Impact Stories

Background

These twin girls were born prematurely at 28 weeks, starting their lives in the NICU and special care nursery for more than two and a half months. When discharged, the parents felt overwhelmed after receiving around-the-clock care in the hospital.

Early Intervention Services

As the family adjusted to being home, specialists from Partners in Child Development’s Early Intervention Services met with the twins and their family to start providing services to support the girls’ development and address the concerns that came up due to their prematurity.

Early Intervention Services are often referred by the hospital to families of premature infants upon discharge with services typically beginning shortly after the babies are home.

Partners in Child Development’s Early Intervention Services has been providing early intervention to families in the Greater Lawrence communities including Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover for more than 40 years. The EI specialists included physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists to work with each twin and provide support and strategies to the family to assist in each baby’s development.

For nearly three years, the EI specialists worked with the parents and the twins, Brooke and Halle, listening, offering ideas and strategies, and addressing any new concerns as the girls continued to grow.

Benefits to Child and Family

“The therapists were warm, knowledgeable, and amazing, becoming an important part of our family…We trusted that they had our daughters’ best interests in mind as they continued to listen, adjust, and address all of our concerns through almost three years working together.”