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Early Intervention - Speech Delay

debbadebbadoo711debbadebbadoo711
in Parenting after 35

Hello!

Remember me???  Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  Life has gotten crazy raising a toddler, but I've still been lurking and trying to keep up. :)

Charlie had his 18 month appt, today.  Overall, he's doing great.  Head: 48.6 (71%), Height: 34 (88%), Weight:  27 (73%).

Charlie is very active and friendly, but he is really still not talking at all or saying any words.  He is constantly babbling, but only in his own jargon, and the doc hs suggested that we call Early Intervention for a speech evaluation.  At first, I was relieved.  I've noticed since a fairly early age that he was behind in his communication skills.  Hopefully now we could find out what is going on.  I looked into it a bit and found out that a case-worker from the state would visit the house for the evaluation.  Yikes!  Now, I'm a little bit freaked out!  Now I'm starting to have crazy thoughts like: What if they think I'm a bad mother? What if my home is not nice enough?  I'm feeling a lot of guilt and fear which is I know is normal for us moms and I'm not sure what to do...

Has anyone been through one of these evaluations or have an opinion on it.  Any feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks!

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Re: Early Intervention - Speech Delay

  • mwdmwd member
    Hello, again! I have not been through one of these evaluation, but DD is also not talking. I'll be talking about this w/ the doc on Thurs at her 15 mos.  So keep posting, and I hope it all goes well, and he will be talking a mile a minute soon!
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  • robynlesleyrobynlesley member
    My DS has been in EI for a speech delay since he was 2 and it's been great. They come to the house and the therapists (at least here in my area) do this because they care. Aaron also has gross motor delays and will get services for that soon. Don't feel badly. It happens often. 
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  • Piranha54Piranha54
    No EI but just wanted to let you know that DD said a few words but really wasn't interested in anything other than her babble until just before 19 months.  She had what seemed like the dictionary definition of a speech explosion.  Sudden, over night and non stop!  She regularly uses sentences of 4 or more words now.  I'd still follow through, especially if your pedi suggested, but just want you to know not talking at 15 or even 18 months is fairly normal.  Does he understand what you tell him and point to things he wants?  Those were the two things that my pedi and a pedi speech therapist I work with said were key.
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  • BrideBuddiesBrideBuddies member

    No advice here... but how in the world did Charlie get to be 18 months already?   Didn't you just join this board?????  :)

    Kids work at their own speed... I'm sure he'll suddenly start speaking in paragraphs.

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  • vanverthvanverth

    Debbie, deep breath.  Trust me, they have been in homes MUCH worse than yours.  I could tell you stories of the homes that my people have visited that would make your hair curl and your stomach roll.  Clean the house like you would for family (the nice, non-judgmental members of your family) and it will be ok.  Early intervention is wonderrful.  Michael had it for his torticilis.  They will evaluate him and if you do not need them, they will let you know.  Just having the developmental evaluation helps you feel better about things. 

    And happy Birthday and a half Charlie.

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  • steverstever member
    No advice, but good luck Charlie!

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  • JenniferTCUJenniferTCU member

    Hey there. I had Jace evaluated for texture issues (it was nothing- I was just hypersensitive). It's not a big deal at all. Please don't work yourself up over it. They really do care about Charlie's development (not your house) so they really won't judge you. And for the record, I am not lecturing. I happen to have the same sort of anxieties about some things and I've come to realize that 99% of the things I worry about tend to not ever come to fruition or be an issue :)

    Good luck! 

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  • RebeccaHawkinsRebeccaHawkins

    Hi Debbie,

    I'm a contract speech therapist with Georgia's early intervention program.  Each state has a program and all are pretty similar.  I'm also a soon to be mother of twin girls due in March! 

    First of all, do not be worried about a case worker coming to your home.  They do it to complete paperwork for the program, etc.  They will not judge you based on your home, parenting skills, etc.  Believe me, we've seen it all and I'm sure you will be just fine!  You sound like a great mother who is concerned about her child's speech development. 

    In GA, the case worker comes to your home to fill out paperwork (a questionnaire/checklist, developmental  history, daily routines, etc.).  After that the speech therapist and developmental evaluator come to your house to test your child.  The children love it because they get all of the attention focused on them, and they get to play with lots of new toys!  If your child qualifies for therapy, an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) is created.  Then the speech therapist will come to your house at least once a week for therapy.  The toddlers I work with love it because they think of me as their playmate who comes weekly.  Most of them are waiting at the door for me each week and some even get sad when I leave.

     I hope this helps.  You can check out my website:  www.talkingwithtoddlers.com to download a free report I wrote, The Fastest Way To Help Your Toddler Talk and Communicate.   Let me know if you have any more questions!

    Rebecca Haas, MS, CCC-SLP 

     

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  • KerryHSKerryHS
    EI is great.  Don't worry about them judging you.  They early intervention specialists are so great with the kids.  My first daughter had speech therapy and did GREAT!  The speech therapist went both to daycare and to our house.  Really excellent experience and it outstanding what a difference EI can make.  Good luck.  I am sure everything will work out great.  BTW - my second daughter didn't even say mama or dada at 15 months and then had a language explosion.  Kids go at their own pace. 
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  • ateytelbateytelb
    Hi! I haven't been through this myself, but I wouldn't worry about what the case-worker thinks about you or your house. They are there for the purpose of doing a speach evaluation for your son, an recommend help if needed.
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  • KahosityKahosity
    My son is delayed and we got started with EI at 6 months. They were amazing people who really helped a lot! They came out to "play" with him once every few months until he was about 18 months old then he got to go to their school. I can't really say enough good things bout the program! 
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  • buskey2011buskey2011 member
    first thing breathe, second my nephew who is 6 now went through this and had the home eval and we thought the same thing but it was really easy he had 2 woman come in and sit on the floor and play with him and ask him like which one is the blue  toy for example or what does the dolly wear it takes about 30 minutes. the great thing is speech was included with pre school and they follow right through elementry school.
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