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lvisser
member
early childhood developmental delay...
lvisser
member
We just got this diagnosis today for our son. He is behind in speech and a few other areas... In a few areas he was around 11 months, others 8 months, and one 5 months..
... in self care and self help he was right on target...
He qualified for home visits from the local school district/EI... I'm just wondering if anyone else is going thru this right now, and what to expect during the home visits... if you have older children - did they stay in the house during the visits? I am a little worried about if Rylee is going to a asset to Kai or a distraction...
any advice or encouraging words are appreciated. :-)
Rylee - 3.28.08
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
This discussion has been closed.
Re: early childhood developmental delay...
Our EI therapists come to our house as well. Sawyer gets ST (speech) twice a month. I try to keep Cru entertained/distracted, but its not a big deal if he joins in with the therapist. They often incorporate him to help Sawyer.
It'll be ok. :-) hugs
Well, the therapist suggested trying a session with her home, just in case it makes Kai feel more at ease... if shs is a distraction, them I am going to change the appointment day to a day when I work, and talk to my boss and see if I can come in a hour late, so that my mom (who watches the kids) can have Rylee and I can bring Kai over when his therapy is over.
Its so hard... I've kinda been fighting tears all day... It was SO hard to hear "5 months" for one of the delays (and i cannot remember what one!)... oh well, to me, he is my perfect, happy boy.
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
I work as a Dev. Therapist and see kids (on average) for an hour per week. Some parents prefer to be completely involved and some choose to be around but not directly involved in the session. Either works for me...as long as the communication is good. Depending on the child a typical session would be me and the child playing on the floor. Your son will have an IFSP created with specific outcomes that the therapist will work towards. Some outcomes take a long time to achieve while others happen fairly quickly. I can do anything during that hour to keep the child happy and having fun as long as I am working towards the goal. It's really great and allows for a lot of creativity if things start to get a little dull. There is A LOT of repetition and redundancy but that's how toddlers learn so it works:) I always start with basics, puzzles, stacking toys, blocks, legos, books, songs, etc. and take it from there.
I see some kids in their home with siblings, but I can say (IMO) that it's often easier on the child IN therapy to have that special time without other kids around for a few weeks out of the month. If Rylee wants to join in on a session here and there, I doubt that would be a problem at all. (This is also an individual Therapist preference I assume, your Therapist may encourage Rylee's involvement!)
Also, If you don't feel like the Therapists are a good fit for your family, you can always request a change. You obviously want to feel like he/she is a good fit for your parenting style so it may take you a little while to find that person (or not!) but just in case you feel like it's not a good fit, don't feel like you're stuck!
What kinds of therapies are being recommended for your DS? Will he be getting Speech as well as EI? Good luck!
Sorry:) this is so long! Let me know if you have any questions! You're doing the right thing by getting him involved at an early age! He'll catch up:)
thank you for your reply! I think he is getting both speech help and OT (your stacking blocks comment reminded me - he is behind there...)
He really bonded with one of the ladies that came today, and she said that she is going to request him... I hope that it works out, cause by the end, she actually got a smile out of him!
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD
that's great! good luck:) He'll do great and so will you!
DS2 (16mos) gets OT, PT, and ST at the house. OT and ST are done in the morning while DS1 is at daycare. PT happens in the late afternoon. DS1 (2.5yr) doesn't really get in the way for the most part. He likes to play with the PT's toys which he allowed to play with until we need them. Sometimes he wants the same attention that DS2 is getting but for the most he is well behaved.
As for what happens, the therapists come to my house and work on the floor with DS2. They bring their own toys and sometimes use mine (they follow DS2's lead regarding that). He gets praised highly when doing good things and is gently redirected (ex using his pointer finger to point and push on things in OT vs the ring and pinky finger which is his normal). DS2 is highly dependent on me right now and sometimes does not want to have therapists work with him (he'd rather have me holding/supporting him in those times). We either use myself during those times or try to focus his attention to something other then me so they can do their work. I ask a lot of questions and they are very helpful in giving me advice, answering questions, showing things to do with DS2, etc.
LO is almost 18 months, and she's been getting infant stim therapy at home for several months. Sometimes the therapist brought her own toys, but she usually used our stuff. I liked to watch all her therapy sessions so I could learn activities to do with her: songs to sing, signs to teach her, etc.
It's tough to learn about all your kid's delays. Hopefully the therapy will be a big help.
it's very hard when your kid is the one with the delays. I don't do Hylis's PT through EI (we go to one through our insurance) but really wish I had since it does get hard to get 2 kids anywhere lol. The therapists are great and are used to dealing with multiple kids at once so don't worry about her being overwhelmed about a toddler and a baby. One thing I've learned about having a kiddo with delays is to just focus on where they are now. Hylis is very delayed for walking and everything that goes with that, so I've had to stop looking at other 2 yr olds and just be proud of the fact that she is making improvement at her pace. Also that therapy is amazing now a days and that down the road no one will even know she had any delays. Big Hug
DS1 gets therapies 5x a week in our home (ABA, EIS and OT) and DS2 gets therapy once a week (OT). DS2 is usually awake when DS1 is having his therapy, since he's younger he's not really a distraction at all, I tend to hold him and play with him (he's not mobile yet at 10 months). Likewise DS1 is awake and active during DS2s OT therapy (they have the same OT and she works with them in back to back appts). DS1 CAN be a distraction because he is always stealing the toys that DS2 is working with but it's never a big deal. Try it out for a couple times and see how it goes, our OT is amazing so it never fazes her when the kids are swiping each others toys :P
It's totally okay to cry. This is your child and as you come to grips with things, it can be extremely difficult to express your emotions without tears. I remember hearing Autism the first time, I sobbed in the car with my husband on the way home from the appt with the psychologist. To hear just HOW behind he is, it's very upsetting. It can also be very scary because you just don't know how this will shape his future. I hope that you love your therapists and that you see results with them.
Two of my children did EI in home with siblings and my daycare kids present and we were fine. The therapists are used to working in daycares, etc with other kids present. They even brought extra toys for the extra kids. There were times I separated, but for my kids they actually cooperated more willingly when the other kids were present.
My son was around the same levels as yours when he turned 2, he's almost 7 now and doing great! He started talking at 3 1/2, has a medical PDD-NOS dx (which I have mixed feelings about), he's still under dev delay for his IEP but is up for reassessment (that category goes away at 7). He struggles with reading/writing but is excelling in math (goes to the resource room with his sped teacher for about an hour a day).
3 boys (15, 8, 6), 1 girl (4)
My daughter has PT and OT at home and DI (developmental intervention - for communication) at school (daycare). I generally try to get my son out of the house (meaning DH takes him to daycare that day) because while it's not a distraction for Izzy, Andrew is chatty and tends to bother the therapist and want to play with her toys and we only get 3 hours a week (and we pay for much of them because of our cost share) so I want to get the full benefit for Izzy of the therapist's time. So my suggestion would be to get someone else to watch your daughter if you can. Periodically yes, it's helpful to use your daughter as motivation (like my daughter will try to walk more when her brother is around as a motivator) but he's usually more of a distraction. As for the diagnosis, well it gets easier with time. It's very difficult to hear that kind of news - even when you are expecting it like we were, but moreso when you are surprised by it. And it's very hard to see your kid have to work very hard to do the things that come easy to other kids. But the therapy should be a big help and it's great that you are getting him started now! Good luck - and yes, as pp said, you are definitely entitled to cry. And never feel bad about it.
i don't think my pm's are working... i am in kent co... email me if you want lv1482@gmail.com... thank you!
Malakai - 8.3.09
Ezra - 12.1.11 ASD