SEATTLE — The Early Intervention Program at Seattle Children's Hospital aims to help children on the autism spectrum reach key milestones in their early development and connect parents with community resources.
"The earlier that you are able to provide intervention, the better," said Jaimie Sigesmund, a family advocate and case manager of the Early Intervention Program. "Kids are still learning and developing, and it's an important time to get a head start on some of the skills that they need to learn for their future."
Nataly Cuzcueta is one mother who benefited after noticing the early signs of regression in development with her now 3-year-old twins, Kira and Aliya.
"When they were 11 months, they started tip toe walking, less eye contact, they weren't eating their food, they weren't wanting to eat at the table," said Cuzcueta. "Around the 1-year mark, there were a lot of meltdowns and self-injuring behavior started appearing. I was very concerned."
Cuzcueta consulted with her pediatrician about the severity of the behavior and received a referral to Seattle Children's Autism Center.
"I took [the diagnosis] very serious as far as, I thought I could cure autism," said Cuzcueta. "I thought that whatever this was, it could just go away."
Cuzcueta's twins went through the 12-week Early Intervention Program twice due to the severity of their self-injuring behavior.
"When we went to the center, my daughters were still nonverbal," said Cuzcueta. "They didn't talk, they didn't point. A lot of their frustration was just that basic life necessity of communication, of finding a way to communicate even with their Mom. Thanks to the Autism Center, they were able to learn how to point. That was life-changing for my family and for the girls."
The Early Intervention Program is modeled after a preschool program in a classroom setting. They focus on play-based and small group activities, while also working one-on-one with a therapist while they are in the classroom, said Sigesmund. The social interaction and activities with peers is essential for naturalistic learning.
However, kids involved in the program aren't the only ones receiving support from Seattle Children's Hospital.
"To this day, they're like a lifeline," said Cuzcueta. "I feel like they're an extension of my family. They understand me and my daughters better than some of the people that are closest to me."
To show her appreciation, Cuzcueta spent two months raising money for a project to give thanks to the Seattle Children's staff and to spread awareness about autism.
For others, Sigesmund said the best way to support families and children with autism, is to be kind.
"A lot of our families will go out into the community and be treated poorly by people judging their parenting and their children's behavior, they're not kind," said Sigesmund. "The biggest message you need to take home is let's just all embrace autism learn about it, become knowledgeable and be supportive of the community."
Cuzcueta also had a learning moment while working with the Autism Center after her twins were diagnosed.
"I learned that it's okay to not rush everything," said Cuzcueta. "Everything has it's time and that they are beautiful just the way that they are. With the correct help and resources, they're gonna thrive and they're going to be okay."
As for the future, Cuzcueta is looking foward to receiving more help and resources, and hopefully hearing Kira and Aliya's voices one day.
Read more about Nataly's story on Seattle Children's On the Pulse blog.
This segment is sponsored by Seattle Children's. Watch New Day Northwest 11:00 weekdays on KING-TV Ch.5 or streaming live on KING5.com. Connect with New Day via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.