10/12/2026
💬 More Than Words: Phillip’s Early Intervention Journey 🌱💙
Sometimes, the biggest success stories are the ones that start with a little uncertainty. When Phillip first began Early Intervention, his family wasn’t sure what the journey would look like. Nearly two years later, he is communicating, connecting with others, expressing what he needs, and heading into his next chapter with a strong foundation behind him. His mom’s words beautifully capture not only how far Phillip has come, but the relationships that made the journey so meaningful.
🥰A message from Phillip's mom:
As Phillip is nearing his third birthday I have been reflecting a lot on his time in EI. I truly hate to be leaving this team of his. Phillip has been with EI since December of 2024, so almost 2 years.
I sought out EI mostly because he wasn’t communicating and responding to communication like other kids his age. I remember how nervous I was approaching a table of ladies and asking for strangers to come into my home and help my child. I feel a lot of those same anxious feelings now that this chapter is coming to an end and a new chapter is about to begin. Those once strangers have become friends that we have shared the past two years of our lives with.
When Phillip started EI he would freak out in new situations and around new people, he would completely ignore that people were attempting to engage with him, and his only communication was a few sounds. Everything was a guessing game and hoping you could figure it out. From learning to speak his first words, to greeting people and exchanging goodbyes, EI has guided us and helped him to accomplish it all. I know he wouldn’t be where he is today without them.
Phillip’s journey began with Bailey, who taught him to truly engage, and be open to people. He went from avoidance to curious and somewhat brave. Bailey introduced Phillip to Heather who began working on speech and communication. There was some trial and error, giving him tools to help him communicate his wants/needs. We worked with him on ASL, Picture boards, vocalizations, and his tablet. His team guided us the whole way. Helping to find the things that worked best for him. It was a tough process at times, but they were there.
I remember a time when I wondered if he would ever be able to speak and now he has an amazing vocabulary. I wondered if he would ever be able to voice that he was thirsty, wanted a drink, or hungry and needed food, now he is able to do so. He uses a combination of words, his tablet and sign language, but for the most part he can tell us what he needs. Not every day is perfect and he still has some trouble, but we are on the right path to keep him growing.
His team was there for us when we needed them most. We talked through his meltdowns, how to approach them, how to help him communicate those feelings. How to redirect when things got too difficult and how to push him some when he needed it. But we also talked about all the “wins” and goals he accomplished, from his first words to actually saying mommy and daddy and applying them correctly (He just started saying daddy a few months ago.) Sometimes I feel like the best support was being able to brag about a good accomplishment and having someone there who knew just how much work went into accomplishing it.
Our family will forever be grateful for all that EI has helped Phillip achieve. He is communicating, more open to new people, engaging with others and actually wants people to pay attention to what he is doing.
He is very intelligent and always surprising us. We are really going to miss his EI team, but we will still send them cool updates when we can.
Although we don’t want to age out and wish we could stay forever. I am thankful for all that they have done the past few months getting him set up for preschool, so that he could continue his education and speech therapy through school. He has a plan and isn’t just being dropped. It gives us peace of mind knowing he will continue to have support even if he is transitioning to a new team.
We will miss you EI, but we promise to visit and send you an update.
If anyone ever finds themselves wondering if their child is little behind or struggling to meet a goal. I hope they reach out to Gallia County Early Intervention. You couldn’t ask for better team for your child. They provide the perfect amount of help and encouragement.
