Portage

[Bumblelion]

My DD2 (now aged 17 months) has had various issues in the past regarding development (failed 8 month check), only started walking about 3 weeks back, started crawling about 2 weeks ago, possible synostosis (now ruled out), failed hearing tests.

Anyway, at the hospital on Monday for another hearing test (again failed) they have decided she needs grommits (sp?) and is being checked again in 6 months by which time her hearing should have improved. She has lots of colds, sticky eyes, runny nose, etc. and I think this is why she needs the grommits - she is continuously blocked up.

Anyway, at the hospital on Monday seeing the audiologist, she asked if my DD had portage. When I said no, she sounded a bit surprised at this.

I wondered if anyone knows what portage actually is, what is involves, what it could actually do for my daughter.

We have portage. it is a pre-school home visiting service. The portage worker comes once a week and works through a series of exercises. In my sons's case this is things like jigsaw puzzles- things ot improve fine motor skills and to help with adult direction,a nd also PECS works (pictures for communicating). HAve to say I'm quite impressed with how he's come on- he'll sit at the kitchen table for an hour "working" and I don't think there are many 3 year olds who can do that!

Portage works at all levels though, so for a severely disabled child the "work" might be on things like sitting, or rolling or whatever. The first few weeks are spent doing a developmental check so that appropriate goals can be identified and set. No diagnosis is needed to receive portage.

If you have a good portage worker it is excellent. In our area parents can self refer to portage. It would probably be worth phoning your local portage office to see how they accept referrals.

Meant to say I'm not surprised your dd doesn't receieve portage- she's a bit young to have been "picked up" by the service without something "obviously" wrong iykwim. We didn't start receiving portage until after ds1 had turned 3.

Thanks Jimjams. Have spoken to my health visitor and she has said she will contact our local portage team who will visit Sasha once a week to, as you quite rightly say, develop her skills. She can sit unaided, cruise around the furniture, crawl but doesn't talk much (hardly at all really). My health visitor said that she did think Sasha would benefit as obviously I would like her to go to main stream school and don't want her falling too far behind at too early a stage as then she will never catch up. My HV has said that there is no reason why she shouldn't be able to go to the same school that my other two children currently go to.

I don't think that Sasha is "disabled" in the true sense of the word, but she is certainly having a few difficulties regarding fine and gross motor skills, athough she seems to be happy enough in herself and doesn't get frustrated.

Oh don't worry about schools. My rising 4 year old can't talk at all at the moment (he has autism and verbal dyspraxia- he does talk but only in Martian). And he is going to be starting mainstream school (slowly- one morning a week initially) in Spetember. Honestly it is very very difficult to get a special school place that you don't get one anyway unless you fight. Inclusion is the name of the game now (about which I have very mixed feelings). With the new disability legislation it is very hard for schools to refuse a place now.

Also don't worry about "catching up". In lots of ways (reading and other "academic" things) my ds1 is ahead of his peers, even though he is so frighteningly behind in language and things like self help skills.

Portage would help with statementing etc as well- and this can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful school placement. The key really is getting the necessary help in place.

Good luck!

Another vote in favour of portage. Dd has had weekly portage since December and she has progressed a lot, although not very much on the movement front (that is more the physio's role, for us). My portage worker told me today she is leaving though, which I'm v sad about, as she is great and dd loves her. So we'll both have to get used to someone new.

Hope it gets sorted out quickly for you (for us, it did take a couple of months to set up, had to go before LEA panel for approval and other bureaucracy). Good luck!

Another thumbs up for potage. My son had it from around 18-24 months until he went to a nursery in a special school at 3yo. The portage lady was really lovely.
Jimjams loved your comment about talking in martian.Our lad just moans and groans but I can tell what he wants by the tone of them. It must be the same for you. Isn't it amazing how speech is not needed to communicate to parents and we instinctively know our childs needs.

doormat I have to say I love walking round Tescos with ds1 in the trolley. People are nomally looking anyway (he's almost 4 and is quite big so does look big for a trolley). Suddenly he'll say "mmbam mmbam" and I'll say "oh yes hoover" (he doesn't really point either). Then we get something like "dadeain dadeain" and I'll say "that's right microwave" - by now people are really staring (sometimes quite openly)! Think I'll get more annoyed if they carry on staring when he's able to understand that they're staring though. I've got used to ignoring it, but don't really want him to have to.

I did get cross at the check out last week- he started doing a "a hee ay" noise (kind of like a moan) which means "I'm really fed up get me out of here" If he could talk he would be saying "whine whine when are we going" iykwim. Anyway the woman on the checkout started telling him off "oh now that's what I call a lot of noise about nothing, you're not really crying there's no tears, so just be quiet will you?" I could have quite merrily punched her!

Jimjams, I would quite have merrily punched her too in your shoes.

It is funny how your ideas/perceptions change when you have a child with problems/difficulties.

It is very easy to criticise other parents in supermarkets, play schemes and become all self-righteous but when you have a child with (even slight) problems, you become much more conscious of other parents and their children. Just because their child is "playing up" and the parent is not dealing with it in the way you would expect them to in normal circumstances, now I make a point, if I do look, I look in a sympathetic way as we have all been there (with children with problems or without) when they are having their "I am tired" tantrum in the middle of the supermarket.

Now, when people ask me if DD2 is walking yet, talking yet (not really doing either with proficiency) I just tell them no, she is a bit delayed development wise, she is big, lazy (and I mean this in the nicest possible manner) but the most happiest, contented, wonderful, bright little girl I know. Just an absolute poppet.

Picking up on what Jimjams said about "catching up", I was thinking about my other two elder children. When DD1 started school, she could write, read, etc. When DS1 started school he couldn't write or read (had no interest whatsoever) but since he started last Easter he has come on leaps and bounds so even though I feel he was a bit "behind" when he started school, now the interest has kicked in he has come on tremondously.