UCP Amassador: Lucy

At 20 months of age, our daughter had less than 10 words of speech and only a few more in sign language. Communication was a barrier for her not a bridge.

Lucy came home to the US from China at 13 months of age and was thrust into a world of English speakers eager to love her but with whom she could not communicate verbally. She had heard only Chinese from birth to 13 months and was struggling to learn to speak while learning a new language at the same time.

In January, Ann, UCP Service Coordinator/Developmental Specialist, set up a program for Lucy. Some objectives of this program were to get Lucy to cry less, to decrease her frustration with not being able to communicate, and to have her using 50 to 100 words within 6 months.

Lucy and Ann were fast friends from the moment they met. The time they spent together was a complete joy to Lucy. With Lucy going through Ann’s bag of learning games and Ann being charmed by our amazing daughter. Ann came to our home to work with Lucy. She arranged to have other therapists evaluate Lucy to rule out any other delays or causes for Lucy’s level of frustration assessing skills such as fine motor, gross motor, eating, and the need for physical and occupational therapy, etc..

In the first few visits, Lucy learned new words. “Why” and “mine” topped the list and were the source of constant conversation between mother and daughter. Ann’s next visit was welcomed as we were more than eager for new words as “why” and “mine” had been used to excess by our curious daughter.

By summer (6 months later), Lucy was using over 100 words. Lucy could tell me her needs and I could meet them. She was laughing, laughing! She still cried but more along the lines of a normal toddler and not at every attempt to communicate. Articulation was still difficult and she was mostly understood by mom, not so much by strangers, but we were communicating!

Our new goals were to increase Lucy’s attention span to an age appropriate level and to work on articulation.

We started an articulation immersion program in the spring. By the next summer, Lucy was telling stories to strangers in the grocery store. She could toddle off to a clerk and come back with the item of her desire – a balloon. She could even find a waiter, request more of the rolls she loved, and have them delivered to our table. All under mom’s watchful eye but with no assistance, no translator, no speaking for her – “she said she wants a ….”

Our daughter continues to grow and blossom and brighten the days of all she meets. She is becoming the wonder that is Lucy. UCP helped us through the first very bumpy phases of meeting our daughter’s unique needs and our family is happy. What can you say to that?

- Lucy’s Mom, Anne