Early Intervention for Children in Guatemala

In the first quarter of 2019, Early Intervention and Parent School workshops resumed once again in the communities of Santiago Atitlán, Cerro de Oro, and Santa Teresita. Also, 5 additional girls and 4 additional boys were enrolled in the Early Intervention program, with disabilities including Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

Home visits and therapies here at ADISA also resumed as normal this quarter. During these first few months, February, March, and the first 15 days of April, our Early Intervention Teacher has completed a total of 165 visits.

This time, we would like to share Baltazar’s story with you. He was born in July of 2017. A midwife attended to his birth and his mother comments that labor was long. A teacher referred Baltazar to a doctor and social worker at the Hospitalito Atitlán at the beginning of 2018 because he still did not have the strength in his neck to hold up his head. He also began to suffer from seizures when he was five-months-old and would have on average at least three seizures a day. The doctor diagnosed him with Hydrocephalus and Convulsive Syndrome.

Shortly thereafter, almost a week later, Baltazar arrived at ADISA for the first time. In addition to the Early Intervention program, Baltazar also participates in physical therapy and animal-assisted therapy at ADISA. Today, Baltazar is very happy, participating in his therapies, and always has a big smile on his face. His mother also enjoys participating in the therapies and the family is very appreciative for the support that ADISA has provided.