It Takes Someone Special to Hear What a Child Cannot Say - Jessica Delmuro

My name is Jessica, and I am a mom of four children, Kaylee, Leonardo, Janely, and Alejandro. My two boys have both been in Early Intervention (EI) because of speech delays.

My first year, everything was new to me. I didn’t know my rights, I didn’t know how things worked being part of EI. With Leonardo the experience was very disappointing. There were times that I thought dropping out was the best option so I wouldn’t deal with an extra situation. I didn’t want to cause any problems for anyone, all I wanted was for Leonardo to receive all the time and days he was approved for. Until one day I called the service coordinator and voiced all the negative feedback I had. She was nice to tell me how I had the right to request a new speech therapist anytime, and to reach out to her when I had any concerns. With this said, I want parents to know that they have the right to voice any concerns, dislikes, or anything it could be to make their experience wonderful.  

Now with Alejandro speech therapy has been a smooth experience. Yes, I had ups and downs when I started but I was able to fix the problems with the service coordinator’s support. Alejandro will be three this year and will be graduating soon from EI. As a mom my heart will beat with joy when I hear my boys say new words. I know Alejandro will soon be a talking storm because Leonardo is a storm full of stories.  

I love being my own kids' advocate. I am not afraid to voice anything for my kids.  

I would like to let families know that they are their kid’s advocate and to voice any concerns to allow for them to have a smooth experience. No family has to go through a struggle just to receive help or any resource.