Franklin has a warm fuzzy side that brings joy to everyone around him, including his little brother Howard, who just turned 1.
The inner Franklin is emerging after a year of receiving a personal program at Joya Child & Family Development. As it turns out, Franklin is incredibly sweet, has a great sense of humor and loves to share a laugh.
“The therapy from Joya has been really life-changing,” said Caitlin, mother of the two boys. When Franklin, who is now 2-and-a-half, began Joya’s program he was frustrated and acting out. At first, Caitlin and Jason thought their oldest son’s hitting and biting was a childhood phase that would quickly end. When the behavior persisted, in spite of their best efforts as parents, they worried about the impact on Howard. Caitlin shared her concerns with a friend who recommended calling Joya.
Joya’s knowledgeable staff determined that Franklin has a sensory processing disorder that makes it harder for him to properly process sights, sounds and other input from his everyday environment. In addition, Franklin’s speech was delayed and he struggled to communicate.
The Joya team put together a program of occupational and speech therapy. Once Franklin developed key skills, he joined a Joya school-readiness group.
The one-on-one therapy that Franklin receives with a speech and occupational therapist helps the entire family. Caitlin and Jason learned that routines and structure are particularly important for Franklin. Caitlin also credits the Joya team for helping them build on Franklin’s strengths.
“It’s easy to identify his weakness and get caught up in that. I learned that he has this amazing nurturing aspect. He just wants to take care of other kids,” Caitlin said.
The Joya program helped Franklin transition from hitting and biting to hugging and loving. He makes friends easily now.
Watching Franklin’s personality emerge has been fun for the entire family. He loves dancing to Justin Timberlake and to the soundtrack from the “Trolls” movie. He also enjoys “Franklin the Turtle” books and playing with big trucks.
In addition, Franklin closed the gap on speech delays. He now speaks in multi-word phrases, and that makes it so much easier to take care of him, his mom explained.
“We are so grateful. We’ve gotten so many good things from Joya,” she said.