Talk about Success!

At 3 ½ years old, Dean Trujillo loves to be active, play with the family dog and watch his favorite cartoons. He’s friendly and eager to tell you about his toys.  When Dean was younger, however, he struggled with such communication. Just over a year and a half ago, Dean was only able to speak basic words like “mommy” and “daddy.” His mother, Bine, was very concerned about his language delay, so Dean’s pediatrician recommended early intervention (EI) services through Denver Options.

When Dean entered early intervention services at 23 months old, his speech and language skills were at the level of a 12-month-old. Their EI service coordinator helped Bine and her husband, John, create a family plan that set goals for what they wanted to accomplish, taking into account their concerns, ideas and family schedule, as well as Dean’s personality and abilities. “They take the whole family into consideration,” Bine said of their family plan.

Denver Options connected the family to a speech therapist, Rhonda Gramer, who came to their house each week for speech therapy. In addition to the in-home therapy, Rhonda shared strategies and therapy ideas that the family could do on their own. “She gave us a lot of great ideas about what we could do on a daily basis to help Dean communicate better,” Bine explained. “Rhonda became a part of our family, and I still talk to her. She was very encouraging, very supportive and non-judgmental.”

Throughout Dean’s EI services, their service coordinator and therapist stayed in regular contact with Bine to make sure the family’s concerns were being addressed. “The lines of communication were always open. When I called with questions, I felt like they were always welcomed,” Bine shared.  When Dean completed EI services just before his third birthday, he was above his age level both verbally and cognitively. “I truly believe that Denver Options helped Dean be successful,” Bine expressed. “Early intervention is a phenomenal program. I’ve recommended it to a lot of people.”

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Learn more about early intervention services.