Dean: Overcoming Feeding Challenges and Developmental Delays with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)

Early Feeding Struggles and Developmental Delays

Dean Patrick Solomon was born a healthy full-term baby boy. However, at an early age, within his first few months of life, breastfeeding became a struggle. Dean would commonly refuse to nurse and cry when it was time to eat. To aid his weight gain and improve sleep, we started giving him breast milk in a bottle before naps and bedtime. Although he maintained healthy weight gain on a slower scale, he consistently remained in a very low weight percentile.

As we introduced solid foods, we encountered significant difficulties. Dean refused most foods, except for a few, such as yogurt and sweet potatoes. Initially, we thought he might not be ready for solids, but over time, there was no improvement, and he started losing weight. At one point, his weight fell so low that he wasn’t even on the weight charts. Alongside feeding issues, we also noticed other developmental delays in speech, self-feeding skills (OT), physical milestones (late walker), and behavioral challenges.

Identifying Vision Issues and Early Intervention

During Dean’s fifteen-month appointment, we discovered he was severely farsighted, and his eyes started crossing (double Strabismus). We later learned that these vision issues could have contributed to his developmental delays and feeding difficulties. Dean received glasses and underwent eye surgery for strabismus under the care of a pediatric ophthalmologist.

After speaking with friends who had faced similar situations, I learned about Arizona’s Early Intervention program. I immediately referred Dean to the program, and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) was assigned as his service provider for Early Intervention. Dean underwent evaluations at home and qualified for multiple services. With UCP’s support, he began feeding therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and developmental therapy.

Remarkable Progress and Graduation from Early Intervention

Since starting therapy at the UCP clinic and at home, Dean has shown dramatic growth and progress. He now speaks in two to four-word sentences and continues to learn and expand his vocabulary every day. Thanks to the guidance of our wonderful therapists, he has overcome sensory aversions and can now engage in sensory play with sand and play-dough. He has also made significant strides in his eating habits and has achieved a healthy weight.

Dean will be graduating from the Early Intervention program at the age of three, and we are confident and thrilled that he will no longer require services due to the remarkable progress he has made with United Cerebral Palsy. We are immensely grateful for the support he has received and delighted to see him thriving developmentally through the early intervention services.

– Shelley, Dean’s Mom