Read about Jerry’s journey, and learn how early support services, the love of family, and resiliency helped him overcome obstacles.
Read about Jerry’s journey, and learn how early support services, the love of family, and resiliency helped him overcome obstacles.
The first 16 days of Jerry’s life were spent in the PICU. Caffeine treatments helped him recover from a drug addiction he was born with, while support for breathing and feeding helped him gain strength.
Born at just 35 weeks, after receiving no prenatal care, Jerry (formerly Jared-Tyler) was found to be in the breech position and delivered via cesarean section. At birth he was diagnosed with torticollis, making his neck and toes tight. Shortly after, it was discovered that Jerry also had dysphagia with delayed swallow and aspiration.
Jerry began receiving early support services through SPARC’s Birth to Three program in February of 2023. At that time, Jerry’s foster family was concerned with his adaptive development, specifically with feeding and gross motor skills. After large amounts of Occupational and Physical therapy for his torticollis, Jerry is now doing much better. Feeding therapy through PeaceHealth is helping treat his dysphagia.
On November 16th, 2023, Jerry was moved to a new foster placement with Alicia and her family. Alicia’s family recently adopted Jerry, changing his name from Jared-Tyler to Gennaro (Jerry). Through the support of his family, Jerry continued receiving critical early intervention services through SPARC.
Recently Jerry was evaluated by SPARC’s Preschool Program to determine eligibility for specialized preschool services. The SPARC Evaluation Team assessed Jerry in the areas of speech, adaptive, cognitive, and fine motor development. Since the start of his journey with SPARC, Jerry’s development has experienced significant growth, and he was found to only qualify for speech therapy services!
Children are resilient, and Jerry is no exception. Thriving, joyous, curious, and easy-going all describe Jerry. He enjoys balls, strings, keys, garbage cans, and anything having to do with sports, especially soccer and basketball. Jerry’s story is a clear example of what can happen when a child receives early support services and encouragement from a loving family.
