having some difficulty with.

Cody, who is almost three years old, came to the annual Well Child Clinic last May for a developmental screening. His mom, Carrie, had some concerns because Cody was not yet talking.

After completing the screening we discovered that Cody was not using words to communicate like other children his age. And although he used his hands to play with toys, he was not able to do some of the more specific fine motor movements that would later allow him to effectively do things with his hands such as hold and use a pencil correctly.

For some children like Cody, who have not been diagnosed with a specific disability, there is no known reason why his development is delayed in some areas. However, his difficulties are similar to those experienced by many other children that we work with.

So every two weeks I pack the big bag and visit with Cody and his family in his home, where we teach new skills through play activities. As you can imagine, the fun new toys play a huge part in motivating Cody to do things that may be a challenge for him.

And through it all, not only does the smile remain on his charming little face, but seeing him succeed in learning single words, then two-word phrases, and finally talking in longer phrases, puts a big smile on my face as well.