Don’t Worry, Call Rainbows!

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and as a speech language pathologist with Rainbows United, I am so excited to share my mantra with you: Don’t worry, Call Rainbows! This is what I say to parents who approach me and tell me they are worried about their child’s speech development. “Does this really happen […]
Never Give Up

Born weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces, Theron is a former “23 Weeker” who wasn’t given much hope on making it to his first birthday. He spent 144 days in the NICU and had a total of 5 brain surgeries plus 2 eye surgeries. Theron has hydrocephalus as well as cerebral palsy. His parents, Raven and […]
6 Things To Know About Early Intervention Services

When the Rainbows’ evaluation teams share results with families, some families may be happy that there is someone who can validate their concerns, while others might be discouraged because the hope for a “typical” child took a different course than they planned. Since I am an Early Interventionist that might be working with your family, […]
Determined kid catches peers

Alex is a senior this year at Andover Central High School. He’s involved in soccer, bowling and mountain bike riding. His goal after high school is to go on to college and is interested in Physical Therapy. He loves spending time with his family and friends but is looking forward to going off to school. […]
Unique and Wonderfully Made

“Our goal for Sophia is for her know how wonderfully made she is,” said Taylor, Sophia’s mother. Sophia has a very complex and unique medical diagnosis of unbalanced translocation of chromosomes. She has 100 extra Chromosome 7, and 6 deleted from Chromosome 9. She is the only one in medical history to have this mix […]
How do you know what a baby sees?

Tiffany Owens, early childhood special education teacher and early interventionist, provides services to children ages birth to 3 years old through Rainbows’ Infant/Toddler Services program in Butler County. Tiffany travels throughout Butler County to work with children and families in their homes. Here she answers three of the most common questions she is asked regarding […]
Letting Brayden Fail, With Love

Twenty-six-year-old Brayden is the biggest KU basketball fan you’ll ever meet. He is very sport-oriented, enjoys golfing with his dad and uncle and has played tournaments with them. This summer, Brayden and his mom, DeAnne attended Rainbows’ 50th Birthday celebration at the Wind Surge baseball game. Brayden has been part of the Rainbows’ family since […]
Laura and Leo tell their story

It was 1988 and after 2 weeks in the NICU, Laura was sent home with her parents, Jane and Randy who were completely unprepared on how to help their daughter. Laura was born with cerebral palsy and visual impairment. When Laura was 5 months old, a friend told them they needed to call Rainbows. The […]
A Solid Foundation to Grow

Do you remember this little curly-haired girl with the winning smile? Diagnosed with Chromosome 16P11-2 Micro-deletion Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in May 2013, her parents were first told that she may not really talk and have a lot of difficulty expressing herself. “Now ten-years-old, she enjoys talking A LOT,” said Kim, Sophia’s mom. “Sophia […]
Future Golf Pro is Thriving

At 6-months-old Jack, who was born 8 weeks early due to preeclampsia complications, was developmentally behind. After a referral from his doctor, the family got connected to Rainbows. For the next 2 ½ years, Jack received home or tele therapy visits with Diane Porter, Occupational Therapy Assistant. Diane saw Jack onscreen with his mom, Christina […]