I'm biting the bullet to put in the call tomorrow. (EI related)

MrsT0514 · March 2014

So, with DS's 15mo appt coming up this coming Friday, this has been weighing extra heavy on my mind. He has made amazing progress with walking (he is basically walking on his own, but still has to hold on to one of my or DH's fingers...I'm thinking the issue is simply lack of confidence, bc his progress has been super quick in a matter of a week).

Unfortunately though, there has not been much progress in the speech dept. He still does lots of babbling (lots of D sounds and G sounds as well as the occasional "ca", "ga", "mamama" or "dadada"), but no real words with intent yet. He will reach for things and is very smiley/interactive and social most of the time, but isn't really talking or waving hi or bye.

So yeah....I'm a bit concerned still at this point, so I'm thinking I'm just gonna go ahead and make the call to EI tomorrow to set up an eval. DH doesnt see the issue and thinks I'm being a worry wart, but honestly, the pedi is more than likely going to refer us to EI anyway, so i may as well get the ball rolling (pedi mentioned at his 12mo appt that if no realy progress with speech was made at 15mo, he'd probably refer us for eval).

I'm nervous...and my mind is automatically thinking the worst. I know this is a good thing....best case scenario, he doesnt qualify and my fears are eased. Or he does qualify and gets some help with things.

Ugh. I hate feeling like this. Someone tell me to calm down and everythings gonna be fine. Bc GD it. I'm anxious.

jrcalhoun · March 2014

FX he's just a late bloomer and is taking his time growing up! Maybe he's just being stubborn.

Hugs!

MrsT0514 · March 2014

jrcalhoun said:
FX he's just a late bloomer and is taking his time growing up! Maybe he's just being stubborn. Hugs!

This is what I'm hoping. Its super frustrating bc its like the words are right there at the tip of his tongue, but he just cant quite get it out. He definitely seems to be on his own time table for mostly everything, that's for sure!

MrsT0514 · March 2014

pobrecita said:
Oh, and Is he in DC? DS didn't start talking at all until he moved up to the toddler room at 15 months.

He is in DC, but only 2 days a week.

And thank you! Your anecdote makes me very hopeful! My DH also said I should just wait to talk with the pedi first. This is me and classic impatience sending me into panic mode.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

That's awesome! I'm really hoping this is the case for DS as well. I'm trying not to be too premature about this, but my worry wart nature is definitely getting the best of me right now.

Maebb · March 2014

Another anecdote - my friend is brilliant and great physically (I don't know how else to say that), and she just told me today that she didn't walk until 15 months and didn't talk until more like 18. FX that your DS is just a late bloomer like PP said.

wino2006 · March 2014

No harm in having an EI eval. We had one for DD2 for a gross motor delay. She didn't start walking until she was 18mos. A little PT and she was well on her way. They evaluate all areas which is really interesting and helpful. I was reassured by the fact that although DD2 was quite delayed in gross motor, she had advanced fine motor and socialization skills. Her speech was low to average. It's common for them to excel in some skills at the expense of others which I am sure is the case with your LO.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

Maebb said:
Another anecdote - my friend is brilliant and great physically (I don't know how else to say that), and she just told me today that she didn't walk until 15 months and didn't talk until more like 18. FX that your DS is just a late bloomer like PP said.

He has been a bit of a late bloomer with most of his milestones, so he apparently doesnt do things until he really wants to. But in thw process, he's giving mama gray hairs!

lauralew · March 2014

I'm a lurker, sorry! But I wanted to say two things... First, my little guy didn't walk until close to 18m. Language and social skills wise he was about the same as your son at 15m. Boys develop at a slower pace in general. Second/however, I think it's worth it to make a call to EI. I imagine they will give you peace of mind and a couple ways to work with him. If he does have a delay, early intervention is best. I worried a ton, too...especially because my daughter started walking and talking at 11m. But it took her longer to master those skills. Whereas Walter, once he started walking/talking, he progressed rapidly. I hope that's the case for your little boy, too. Deep breaths! You're a good mom!!

MrsT0514 · March 2014

Holy crap. It is astounding to me how language can just explode in a matter of a month or 2 like that. Thats amazing!

