[ZTALDY]

We had the EI evaluators come vist this week. There was someone that evaluated his over all devlopment and a Speech/Lanuage evaluator. They spent about an hour with us. At the end, they still do not know if he will qualify for their assistance. In the state of GA the child has to have either a Significant delay in one area or moderate delays in two. They sd that his only delay was in speech and they do not know if it is signficant enough at thid point. It would be "moderate" at best. We will see...

[Alison_inPA]

Overall, that's good news that he only has one area of delay. Can they give you guidance on finding private help for him if he doesn't qualify for the state program? Even one visit with a speech therapist, if you can afford it, might be worthwhile if they can give you specific exercises that you could do with him to help with the delay. I have an acquaintance who did that with her son who had mild expressive (rather than receptive) language delay.

[ahnasmom]

I can give you some ideas we got from our speech therapist...free of charge!

~Massage his tongue with a toothbrush.
~Let him chew on those baby chew stuffed animals that have different textures on them....rubber ends.
~Read to him for a minimum of 15 minutes per day.
~Talk to him constantly...describe everything in detail...for example-when getting him dressed...we are putting your red shirt on over your head. Now we are putting your arms through the sleeves of the red shirt. Next we are putting you blue pants on...one leg at a time we put your blue pants on. etc.
~Repeat back to him in 'proper' terms...example if he calls his bottle ba-ba...say yes that's right that is your bottle...very good you said bottle.
~Give names to everything...that's a tree and point to it. If he points to something, give the name. That's a street sign.

Good luck...

[karenjoe]

I've seen this on another thread - can I ask? What is early intervention? Is this something we should look into having our new child evaluated - or is it only if there are very significant delays? Where do you find the information? Thanks!!

[suburbanmomgw]

ZTALDY--it's good knews! In MD the rules are the same. Our son did qualify for service...there are other issues. I agree with Ahnasmom on the tips-- also drink things thru a straw...think applesauce, yogurt, etc. and try different sizes of straws. Try chewing on licorice (cherry is likeable to most) and jelly beans. Try blowing thru a straw--like to get a cotton ball across the floor.

Karenjoe--Early Intervention (EI) is a nationwide program that varies by state and sometimes even county. It serves infants to 3 years old. It can be free or a sliding scale for fees depending on where you live. It can give you peace of mind if you feel your little one is behind, not just in speech, but also in physical or emotional/behavioral ways. They can recommend services in the private sector if you don't meet the qualifications for public service. The idea is that all children are eligable for a free and public education no matter what...

[karenjoe]

Hmmmm...good to know! I'll look into this - Thanks!

[kllee4]

We live in MD also, a REALLY good state for early intervention services. My sons were all preemies and received some type of services (from leg exercises and assistance sitting up exercises all the way to preschool 3 days a week with free transportation on the bus!). I also did childcare and it was great because the therapists, teachers and specialists would visit our home and would include all of my daycare kids in many of the activities. They have received OT, PT, Speech/Language, and various types of assessments as well as recommendations. My kids greatly benefitted from the services and I will forever be indebted to them as I am positive that my kids are doing great due to this high level of care they received so early.

Good luck, everyone!

[sofla1000]

In FL early intervention is also up to age 3, but, qualifying can be difficult. Our 2 year old did not qualify despite a speech delay because her cognitive capacity was too high. So, we took her to a private therapist thinking insurance would cover. Alas, it does not, most policies only cover speech for autistic or mentally impaired children. However, we took her privately anyway and paid for it, and when she turned 3, we took her to the local elementary school and she is now seeing a speech therapist there twice a week and we think it is helping her. My suggestion, check out early intervention and your insurance, but, even if you have to pay, it is worth it to give your child the chance to catch up a bit before they go into there early school years.

Joe and Jackie