At Easterseals, Your Children Are Part of Our Family

 “We were in the car and Joey started singing the Lion Guard theme song. I know most three-year-old kids sing, but for my husband and me, it was a big deal. We knew we were hearing him sing for the first time thanks to speech therapy with Easterseals.”

Joey’s journey with Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore began when he was almost two years old. Therapy not only gave the Paola family that special moment in the car but has also helped Joey with his communication skills – progressing from sign language to speaking his first words to stringing words together into sentences. All of these skills have helped him learn to communicate with his parents, easing a lot of the frustration that comes with not being understood.

“My child is a different child since he started with Easterseals. Easterseals exceeded any expectation and needs we had,” Kelly, Joey’s mom, says. “We were a family that went from surviving to thriving.”

Thanks to physical and occupational therapy with Easterseals, Joey has gone from frequently falling because of his physical disability to jumping with both feet. He is also using both of his hands intentionally to play, stack blocks and solve puzzles. Feeding therapy has helped him to swallow and tolerate different foods.

“Easterseals is exemplary. The caliber at Easterseals is higher. They hold themselves to higher standards, and that really benefited us. They didn’t just say ‘this is another kid in my case load.’ They care about us as a family,” Kelly says. “Easterseals therapists made adjustments to make Joey feel comfortable during therapy. It is a perfect example of how they put him first. This is huge to our family.”