We’re looking forward to many more milestones
by Erin
Easter Seals Peoria-Bloomington was featured in a story in Central Illinois Proud last month. The segment followed the Stribling family’s decision to return to our autism diagnostic clinic with their son, Roran and gave brief examples of how the diagnostic process works.
The story quoted the Medical Director of our Autism Center, Dr. Ronald Lindsay, explaining why parents of a child already receiving services might consider having a child re-evaluated.
Last time, he didn’t meet enough criteria to have an autism diagnosis. But this day could give a different answer.
“When we first saw him, he was very behind in his language skills. Now, as his language has developed, what we noted was that he’s become echolalic,” explains Dr. Lindsay.
That means, Roran repeats words immediately after he hears them. Repetitive language is common with kids within the autism spectrum. It’s something doctors and evaluators watch closely during the diagnostic clinic.
The Stribling family has two children on the spectrum, and their dad was also quoted in the story. “Everyone at Easter Seals does a wonderful job,” he said. “They’re wonderful to our family. They’re great at taking care of us and I trust them when it comes to talking about things our kids are going to be dealing with.”
Because Roran’s brother received Early Intervention services, the Stribling family was quick to take action when they had concerns with their second child. Easter Seals knows that early identification and intervention makes a lifelong difference.
Because of Roran’s early services and diagnostic evaluations, his developmental outlook is bright! We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to support his progress and look forward to many more milestones in Roran’s life!