Annual IFSP

Today was Joe's one year annual IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) with First Steps. Our coordinator and two of Joe's therapists came over and we talked about his goals and progress, etc. He has been making progress but techinically hasn't actually met any of the goals that we set previously. Joe has been approved to continue treatment as it has been: Physical therapy 2x weekly, Occupational therapy 1x weekly, Developmental therapy 1x weekly and Speech 1x weekly. We are going to try to get his vision tested again to see if anything has changed from last year. While his eye contact and attention has increased we still wonder if he might have some vision problems.
Goal #1 - Improve overall strength in his body so that he can improve physical skills such as rolling, sitting and crawling, etc. - He is doing well and continuing to improve, but he does have a long way to go. Both PT and OT specifically work on this goal.
Goal #2 - Increase Joe's ability to focus for longer periods so that he can engage in more play and social interaction. - I think OT, DT and Speech help work on this goal. And again, he is improving but just is not caught up.
Goal #3 - Increase Joe's use of vocal and sign language communication. - Both Speech and OT and sometimes DT work on this. It would really relieve alot of strain if Joe were able to communicate his needs and wants better. While he has been doing better in some ways, he's also getting more frustrated at his lack of communication skills.
All of his therapists mention how sweet Joe is and how great it is to work with him (and the rest of our family). I am so blessed by them and am thankful that we have found such a great group of therapists.
One thing that we are doing that is new is alphabiotics. The Alphabiotic Alignment is a hands-on process which instantly unifies the brain hemispheres, balances the energies within the nerve system and muscles and releases stress held within the mind/body. In this state of Alignment you begin to function better on levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, placing you in a more favorable position to heal yourself. Both Isaac and Joe have seen Dr. Andry a couple of times. We were referred to him by our herbalist that we've been seeing as a family since before Joe was born. We're not looking for a miracle or anything... but feel its worth a try.
So... for now we'll continue doing what we are doing and obviously continue to pray for progress.