REFUGEE Manzi Icyaliho is apartment-hunting this week...read more
HOME HEALTH CARE The Rose of Ames is decorated for the Christmas season with trees wrapped in strings of lights and ornaments...read more
EARLY CHILDHOOD On a snowy afternoon Alice stares in wonder at the nativity set her mother is unpacking on the coffee table...read more
SERVICES TO FAMILIES Annette and Darryl Koudelka were moving their oldest son to independent living three years ago when they got the phone call...read more
SERVICES FOR PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES Ten-year-old Logan Millius is an easygoing fourth grader with a passion for bowling...read more
RESIDENTIAL Sitting in her old junior high gym in Marshalltown, in an intersection between her past and her future, Amanda shares the story of how she turned her life around...read more
Early Childhood
On a snowy afternoon Alice stares in wonder at the nativity set her mother is unpacking on the coffee table.
Not long ago the palm trees and camels would have been just a blur to the blonde toddler.
Alice weighed only five pounds at birth, a concern for developmental delays. It was her vision, however, that quickly became her parent's biggest worry.
"She wasn't crawling, she wasn't grabbing things or clapping her hands," her mother Jennifer said. "She was terrified of being on her stomach. Her eyes would be unfocused, and she would be gazing off into the distance."
They worried Alice had inherited a condition from her father Mike, who has a syndrome that causes problems with processing visual stimuli, but a visit to the doctor left them frustrated when the provider didn't listen to their concerns.
Then Alice's LSI parent educator Shannon told them about a free vision screening offered by the local Lions Club.
It was something the family couldn't have afforded otherwise, said Jennifer. The screening results were sent to the University of Iowa and eventually led to a diagnosis and glasses for Alice.
"We picked up her glasses in Ames, and she became a completely different person," Jennifer said smiling. "By Shannon's next visit she was crawling. She was everywhere."
"We've talked about how exciting it is to see how much she is growing and developing, and how if she didn't have these glasses, we never would have seen those milestones," Jennifer added.
"She was borderline delayed before, and now she's way on the other side of the scale."
Alice's story underscores a key strength of LSI's early childhood programs – LSI staff members know each local community well and can connect families with valuable resources.
Shannon visits the family once a month through LSI's Parents as Teachers program, which focuses on a child's development and family interaction. Shannon also provides information on parenting topics and ideas for easy homemade activities.
Today Alice is 16 months old. She loves books and pounding on her piano. Her giggle makes everyone smile. Her parents are now confident she will be ready when it's time to start school, and because her eyesight was examined early, she may not even need glasses someday.
A happy toddler who is right on track? Now that's a beautiful sight.
