Earlier this year, Tyra gave birth to her son, Oshen, at Wilcox Medical Center in Lihu‘e. Immediately after, Oshen suffered a stroke and was airlifted to Kapi‘olani Medical Center on O‘ahu. Fortunately, the medical team was able to stabilize Oshen, but his mother still worried about his future and how this might impact his development.
Earlier this year, Tyra gave birth to her son, Oshen, at Wilcox Medical Center in Lihu‘e. Immediately after, Oshen suffered a stroke and was airlifted to Kapi‘olani Medical Center on O‘ahu. Fortunately, the medical team was able to stabilize Oshen, but his mother still worried about his future and how this might impact his development.
Tyra was referred to Easterseals Hawai‘i Early Intervention by her pediatric neurologist. Like many other health-care providers, Easterseals Hawai‘i offered services through telehealth during the pandemic, which allowed Tyra to schedule biweekly virtual appointments with early-intervention therapists on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu.
Tyra and her team of early-interventionists used their online visits to create a family-centered, routine-based plan for Oshen’s developmental goals — which included crawling, rolling over or playing independently. Using the individualized plan as her guide, she worked with Oshen and the team to build healthy routines and navigate challenges together.
“It really felt like the early-interventionists were part of our family,” Tyra said. “They were with us through all the ups and downs and were just as excited about my son’s developmental milestones as I was.”
Oshen is now a healthy and happy 10-month-old thriving at home with his family. Thanks to Easterseals Hawai‘i, Tyra and her family are now empowered with the knowledge and resources to provide the best care for Oshen and his continued development.
“Without the help from Easterseals Hawai‘i, this would be a very nerve-wracking experience,” Tyra said. “Since we live on Kaua‘i, the online visits made it so much easier for us to connect often.”
While the pandemic continues to test the operational limits of our health-care system, Oshen’s journey is one example of the ways Easterseals Hawai‘i is adapting to rapidly changing needs. Many of our families are comfortable with online services now, which means we can provide families with more options for services than before the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, 100% of our early-intervention services were provided in-person. Now, neighbor island residents can access flexible early-intervention services with a blend of in-person visits and telehealth visits, based on family preference. Approximately 75% of our early-intervention families on Kaua‘i currently utilize our telehealth options.
Easterseals Hawai‘i is the largest provider of early-intervention services in the state. Our early-intervention services offer a comprehensive, research-based program for children from birth to 3 years of age who qualify for services due to a developmental delay or who may be considered at risk of delay, at no cost to the families. Self-referrals are welcome. Families do not need to wait for their pediatrician to refer to early intervention.
If you or someone you know has concerns about their child’s development, please visit EastersealsHawaii.org to learn more about Easterseals Hawai‘i’s early-intervention services.
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Monica Patrie is interim director of early intervention for Easterseals Hawai‘i.
