Nicole Alberson
Nicole’s page
Fundraising for The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs
Story
Ben is a survivor of hypoxic-ischemic brain trauma. In March of 2019, because of sudden and acute pregnancy complications, Ben was born in complete cardiac and respiratory arrest. At one minute old, his APGAR score was zero. Thankfully, an amazing team of healthcare professionals in our community worked to resuscitate him, and after seven minutes his heart began to beat and he began to breathe. Due to his brain insult, Ben was placed on a ventilator and treated with therapeutic hypothermia, commonly known as the "cooling mat." After a stay in the NICU, he was released home, where he has been progressing well...and enjoying life as a little brother in a home with three sisters!
Because of Ben's birth trauma, the insult to his developing brain, and his diagnosis of HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, meaning loss of oxygen and blood flow affecting the brain), Ben is deemed at risk for developmental delay.
Ben's time at the Bell Center has proven so beneficial to him, and to his family. Not only is his team helping Ben realize his potential, push through challenges and offset delay, they are also constantly educating and training us as parents. In the brain world, there are a lot of unknowns, but we are so glad we have the Bell Center in Ben's corner. And, how thankful we are that other families in our area can have access to this wonderful center, as well.
The Bell Center is dedicated to maximizing the potential of children from birth to three years of age who are at risk for developmental delay.The staff of The Bell Center begins the work of maximizing a child's potential as soon as the child is evaluated. This evaluation assesses a child's strengths and weaknesses across five developmental domains: gross motor, fine motor, expressive and receptive language, cognition and emotional/social. From this assessment, each member of the child's transdisciplinary team develops goals in each area specific to that child.The Bell Center follows a transdisciplinary approach to providing early intervention services. This allows all areas of the childs development to be targeted every time they are at The Bell Center. Through this frequent targeting of developmental goals comes success as goals are achieved. As one goal is mastered, the next appropriate goal is is targeted, ensuring that the child is always striving to maximize their potential.
