Meet Katie

Meet Katie
In Four Parts

Her First Four Years During this period, there were many times we wondered if this pretty and seemingly perfect child might be possessed. It was obvious that Katie was different from other children, but we had no idea why. Safety was a big concern since she was quite a daredevil and seemed impervious to pain. On a weekend near her fourth birthday, she developed a 106 degree fever which continued for five days. It was misdiagnosed by a perfectly capable pediatrician, whom we called in the middle of the night, as being viral in nature because she never complained of any pain. Only when she began to discharge yellow fluid from her ears did we realize she did not have the flu that every other child in her class had. Not only were both of her ears infected, but she also had strep throat.

Real Progress We begin to understand the nature of Katie's individual differences. She is evaluated by both a private speech-language center, where she begins therapy immediately, and a child study team for the local school district. Her ability to communicate improves and we begin to implement a comprehensive intervention program.

Diagnosis Confirmed Almost a full year after intervention begins, a neurologist gives Katie a formal diagnosis.

The Advocate This section might as well be called "The Vances go to War." It describes our first experiences with the Special Education establishment.