The past 12 months have taken us on a new and unexpected journey. We are so blessed to have the support of many as we reflect on Belle’s 1^st year. At the top of our support list would be our inspiring Therapist, Whitney, as well as the knowledgeable staff at TalkTools. They have enabled us to learn and grow along side of Belle. The techniques and therapy we have learned and followed has certainly paid off… Belle can feed herself, drink out of straws, and chomp her little snacks. The Oral Placement Therapy exercises (like tapping her jaws and stimulating her mouth) and tools (like the Finger Cuff and Yellow Chewy Tube) were easy to follow and use. Luckily, Belle also enjoyed them, which made her therapy that much more fun and easy for all of us. Belle’s therapy isn’t over yet. We will continue with her therapy as long as she needs us to.

As Belle has grown and developed these past 12 months, her Daddy and I have enjoyed getting to know her little personality. We love this little gal so much and would do anything to help her continue on her path of success. It has been such a joy to spend the little extra time needed with Annabelle. She has learned how to chomp and swallow her food without spitting it out, drink out of straws, feed herself, and keep her tongue in her mouth. All the while she is happy while learning it all. Her smiles and laughter are contagious, and she loves showing off for her brother and sister. I think she is happy and that is all that really matters. We are here for our daughter and will continue with the program developed by TalkTools and continue teaching Belle. It’s one of the best parts of being a parent… helping and watching your children grow.

-Lanie Beetsma

Annabelle has Down Syndrome and has been using TalkTools Therapy since she was born. Her story is a great inspiration for parents seeking help for a child with Down Syndrome. Follow Miss Annabelle’s journey from the beginning here.

We have come a long way in the past several months, particularly since we teamed up with TalkTools to help provide therapy for our daughter Annabelle, who has Down syndrome. We love the progress our daughter has made in the past 12 months. She is so happy and lively, and frankly, we are too. She continues to eat the pureed food with little chunks with no problems. The oral placement therapy exercises have really paid off with teaching her to chomp and chew her food. And she loves her straws. She drinks out of them at every meal. Belle is even getting much better at feeding herself her little snacks.

We plan to continue with all the therapy tips and tricks that we learned so far from TalkTools and our wonderful therapist, Whitney Pimentel. Annabelle seems to be growing and developing so quickly but will continue to need our help and guidance in her eating and drinking. As her parents, we have enjoyed all the extra time needed to help our daughter. Unconditional love from her Dad and I is a big part of her therapy too.  Just seeing her so happy and smiling and laughing truly shows that we are doing something right. We know we have a long way to go, but with everything we have learned over the past several months with Belle’s oral motor therapy, we know we have the means and tools to help her. Belle’s progress so far says it all.