By UCP of Central Florida President and CEO, Ilene E. Wilkins
June 4, 2009
Special to the Orlando Sentinel
When expecting a baby, people typically are asked, "Do you want a boy or a girl?" Most answer, "I don't care, as long as the baby is healthy."
But one in 10 children have a disability, such as autism, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy, or a speech, vision or hearing impairment. To reach their potential, these children require special education or therapy, or both.
Our community was recently introduced to a talented 7-year-old with autism — Gina Marie Incandela. Gina is the Orlando Magic's good-luck charm. With her belting out the national anthem before all the playoff games, the Magic won each time, and now are Eastern Conference champions. And Gina will be there when the Magic win the NBA Finals against Los Angeles.
United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida met Gina at age 2 — when she entered UCP's Osceola campus. At that time, Gina couldn't speak, make eye contact or tolerate public places. Her parents dreamed she'd talk one day.
For years at UCP, Gina worked hard in her daily educational, occupational and speech services. Then, our music-therapy program fanned a spark that became a flame. Little by little, Gina found her voice through singing, and she emerged as the victorious Gina you see today.
While most children won't become a singing star like Gina, her success highlights the importance of receiving early-intervention services at the youngest possible age. Many people don't realize that children with a delay or a disability can, and should, begin their education and therapies as early as 6 weeks old.
During the first three years of life, the window of opportunity for learning and brain growth is greater than at any other time in a child's life. UCP's early-intervention programs reach children during their formative years when education and health care provide the greatest effect, when it's still possible to reduce or even eliminate the effects of the children's conditions. Over the decades, we've watched thousands of children take their first steps, even after their parents were told they would never walk. We've heard children carry on conversations, though their families were given no hope they would ever speak.
Early intervention translates into big fiscal dividends for our community as well. For every dollar spent on high-quality, early intervention for children with special needs, up to $17 is saved in future costs.
Like other high-quality, early-intervention programs, UCP prepares the children to succeed and shapes the children's progress for the rest of their lives.
At UCP, our vision for the future is to reach every child like Gina, so each can accomplish his or her dreams, whether it's singing the national anthem in front of tens of thousands or saying four simple words: "I did it myself."
For more information about this article, please contact Ilene Wilkins at (407) 852-3303
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