Infant Toddler Program - Success Stories
Dacotta
When Dacotta first came to Holly Ridge Center Infant Toddler Program, her mother Destini had many challenges ahead with her four-month-old baby girl. Although Destini had not been sick during pregnancy and there had been no problems during birth, the doctor informed Destini that Dacotta's brain was not developing the way it does in other babies. A series of brain scans revealed that Dacotta's cerebellum, as well as other parts of her brain were very small. As Dacotta grew, she faced challenges such as gagging and trouble coordinating chewing and swallowing. This resulted in the placement of a tube to allow food to go directly into her stomach so she could get the nutrition that she needed. Dacotta also could not crawl, move around or play the way other babies do.
At Holly Ridge Center a special team including an early childhood special education teacher, physical therapist, speech-language pathologist, clinical nurse specialist, social worker and a developmental pediatrician helped Dacotta and Destini. They worked very hard to give Dacotta and Destini the tools and services they needed to get Dacotta ready for transition into the public school system at the age of three.
The skills that Dacotta learned at Holly Ridge Center have enabled her to access the school district classrooms. She can sit and enjoy an activity, reach out to activate switches on toys, focus to look at pictures in a book, make animal sounds, and can hold a spoon bringing it to her mouth with help to taste soft foods! Thanks to Destini's hard work and help from the staff at Holly Ridge Center, Dacotta is off to a good start.
