Moving to Springfield Va.

Hi,
We lived in the Springfield area about 8 years ago and had preemie twins with mild motor skill delays and were able to use the Harrison County Agency right on Franconia Blvd and they were fantastic. It is Harrison County Early Child Intervention Services or a variation of those words :) The best thing is that is was a great service and it is free!
I used the CDC at Ft Belvior for drop in care (not sure if they still offer it) My son enjoyed going and then for pre-school, he went to Prince of Peace Pre School also located on Franconia in Springfield. The Recreation Center on Fairfax County Parkway offered lots of pre school classes when I was there, too. They had a great art class. You will be right there at Bethesda Medical Center in MD, they had a great pediatric dept when we were there and since it is a military hospital, they will have options for you as well. You are moving to a great area of the world with so many things to see and do....Get out and enjoy it. Good Luck to you!
K. Finn

I can highly reccommend Fleming Speech Therapy in Stafford, VA. The speech therapist shares a building with Helping Hands Pediatric Occupational Therapy, which I also highly reccommend if needed. It would be quite a drive (40 minutes?) from Springfield, but I know of several families that drove even further for the Occupational Therapist at Helping Hands.

I know that sometimes our military bases are lacking pediatricians .. I am sure that the doctors have ordered hearing tests .... but it can't hurt to ask to have them repeated. I personally know of two children with speech delays that improved dramatically after sorting out ear problems (chronic fluid, infections, etc).
Best of luck!

JA,
I am currently overseas, and not working as a School Psychologist, but that is what I am trained to do. Please look into the school system that you will be moving to before you settle into a house. You can check school report cards and see what schools appear to have good ratings versus other schools. Just do a google Search of the town and the word schools.
Also you will want to get in touch with the school of your choice as soon as possible to get your son set up for a Speech Evaluation. This does not mean he will be considered Special Education, but it might. Just remember the sooner you get the help, the sooner he will overcome his delay.
W.

Hello.

I am so sorry that you've had a bad experience with your speech services in Italy.

Has your speech therapist provided you with information on your gaining station?

Each state provides an Early Intervention program for children who are not meeting their developmental milestones. You are entitled to receive services if your Little-Man continues to require additional support. Since he is three years old you may want to contact the local school district to familiarize yourself with their enrollment criteria. Ensure that you obtain a copy of his most recent evaluation, and IFSP/IEP. It wouldn't hurt to equip yourself with his most recent hearing assessment, physical exam and immunization records as well.

Best of luck!

J