During the month of July, Davidson & Associates Insurance Agency, Inc. pledged to make a donation to Innovative Services NW for each new referral they received. Their final donation was $500! Thank you to Davidson & Associates Insurance and everyone who participated!
Kindergarten, Here We Come!
Congratulations to our graduating Pre-Kindergarten class of 2017! A big thank you to Vancouver Toyota for both sponsoring our celebration and providing our graduating students with school supplies to start Kindergarten on the right foot! Thank you, also, to Matt and Val Hadwin of McDonald’s on 112th and Jessie Ryan for your school supply donations! We’re grateful to our community partners for setting our students up for success in the coming year!
Time for your Lunch Break? Go see Kevin at MOD Pizza!
Kevin hasn’t let learning disabilities slow him down. Working with Innovative, he has gained a lot of experience for his resume with varied positions, such as office assistant and window washer. He’s now been working at MOD Pizza for more than a year, and he loves his job. His duties include: whipping up milkshakes, pouring beer and wine, and busing tables. His favorite part of the lunch rush is manning the cash register, because he loves to make conversation with his customers. Kevin’s co-workers at MOD Pizza have all been supportive of him,“They’re all super nice to me, and they include me as part of the team,” Kevin said, “And the pizza is really good!”
Outside of work, he likes to give back to the community by volunteering for Mentors of Boys, a nonprofit program here in Vancouver. He also participates in soccer and bowling, and has competed in both sports in the Special Olympics for more than five years. His Job Coach, Janna, shared about Kevin, “He’s always excited about learning more. He’s got an amazing work attitude, and is always eager to broaden his horizons.”
Innovative’s Employment Services program has been a leader in employment services in Clark County, Washington for over 40 years. Our dedicated staff of Job Developers and Coaches assist individuals in overcoming disability-related employment barriers to realize their full potential as productive members of the community. Click here to learn more.
Back-to-School Supply Drive
Our Pre-K students are about to graduate, and we would love to get them off on the right foot for kindergarten with a backpack full of school supplies!
For each of our 32 graduating students, we’re hoping to collect:
• One pair of child-size scissors
• One box of crayons
• One pack of pencils
• One pack of markers
• One pack of 3 glue sticks
• One spiral wide-ruled notebook
If would like to donate any of these items to our graduating students, please contact Lynn at (360) 892-5142 ext.124 or lmadden@innovativeservicesnw.org, or feel free to drop them off at the front desk! Thank you, as always, for supporting Innovative’s clients and families!
Nathan Ehline Plays Dream Concert to Sold Out Venue

Nathan and Daniel Seavy perform at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland.
Photo courtesy Make-A-Wish Oregon
Nathan Ehline is a long time client of Innovative’s Pediatric Therapy program. Last month, the Make-a-Wish Foundation helped Nathan make one of his dreams come true by coordinating a concert featuring Nathan and his best friend, Daniel Seavey, at the Crystal Ballroom. The show sold out with more than 1,500 people in attendance! Click here for Fox 12’s full article and video of the concert.
Columbia Credit Union Grants $10,000 to Innovative for Tech Improvements
We’re proud to announce a $10,000 grant from Columbia Credit Union toward Technology Improvements. Part of this grant, $3,500, will complete the $107,300 needed for Innovative to purchase/implement a new software for Accounting, HR and Fixed Asset system, along with the required hardware upgrades to accommodate the new software. The new software will provide our management team with accurate, detailed, timely information to help increase Innovative’s effectiveness and sustainability. The remainder of the funds will be used toward the project to update Innovative’s billing and scheduling software, primarily used by the Pediatric Therapy Program. We’ve been serving Clark County since 1963. With our growth over the last several years, the organization has grown beyond the capabilities of our current outdated systems. These technology upgrades will allow Innovative’s programs to better serve even more children, adults, and families in need in our community.
Time for a Dance Break!
A Glimpse of Hope
“He’s a ball of joy. He’s super happy all the time, independent, and just an all-around great kid.”
Maverick, a bright and energetic boy who’s almost three, was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, a syndrome that resulted in blindness in both eyes. Tracy, his mom, first noticed when his pupils, rather than staying steady, seemed to bounce, unable to focus or track objects or people.
Though they were first time parents and unsure of what was causing his symptoms, Alvaro and Tracy knew that they needed to get help for their son. At two months old, he received his diagnosis and his parents were informed that it was unlikely he would ever be able to see. Maverick also has a related condition where his pituitary gland does not handle growth hormones appropriately, so his parents would have to give him nightly injections, or his growth would most likely be dramatically stunted. In addition, a sudden drop in blood sugar could result in seizures.
At two months old, Maverick was referred to Innovative Services NW’s Pediatric Therapy & Neurodevelopmental Center by his primary care physician. He was unable to hold his head up straight and was developing tightness in his neck muscles. Jessica, Maverick’s Physical Therapist, worked for several months to show the family exercises and stretches that would help straighten his posture. “Every time they taught us a new exercise he immediately caught on to it. He just was amazing,” Tracy said. They applied their knowledge at home, working with their son at every opportunity, all the while Jessica continuously assured the new family that they were taking the right steps for their son. “That positive reinforcement that we were doing the right thing—that made a big difference to us,” Alvaro said.
During Maverick’s first Christmas, when he was three months old, they noticed something spectacular: when he was near their Christmas tree, he seemed to notice its glowing lights. In that moment, they realized Maverick had slight vision in his right eye. This was actually the cause of the tightness in his neck muscles: he was holding his head in a way that favored his right eye because he was able to see more clearly when he tilted to the left.