I really appreciate the kind words and encouraging anecdotes. Thanks for putting up with my anxious ass, guys. :-) I know I really need to learn to chill the fuck out sometimes.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

JerseySprouts said:
I just want to offer hugs of support. If your guy says EI then make the call. I assume you have talked to your pedi about this already? Either way does it make sense to give it one more week? Since your 15 month check up is so close I'm wondering if talking to the pedi one more time is in order.

Yeah, MH said the same thing. Since his appt is this week, he was wondering why I wouldnt just wait and talk to the pedi again before making the call.

Now that I've been talked off the ledge, I'm thinking I may just talk to the pedi again about it first and then call if he thinks thats the best option.

shadypines · March 2014

DD was not saying anything at 15 months. Pediatrician was not concerned. DD will be 2 yrs old next month and have just started to formulate few sentences. GL

TiffanyBerry · March 2014

Sounds a lot like my daughter. We never did EI, and things progressed fine. But I'm not knocking doing the eval - I totally understand it. I'm just in team "it'll all be fine!".

At ~15mo, you can hear the vast majority of her verbal skills in this video:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tarnalberry/6015102681/in/set-72157627378644954

MrsT0514 · March 2014

@TiffanyBerry‌ thanks for sharing! That is alao encouraging. My DS sounds a lot like your DD in that video!

MrsT0514 · March 2014

@CtGirl30 Thanks, lady :-) the worrying sucks. I try to turn it off in my brain, but it just doesn't seem to happen like that for me sometimes!

nanabanana06 · March 2014

Cade still isn't talking. It almost sounds like we have the same kid! I'm waiting. There is sooo much language developement between now and 18 months. If by 18 months he isn't really talking then we'll do EI. Right now I'm not concerned. Some kids don't talk until later.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

Nana_Osaki06 said:
Cade still isn't talking. It almost sounds like we have the same kid! I'm waiting. There is sooo much language developement between now and 18 months. If by 18 months he isn't really talking then we'll do EI. Right now I'm not concerned. Some kids don't talk until later.

IKR?! The similarities between our guys is uncanny, isn't it? And yes, I'm hearing the same about there being a shitload of development between 15-18mo, so I'm really trying to keep the anxiety about this under wraps and be patient. Unfortunately patience was never one of my strengths. ;-)

Micelle78 · March 2014

PLEASE get your son evaluated. I know that the rest of these posts are trying to reassure you that nothing is wrong, but the combo of speech delay and delay of walking is concerning.

My son is 3.5 and if you look at all my back posts, I was in a similar spot like you a few years ago. One exception, my son walked at 13 months and had 5 words by 18 months. So, my son had more speech and was walking in same age time frame.---- but long story short--- still requires speech therapy at 3.5 and will for a very long time. He also has a combo of occupational therapy and physical therapy. He had gross motor movement that allowed him to walk and appear normal and fine motor movement that looked fine but it was not age appropriate. Example: he could play with toys, but still struggled at 3 to use a spoon correctly. His speech has slowly caught up but he suffers from a mixed receptive/expressive speech delay. Basically it means he doesn't understand speech at the level a kid would for his age.

I started out with a hearing test at 22 months (to rule out hearing problems as the cause), then he got evaluated by a private SLP and started speech, then got evaluated by EI to get a combo of services, then he got evaluated by a private OT that and started OT services with her. Then we got his vision checked after talking about how clumsy he was and we didn't realize how farsided he really was (+6 and thats really bad)

Please realize even if you start the process, wait times might be weeks if not months in order to be seen.

We have no one in our families with any sorts of delays. In fact, most of my and DH's families are college grads. I was caught between a gut feeling and people trying to convince me I was overreacting over little things. It is scary to seek out help. I totally get that. I was worried that they would tell me I was stupid as a FTM for thinking something was wrong, but I was also worried they would tell me he was autistic. (which right now he has red flags for but not currently DX) What looks like no big deal at 15 months can quickly turn into several other new things. For us, stuff kept cropping up that was odd. I am not trying to scare you, but please do not ignore it. Obviously something seems "off" or you would not have posted this.

