Early Intervention

RibbitGrl930 · September 2014

So Jake's pedi referred him for early intervention since he's still not walking independently and doesn't have any consistently intelligible words (he says "mama," but it just appers to be him stringing two "ma" sounds together when vocalizing rather than recognizing me as mama). He was diagnosed with epilepsy a few months ago (seizures are under control with maintenance medication), so I'm not sure how much that has played into it. On the one hand, I'm sad that what we've done to help him develop hasn't been enough, but on the other i'm relieved there's a service available thtat can help him "flip the switch," as the pedi puts it. Jake climbs, crawls, and cruises,but does not stand or walk on his own. He also vocalizes and forms sounds constantly, but not into intelligible words.

I have not spoken with anybody from the agency yet, so I don't know what to expect. Has anyone ever been enrolled in EI services? What can I expect from the first call, evaluation visit, etc? Do you think it helped your LO or no? Any information would be greatly appreciated!

baloneydisc · September 2014

We did not end up qualifying for services, but here's how my experience went. We were referred after DD's 2yr appointment for a possible speech delay. I was called and scheduled an appointment with a coordinator. She came to my house, explained the program and had me fill out a bunch of forms. That took about 30 minutes. She told me to expect a call from the school district because in our city each school district does the evaluations at their district office. They evaluate on 5 areas (speech, fine motor, gross motor, interpersonal and I can't remember the other one), regardless of what the referral is for. They observed her playing, asked her to do some tasks and asked me a bunch of questions. Then they score the evaluations and tell you if you qualify for services before you leave. Since we didn't qualify I don't know what the next steps would've been. The evaluation appointment took almost 2hrs.

ashiscute · September 2014

DD has a speech disorder. We started the EI process at 15 months because she had no words and limited babbling. I live in KY so it will be different in each state. I called EI and had an interview over the phone and based on that I was a sent a questionnaire. I filled out the questionnaire and sent it back. The questionnaire covered 5 areas of development like PP said. Based on that DD qualified for an evaluation which happened around 16 months. The evaluation covered speech, fine motor, gross motor, self help, and social/emotional behavior. The evaluator came to my house and did it there. She graded and said DD qualified for services based on her results. She started speech therapy at 17 months.

The process is slow (we had a mandatory 1 week wait period between each step) so get started asap. I was so nervous and overwhelmed when DD was starting. I was relieved to get her help that she needed but also felt like such a failure that she was getting there without it. But once she started therapy I felt much better. The therapist came to our house once each week and played with DD and then she and I would sort of troubleshoot and come up with ways to make communication easier with DD. I really enjoyed having someone come each week and help me figure out each step and when not to worry.

At 3 DD left EI and entered into our county's preschool program. She still has issues with speech but having a therapist to work with her improved everything for us. I know it was the right decision and am grateful I didn't wait longer to call. Good luck.

DawnJM25 · September 2014

DS was preemie and he was a very quiet baby with a sensitive gag reflex and some unusual motor skills (weird baby yoga poses, etc.) We mentioned this all to pedi at the 9 mo well-baby check and we received a referral for EI. They called and explained that DS would have to have at least a 50% delay in 1 area and 25% delay in another area to qualify. I told them what our concerns were, and they sent a physical therapist and speech/food therapist as well as a developmental therapist that handles the overall eval. They had evaluation checklists, etc, and asked us some questions while also observing DS. He did qualify, and we had physical and speech therapy once a month, and the developmental therapist came for every visit. DS exited physical therapy after about 6 mo, and we still have speech. DH and I would like to continue with speech until DS is 2 or until he is no longer delayed for his age. The therapy always takes place at our house and they typically use our toys, etc. I like watching them interact with DS so I know what kinds of things to do with him, and they usually tell us what to work on with him. I'm very thankful for the therapy!

Anne Mommy · September 2014

DS1 was referred at 2 for speech. We did a phone interview and were mailed a questionnaire. The speech therapist and early childhood teacher came to our house. They gave me a breakdown of his development by age which made me feel terrible. It was like he was at 15 months for this and 18 months for that. Because he was slightly delayed in more than one area we qualified. They came to daycare and our house to work with him. They had a brief summer school session. That fall he had once a week "school" for 1.5 hrs. They still came to our house and daycare. At 3 he no longer qualifies for EI but we got into the school preschool. It's 50/50 typically developing kids and special needs kids. He goes each morning for 3 hrs.

RibbitGrl930 · September 2014

Thanks for the responses, ladies! This is great information.

erinmc1 · September 2014

Just the EI evaluation alone made a world of difference to us. We got our referral in July, after he'd only gained 2 ounces in 6 months, was officially diagnosed FTT, and gross motor delayed. 4 ladies (coordinator, pt, ot and nutritionist) came to our house and spent nearly 3 hours with us, asking questions about his milestones, observing, weighing him, etc. They ask questions about abilities based on expectations for age, in order, so you eventually come to questions that you're answering no to, and that's where they stop. Then he's assessed based on normal developmental expectations, just like a growth chart.

About an hour into our appointment the physical therapist asked if he always mouth breathes, and breathes so heavily. Then she real matter-of-factly said she thought his entire issue was probably enlarged adenoids preventing him from breathing properly when he eats. Something his ped had NEVER suggested, even after I mentioned snoring, and 9 sinus infections in 15 months. He's been seeing all 3 specialists every other week since then to try and get him caught up.

X-rays confirmed that his nasal passages were completely obstructed by his adenoids and he literally couldn't breathe when eating anything that requires chewing. He had his adenoids and tonsils removed last Friday. Those people know their stuff! Even the lead diagnostic specialist at Children's had suggested an MRI because he thought our son might have a brain disorder, and never once mentioned adenoids!

Good luck. I know it's scary getting that referral because it confirms that something is wrong, but it's such an amazing program!

DawnJM25 · September 2014

Agree, PP. Those therapists know their stuff. My DS was using his diaphragm to stabilize himself instead of his core muscles. The PT caught it right away; probably something the pedi wouldn't pick up on. Anyway, once we trained him to use his core muscles for sitting, all of his eating issues were resolved. He could chew and swallow normally, and he started to babble all the time. We are still a little behind in speech milestones, but I'm SO grateful for EI.

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