Jessica continued to help Maverick achieve his developmental milestones. She helped him learn to crawl, balance, and eventually, walk. It was expected that his vision impairment would lengthen this process, but, with physical therapy, he started taking steps six months earlier than originally anticipated.
At five months old, Maverick started Innovative’s Early Intervention program. An Early Childhood Educator came to the family’s home every week to address Maverick’s sensory concerns. Aurora eventually became Maverick’s primary Early Childhood Educator. Given his complicated diagnoses, she and Jessica knew they must consider the “whole child” and all of his needs in everything they chose to do. Because his sight is impaired, his other senses are heightened, which can cause him to have strong reactions, especially to touch. “He now plays with play dough and sand… He sticks his hands in anything and everything that’s messy!” Tracy laughed. Aurora also helped him achieve social, adaptive, and physical goals by implementing therapy techniques with the family during their home visits. “Our son loves Aurora,” Tracy said. “They have a really great bond. She’s been an absolute joy to have in our home. She’s been here since he was a year old, so she feels like a part of our family.”
His sensory and physical improvements, independence, and his self-confidence are ever-growing, thanks to the teamwork of his therapist and early childhood educator and, of course, his parents. He’s testing into average ranges or higher in development for children his age. He runs, jumps, plays and laughs just like you might expect of any two-year-old. “Early intervention is possible because parents know their child best; working as a team we can make a positive early experience for the child”, Aurora said. “I’m very proud of Maverick’s parents and extended family. Because of all their hard work, Maverick will be enrolling in preschool, with additional supports, this fall.”
His parents are optimistic for the future, Alvaro shared, “It was all because of Innovative. We didn’t know what we were going to do. We were young parents. They were our backbone in every decision that we’ve made with him and they were our little piece of hope to hold onto.”
Just Baby Steps
After being referred to Innovative Services NW’s Pediatric Therapy & Neurodevelopmental Center, John is well on his way becoming more independent.
John was born with a rare form of Klinefelter syndrome, a chromosomal condition. For John, it meant he had very low muscle tone. He was referred to Innovative by his primary care physician to begin Intensive Physical Therapy and Early Intervention services that would help him get stronger. His mother, Kari, expressed how much John has improved in just a few months, “If you sat him down, he would just fold right in half. He couldn’t hold his bottle, he was very weak. Now his posture is improving. It’s just baby steps; he’s getting better at each mile stone.”
John’s physical therapy team, Jessica, Ali, and Alisha, have been working with him since December to strengthen his body and improve his independence. Prior to receiving physical therapy, he didn’t have the strength to move and explore his environment, like most curious children his age. Jessica noted John’s improvements, “Now he’s fifteen months, and able to reach for toys and bang them together, he’s not quite rolling yet, but he’s getting close. Mom has really been implementing the exercises from therapy at home. It’s showing a big change.”
Kari couldn’t be happier with his progress. She and her family are eager for him to take his first steps. “There’s just hope that soon he will be walking,” she said. “[The therapists] are very patient. They’re very good at working with him. They’ve learned his personality. There would have been a really long delay if he hadn’t received all of this help.”
Finding Her Words
Imagine for a moment that your child suddenly seems to forget how to speak; this was the case for three-year-old Annalynne and her mother Mari.
“She used to say things like ‘here you go’ and ‘thank you’ and then she just stopped,” Mari said. Her daughter, Annalynne, at almost two years old, seemed to lose her ability to speak. She began using humming sounds, seemingly in the form of a sentence, to communicate. Mari struggled to get a diagnosis for her daughter. One medical professional suggested that Annalynne may have Apraxia: a condition where the brain has difficulty communicating to the parts of the body (tongue, jaw, and lips) used for speech. However, it was unclear why she might have developed it so late.
Knowing the importance of addressing her daughter’s speech concerns early on, Mari sought advice from her family physician. He referred Annalynne to Innovative Services NW Pediatric Therapy Center, a Neurodevelopmental Center. She’s now been receiving Early Intervention services, which include Speech Therapy, in the home for more than a year. Her therapist, Bri, has noted major improvements in her language skills, “Annalynne has grown a lot! Initially, if I tried to help her with her speech, she would close her eyes and shut down. Now, she’ll come to therapy and we’ll play, and she’ll copy oral motor exercises, and specific sounds. Now that she’s able to use her voice, she’s getting more confident,” Bri said. The dedication of her parents in implementing her therapy at home has allowed Annalynne to quickly progress in her speech skills. It’s empowered her independence and ability to communicate with her family, teachers, and therapist.
Mari expressed her gratitude for Bri’s determination to help her daughter, “As a mom of a child who has something like this going on, and you don’t know what it is, and nobody seems to know, it’s really nice to have somebody who is helping you advocate.” Bri has provided other resources to the family that have helped their daughter progress quickly.
She assisted the family in finding a doctor that would operate to remove Annalynne’s lip-tie, a condition that limited the movement of her upper lip. Since the operation, they’ve seen a vast improvement in her physical ability to speak. Her mom said the surgery even allowed Annalynne to give her a kiss for the very first time, just three short months ago. “We’ve seen a lot of progress with her oral sounds since then,” she said. “It’s so nice that Bri has our back.”
Thanks to the surgery, Early Intervention, Speech Therapy, and the dedication and hard work of her family in practicing her therapy at home, Annalynne is now able to say sixteen words and is more confident in her communication than ever. Soon, she’ll transition out of Early Intervention and into private speech therapy. Mari shared, “It’s been really nice to have Innovative. Bri has just been a wealth of knowledge and resources. Even when I was hesitant, she encouraged me. She’s really become a friend of the family.”
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