Has Anyone Done Early Intervention?

Yes! I love early intervention! I am mom to 5 little boys, first 2 were very well spoken, my 3rd I had tested(they test for everything so don't freak) and he test above or average on everything except articulation and phonics...he recieved speech 2x's/week for about 2 years at home(or you can go somewhere else...wherever child will best be served) and he was declassified last Jan(07) and now is in kindergarden and needs no services! My 4th son is following suit, same thing...he gets speech 2x's/week and they expect to declassify him before he enters kindergarden...we have already teased about signing up our 5th :) Here's the great thing, you have him tested if he needs help he gets it, if not he's fine...if he's borderline you can retest every 6 months. My 4th son was a low average when we tested at 2, he didn't receive services...I took him back at 3 and now he gets speech...follow your mommy radar...plus the older they are the more that is expected of them so if you feel you need to follow up do! I would keep doing what you are doing...labeling things, also have him use a straw when he drinks and blow lots of bubbles outside...it helps strengthen the jaw. I love the program...they play games and the children have no idea that they are learning...every therapist we have had has been wonderful and my son has been in since nov and made huge progress...he used to just say nevermind or get frustrated and now he is starting to self correct and repeat himself...also the therapist can teach you how to show your child to make the sound that they are working on(they work on one, master it and move on) so when you want to help you can show the child physically how to move their mouth to make the sounds. I can't tell you how rewarding the program has been for us, we went through on Long Island and now here in Central NY and have had awesome results! You really just have to get over the stigma of there being "something wrong" with your child and remember just because they need help now doesn't mean they always will and it's so much easier on them (and everyone else) to fix it early! Also kids with older siblings develop their speech slower because someone is always speaking for them. Best of Luck!

Hi L.,
My mom used to babysit for a little girl who needed early intervention. I think her mom went through the school district, had her tested and it turned out she qualified for speech and physical therapy. It helped her SO MUCH! The therapists would come right to my parent's house to do the session. My mom would usually sit in on it because she said that she learned a lot from the therapists - plus she felt it was important to continue the learning techniques all day, every day - not just during therapy. Even if your child doesn't qualify, you could learn a lot just by going through the testing process. Most likely your child will be on track with kids his age by the time he goes to school. But early intervention will only help, not hurt.
I recently heard that if your child is having trouble speaking, you can't just say a word and expect the child to repeat it. They need to hear the different sounds. So instead of saying, "Say Ball," You need to tell them, "B-B-B-BALL!" Saying words like that really helped a friend of mine get her son to start talking. Whatever you decide to do, I hope everything works out. Best of luck!

We did early intervention with my grandson that I have custody of. It helped him tremendously!(Does your son have a binky? Get rid of it!) The early intervention team consisted of a speech pathologist, a vision correction woman, and a special educator. I was very happy with their help. They each came to our home once a week and the speech lady increased to 2 x a week. He started picking up on talking almost immediately and has not stopped yet, LOL! It helped us get him into Pre-school and Head Start too, because when he outgrew early intervention they recommended he continue in those areas. he is in Kindergarden now and moving up to first grade in september, so it definately gave him a boost. I recommmend them fully!
Just be aware that if you do go this route, you have to make a lot of appointments for testing and such, and you have to be available to have them come to your home for sessions. If you work and have a day care provider at your home I THINK they will come with the provider there, I am not sure how it works with a public daycare, since I was a stay at home mom.
I hope this helps! M.

My now 6 year old was in early intervention at your child's age. She was not speaking at all, though she understood everything that was said to her.

These days she won't shut up! So, I guess EI did help a lot! Our daughter moved on to special education, though, she's high functioning autistic.

hi L., you should definitely get him evaluated. he probably wont even qualify, but if he does, early intervention is a wonderful thing. i brought my son to be evaluated for speech, they said that he was actually on target for his age, there is such a wide range. but during the evaluations they decided they didnt like how he sits, grasps, etc and referred him for occupational therapy. he has been getting it for a year, he looooves it, its his special time. he has just been re-evaluated and wont qualify to get it next year and we are happy that he has done so well, but also sad that he wont get the individual attention anymore. there is no substitute for one on one teaching. several of my friends' kids have gotten speech in ei, and made tremendous improvement in such a short time. not only did their speech improve, but they and the whole family was calmer and happier as they became better able to communicate. its a great thing, go for it. just make sure that if he does get it, that he really likes his teacher. if he isnt in any kind of preschool or anything, keep in mind that this will be his first teacher, and its important that it be a positive experience. my son loves his, he did from day one, but i can tell you that if he didnt, i would have had her switched immediately. take care, D.

