THIS IS JOY

The Yoders are lifelong residents of Allen County who moved for a few years while David pursued his education, living in Dayton & Indiana. While in Indiana, Joy received weekly physical, occupational & speech therapy sessions through First Steps, Indiana’s version of Early Intervention. The Yoders now have three children and returned to the Bluffton area in July 2022. At that time they connected with the Children’s Developmental Center. In 2023, Joy began pre-school services with the Allen County Educational Services Center (ESC) on the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities' campus. 

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Through a lot of hard work and patience, Joy learned to walk at 21 months; at age 4, she began to speak in full, mostly clear sentences according to her mom, Anna. “It is really fun to watch her improve and master new skills as she grows,” says Mom. Joy is just beginning her journey with services in Allen County, and the Board will join this journey as the Yoder family’s needs change and services are requested. The resource list for children and the agency newsletter are sent to the Yoders to keep them informed of news and events they might be interested in.