Special Needs
2 month old referred to EI
Our 2 month old was referred to Early Childhood Intervention today b/c she does not look at faces. She looks around people, not at them. We think she can see. She does not react to faces. She does not grab toys or follow things with her eyes. She just recently started smiling, but is isn't in response to other people/faces. Has anyone else had a child with anything similar? We have been through the EI system before, our oldest has a speech delay. I am a little worried.
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Re: 2 month old referred to EI
Hi,
We are in the same boat - our son (2 mos) was referred to EI for hearing loss & at his developmental eval, the evaluators noted that he didn't track objects, and was just starting to "visually follow his environment and look at faces." He also hadn't smiled yet. About a week after his eval, he has started to smile in response to our smiles (not all the time but sometimes). We are starting his physical therapy tomorrow (the evaluators also felt he had slightly low tone in his arms and wanted him to gain better head control). We also seeing a neurologist & our next appt is in Feb. I'm worried, too.
Melissa
Just sharing my experience. 99% of the time, I am an advocate of EI!
I am an SLP and paranoid mom. DD is now 15 months old and typically developing up to this point. I have multiple journal entries (and remember worrying) about eye contact at 8-12 weeks. Books, charts, and checklists were starting to say my DD should be smiling and gazing lovingly into my eyes. We weren't getting that...at all. Within a month or two, I regretted all of my worry. She was looking, cooing, and smiling at us without doubt.
I am surprised that I am saying that the referral you are describing seems unnecessary to me.
If you are honestly having concerns and since EI is available, by all means follow through if it is what you feel is right. But, I don't think what you are describing is atypical for a TWO month old.
GL
My 2 mo. old is exactly the same as yours. He does not track or look at faces, but my dr. said we will look at him in a few months and it is too early to worry about it. She mentioned that a week is a huge deal to a baby this small and that we shouldn't jump the gun. It seems very early to get your baby evaluated. My older dd was in EI, but it was for low muscle tone. We didn't start until later. I am really curious as to what you find out, so please post an update on here!!!
Thanks!
EI PT here: If by "grabbing" toys you mean batting overhead (like an activity gym) it typically begins around 3 months as a fine motor skill.
I would reemphasize the point that if tracking/watching faces is the only concern, this is an unusual referral. If it were me, I would ask the doc if there was any other reason that he/she was referring me onto EI. (Something left unsaid?)
Sometimes lack of tracking/watching faces can be as simple as a lack of interest. However other times it could indicate other issues.
Keep the big picture in mind. 2 months is very young. You could miss one item on the screening test and boom, you are at the 1 month old mark and are demonstrating a 50% delay. Is this representative of your child or just a quick snapshot?
Be honest with the evaluators as far as what you see. You are a much better observer/reporter of your child's achievements than the pediatrician or the EI team because you see them so much more. Your opinion is heavily valued. I know this is much easier said than done, but try to relax until the EI team comes out. The nice thing about EI, at least in our area of the country, is that they have much more time to talk with you and discuss your concerns. They can't diagnose, but they can point you in the right direction. Many thoughts your way.