Reyna Lira-Morales, just over two years old now, has been receiving Rainbows services since she was born. Her family’s first connection with Rainbows came through a doctor’s referral, as Reyna was born with Down syndrome.
“It was painful to find out, and we didn’t know what to do or expect,” said Reyna’s mother, Laura, about hearing the initial diagnosis. “We had no experience with others who had Down syndrome, and we often felt scared. I even cried about the difficulties in the beginning, just because of all the unknowns coming for my daughter.”
Over the past two years, Reyna has received physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy all through Rainbows. Reyna reached a huge milestone this past January and her PT sessions have since stopped. Reyna no longer sees a Physical Therapist regularly because she is now walking just like any other two-year-old!
Reyna is currently working on fine motor skills and utensil use with her Occupational Therapist and multiple language goals with her Speech Therapist. “When I see Reyna, we work on play skills using books and puzzles, practice sign language, and work towards other important speech objectives,” said Katie Bally, Reyna’s Speech Language Pathologist. “Pretending and imitation is important at her age so we spend a lot of time on that as well. Reyna’s pre-verbal skills and foundational problem-solving skills have improved so much! This is in large part because her family is so great at working with Reyna daily, implementing tools or activities we have given them.”
Reyna’s family is grateful for Rainbows and what these services have meant to them. “I now tell other families with children about Rainbows,” said Laura. “I tell them about these special services and how they have stepped into our lives and made a difference.”
Though they had many concerns when Reyna was born, her family can’t imagine life without her now. “We don’t worry about her as much these days, and treat her no different than anyone else,” said Laura. “She is just as loved and perfect as our other three children.”