My daughter had ALOT of speech problems at that age and it continued at age 3. I had gone to pediatrician, speech specialists, psychiatry, etc. with no help until I read a magazine article in a doctor's office!! To make a very long story short, my daughter was drinking ALOT of milk and for some reason, she was reacting to it negatively by not speaking. Her body was producing pep tides as a reaction to the milk products.

Two days after taking her off of milk (as an experiment) she spoke and sat still!! I substituted milk with orange juice with calcium, vitamins, etc.

Can't hurt to try??!!

Good luck and I hope my experience was a help to you!!

I actually just started the process. My son is 18 months and doesn't say many words regularly either. Doesn't say mommy or daddy either. He understands things and gets his point across when he wants something but when I try to get him to say words he gets frustrated and just won't say it. I mentioned this to his ped. and she gave me the EI phone number. It seems like a long process but they have a rule in NYC (if that's where you are) that all evaluations should be done within 45 days of your phone call. So far we only had the service coordinator come to our home and all she did was explain the process and have us fill out some paperwork. Next I have an audiology test for him next week and according to the coordinator the other therapists will be calling to set up appts within the next few days. Besides bringing him somewhere for the hearing test all the other evaluators come to your home. I have heard great things about it from others though so hopefully it is worth it. The service coordinator did say what the other people said, if they don't feel the child needs it they won't qualify but you can get them retested after 6 months. She said that sometimes even if there is a delay it may not be a big enough delay at an early age to qualify for therapy. I know some kids don't talk until 2 or after but I just felt that his refusal to repeat words might warrant some help and that it wouldn't do any harm in having him evaluated and if anything I'll gain some ways to help him myself by asking the therapists what I can do. The service coordinator did say that they do expect a lot of parental (family) participation and want you using the tools they show you on a daily basis and let the therapists know what's working and what's not. So in my opinion I think it can only help even if it ends up that the child doesn't qualify at least you'll feel better knowing you did something.

My son who is now 2 1/2 is in early intervention for speech and I am glad I did it. I feel sure that if I didn't do anything he would be fine too but if this helps him a little and it's free and they come to your house and he has another adult to play with who can also watch for signs of anything else I need to be aware of, then why not. We did change speech therapists after the first one because I just didn't think she was that good, we are happier now. Good luck with your decision.

Hi L.-

My son is 7 and he went through EI. He has cerebral palsy but I didn't know it back then. That's not to say there's anything wrong with your child. EI is a a good thing. It's non-invasive. If you have suspicions that he's not reaching certain milestones, go with your gut. It's best not to wait. That's why it's "Early" Intervention. It may help get your son on the right track earlier. He may just need a little speech therapy. They come to your home and do it. If you want more info, let me know.

A little about me:

I own my own business and am a personal business coach providing Free Mentoring to individuals with work from home businesses, teaching the skills needed for success. I'm available to anyone who is interested.

I am newly married (Sept. '07) but we've been together for 5 years. I have 3 children, 1 is special needs. He's the best little boy! Christopher is 7. My other 2 are 13 (girl) and 20 (boy)

Hi
I'm there now!!!
My 18-month old does not talk-he just babbles. however, in the 4 sessions he has had so far, he is making HUGE progress!! This used to be a free service, but now they charge you based on your family size and income. This is nothing to be embarassed about, as I thought I would be. My son is on track with every other milestone. Granted, he has 2 older sisters that "speak for him" and he is the "third child" AND he is a boy-all the cards are stacked up against him, as per "Everyone".
It is something to look into and I feel you will be very happy with the results and your son will feel great once he is up to speed.
Good luck!!