Concerned with her child's development, Amanda Hill looked to her friends in the early childhood education program at Patrick Henry Community College for help. Susan Christian, Associate Professor and member of Smart Beginnings MHC, quickly referred Amanda to The Starting Place to get the help she needed. Because Amanda was worried about her son Jason's poor communication skills and difficulty in following directions, a simple assessment was conducted which showed possible delays in those areas.

Amanda also needed help in finding a family doctor for her son and the Starting Place was able to connect her to services at Bassett Family Practice. With an updated physical and results from the assessment, Amanda was referred to the Child Development Center at Carilion Hospital in Roanoke. There additional assessments were conducted and Jason was referred to the Henry County School system where he is now enrolled in a preschool program.

Amanda says she is grateful that she had a place to go to assist her in finding services needed for her son. Jason is beginning to speak and follow directions and is happier now that he is able to communicate with others. Amanda is also learning how to deal with Jason's developmental delays.

On a recent follow-up phone conversation Amanda noted that "our family is doing so much better now that Jason is receiving the help he needed. I am so happy that I took the time to visit The Starting Place and participate in their programs."