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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
littlemac1117
member
Question about Early Intervention (Kinda long, sorry)
littlemac1117
member
So, we had an appointment with our doc last week and he referred us to our area's EI program. DS is 15 months and doesn't really have any words down yet. He can say cat and daddy, but he calls any animal he sees a cat, and sometimes he calls our cat daddy (kinda funny). The doc said he wasn't extremely concerned because DS is really interactive and social, and he can understand some basic instructions, but that we should call and set up an interview anyway just to make sure all is well.
I am all for it because to me, if there is something wrong or something we can work with him on, I'd rather know now than find out later on that we could have done something. My husband got really upset and defensive when I told him. I know when he was a kid, he had some trouble with reading and was constantly being "evaluated" and I know that had an effect on him. He says he doesn't ever want Ezra to feel different or like there is something wrong with him. I don't want that for him either, but I feel like at this point he isn't going to feel that way. We kind of got into a fight over it, but we've worked it out since then and DH admitted that he was just being over-sensitive about the whole thing. I am going to call EI tomorrow to set up the interview.
Sorry that got so long, I just haven't been able to think about anything else and DH's reaction bothered me. My question is, what is that initial interview like? What do they do to figure out what will work the best to help each kid? I just want to have an idea of what to expect so I can try to ease DH's mind a little. I think he has it in his head that they are going to come to our house and poke and prod our son haha. Thanks!
A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.
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Re: Question about Early Intervention (Kinda long, sorry)
Thank you! I'm not worried about what will happen, I look at it as an opportunity to get more information. I just want to be able to explain it to my husband.
Good luck on Thursday, I hope everything goes well!
My DS was evaluated by EI when he was about 10 months old because he wasn't crawling or pulling up yet. They explained that the initial evaluation for any child, regardless of concern, covers the five basic areas of development - communication, social/emotional, self care, physical, and I forget the last one (whoops). For our eval, they just played with our toys for a little while, asked me questions, and talked about activities that could help him.
A child who is at least 25% delayed in any category is eligible for therapy in that area. Regardless, the therapists doing the eval can give lots of ideas and tools to help the parents work with their child better in their area of need.
For us, EI has been wonderful. Between his start of physical therapy and today, he has made leaps and bounds in his physical development. He's still working on walking, but to go from completely immobile to cruising, balancing, stairs, etc. in a few months is great. Don't be afraid of needing help. It can make a huge difference.
Good luck!
Ginny DX 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Charlie DX Specific Antibody Deficiency & ASD
We had DD2 evaluated at 15 months as well. She had one or two words, and they said she was at a 12-month level for speech. Not enough of a delay to qualify for services, and by 18 months she was caught up and then some. It just took her a bit longer. EI isn't out to slap a label on every child (which was my DH's concern) and they do take into account the fact that children develop differently.
Basically, a group of about four people played with DD2. They asked her to stack some blocks, showed her a puzzle with animals to see if she could manipulate the shapes and make animal sounds, gave her a baby doll and said it was hungry or sleepy to see how she responded, etc. All very simple, basic play things. They'll also ask you a lot of questions about your DS & his behavior/development.
Your DH's concerns are very, very common. The thing is, if there are issues -- and that's still an IF! -- it's better to have them addressed by EI ASAP so that he gets caught up before he enters school, when they would probably be more noticeable.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
My DD was in speech therapy for 6 months. We got the number for EI at her 18 month appt. She barely had the 5 words they look for at that age.
At the initial appt. 3 people came to our house: the coordinating Social Worker, a Speech therapist and an Occupational therapist. She had no motor delays but I guess they always send them in conjunction.
The social worker asked me some questions and the 2 therapists "played" a couple games with my DD. I think it lasted about 30-40 minutes. They told me right then and there that my DD was at least the 30% delayed needed to qualify and a speech therapist would be in contact to start setting up appointments. It took about 3 weeks for all the paperwork to be done.
Our therapist came to our home once a week and they just played in her room. We went to the park a couple times when it was nice.
It's so much better to catch it early and get started with therapy. I'm so glad we didn't wait until the 2 year appt., which is normally when they start doing recommendations for speech.
The twins I used to nanny for were both in EI and they loved it! They make it a lot of fun and it really was an enjoyable experience for everyone! The twins got to do so many fun things, play with new and different toys, do their therapy at the park when it was nice, etc.
Anyway it's been five years since they had their initial evaluation, so I don't remember it that clearly. But it was a team of I think 3 or 4 people who came to the house to evaluate them on different categories (speech, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social, etc). They will ask you questions about them from birth all the way until the present day. They will bring toys and play with your son while doing the evaluation. The twins were younger than your son, but I remember they would talk to them and listen to the babble. They tried to get them to pick up small objects, hid something and asked them to find it, held them and brought them close to the floor to see if they would put their arms out to catch themselves (just to give you an idea). From what I remember the results were immediate we were told one twin would benefit from physical therapy and the other from speech. Either way, you will come away with some great tips and tricks you can use. I really thought it was fun to watch and I know the twins enjoyed it.
The initial evaluation will depend on your specific county. I have dealt with EI in 4 different states (military family) so I have listed out what happened with each of them below. In general, you meet with a service coordinator or the therapists and they talk to you and evaluate your child. If they qualify, you will find out what services they will receive and how often. You will create, with them, an IFSP which is basically your treatment plan and that is typically reviewed every 6mos.
Kansas: 2 people came out and talked to me and evaluated DS1. I filled out some paperwork. They interacted with him and evaluated him on the tests they use and then told me the outcome later. DS2 started in EI at 4mos in KS. The remainder of the everything is in regards to him. Services were held weekly and typically the "coordinator" was the main therapist that saw him. For DS1 it was the ST and for DS2 it was the PT. Therapists usually came at the same time so PT/ST for instance (DS2) would come at the same time or back to back appointments.
Missouri: We only got through the eval part and then we moved states. Their eval consisted of the service coordinator speaking to me at one appt. Then the various therapists came out to eval him - all done on different days. We had ST, OT, and PT eval him. I got reports from them but like I said we moved states so I don't know what the actual services were like.
Iowa: I met with a service coordinator (who ended up being the ST), the OT, and PT. We all talked and went over paperwork and did a medical history type deal. Then we all went over to the floor with DS2 and they evaluated him on their individual scales/tests. They talked to me about what he qualified for. PT started right away (prior to IFSP being written/signed) due to his issues. IFSP was completed the week after. Services were weekly for PT, bi-weekly for OT, and once per month for ST.
Tennessee: I met with a service coordinator. Then I met with the service coordinator and 1 other person who did an interview with me. I think I had paperwork to fill out here also and the interview was in conjunction with going over the paperwork. Here 1 individual comes to the house and does all the therapy (or they go to your daycare provider). All other therapies they "contract out" for lack of a better word and are held at a therapy clinic. DS2 has 4hr of therapy a week there (he has 4 different therapists) and then he has about 50min with the person that goes to his daycare provider's house.