Give your son the best chance and yourself piece of mind and get the ball rolling. The worst that could happen is that you spent a bunch of time getting him evaluated only to find out he was fine. I could literally write a book about all my experiences with my son. I will spare everyone the novel unless you have any specific questions for me

nanabanana06 · March 2014

MrsT0514 said:

Cade still isn't talking. It almost sounds like we have the same kid! I'm waiting. There is sooo much language developement between now and 18 months. If by 18 months he isn't really talking then we'll do EI. Right now I'm not concerned. Some kids don't talk until later.
IKR?! The similarities between our guys is uncanny, isn't it? And yes, I'm hearing the same about there being a shitload of development between 15-18mo, so I'm really trying to keep the anxiety about this under wraps and be patient. Unfortunately patience was never one of my strengths. ;-)

I feel ya. Cade is still not walking walking. He will take a few steps and then change his mind. I think it's a combo of confidence and crawling being faster. I'm not concerned with any other motor skills. He's always been a little ahead of other motor skills. Speech is a funny thing though. There really is a huge language leap at this age. I think most pedi's aren't really concerned until 18 months anyways. As that is the later side of normal.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

@Micelle78‌ Thanks for sharing. I am sure our pedi is going to also recommend an eval (he tends to err or the side of proactive), which will either quell my fears or give him the nudge he may need.

Micelle78 · March 2014

I wish you nothing but the best! Our family has been through quite an emotional journey. I would wish it on no one.

What's the hardest is that no one can tell us the outcome for him. I have him involved in as many therapies as I can and early intervention is really the best. If you ever have any questions in the future, the Special Needs board is a great bunch of ladies. Hopefully I won't see you there, but if I do, they are a great network of support. Its nice to know you are not alone!

TiffanyBerry · March 2014

The PP's make a point that I failed to, but should have - if your spidey sense is tingling that EI might be worthwhile for your kiddo, definitely do it! Even sitting here on team "it'll be fine", I'd rather do an EI eval and have it had been unnecessary, than not do one when it was.

LucilleAustero · March 2014

My DD didn't have any words at her 18 month appt. I was concerned and wanted an EI eval. Her pedi disagreed and said that DD was a great communicator non-verbally and to give it one more month. At 19 months, she went through a crazy explosion and was talking in simple sentences by 21 months. She is now 2.5 and is super verbiose. A lot of kids are late bloomers.

That being said, anecdotes are anecdotes. I always think it is a good idea to get an evaluation for a few reasons. 1) They can put your mind at ease. 2) Even if a child does not qualify, the evaluators often give parents advice and strategies to help improve their child's skills. 3) If you child does qualify, starting professional intervention early makes such a huge difference.

I say this having gone through an EI eval for DD for her gross motor when she was an infant due to Torticollis. It can be scary, but at least you get an answer.

Good luck.

blueyd1 · March 2014

Oh honey, sending you lots of hugs! I remember you previously talking about this, and I wanted to remind you know that my DS2 was the EXACT same way. I had him evaluated at 16 months because he was barely walking (he literally started three days before they came to the house) and his only words were mama, dada and car.

He didn't qualify for EI and, at his 18 month appt, I was still concerned because his speech hadn't really picked up. The pedi said to wait 3 more weeks and then call if he didn't have new words. He is now 21 months and is saying ALL the words he can, as well as short sentences ("I did it!" "I want a banana." "Thank you mama", etc...). It came out of nowhere and is awesome.

I don't think it does any harm to have the evaluation done, but I wanted to say I don't think you should worry. I know it's so hard, especially when compared to other kids (for me, DS1 was speaking in complete sentences at 14 months, so I was like, what's up DS2? Why so quiet?). You're a great mommy and I think you'll hear more words very soon.

MrsT0514 · March 2014

@blueyd1 thanks, mama. I appreciate the reassurance and positive anecdotes. Like you said, it's SO hard not to worry and compare your kid to others their age. Especially when kids younger than DS are walking/running and talking away! Its difficult for me to not be concerned...plus if there is an issue, I'd rather nip it in the bud and get him the help sooner than later before a mild delay potentially became a more moderate/severe one. But OTOH, I hear how different all kids are when it comes to development so it's hard to navigate sometimes.

He how for his 15mo appt this friday, so I'll definitely be talking to the pedi and I'm sure he'll recommend an eval at this point.

Trying my best to be patient....but gah! Patience is hard!!

blueyd1 · March 2014

I know, it's soooooo hard. See what the doctor says and, like I said, an EI evaluation never hurts. It's just playtime to them and I found that the therapists were able to give me some good pointers as I sat with them during the eval.

Please keep me posted and you can always PM me if you want to chat! :-)

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