ECI Services

ECI is a great resource and they give a full evaluation of your child. We were referred for our daughter who also wasn't walking alone at 15 months. It was great to get such a thorough evaluation of where she was developmentally. The ECI scale of what's normal is actually more generous, and probably more accurate, than what the pediatrician says is in the "normal" range, so their evaluation was reassuring. You can find their developmental milestone information online.
Our daughter didn't qualify for services, but the therapist showed us some exercises we could do at home that would help strengthen her legs, and some things we could to to encourage her to walk independently. She ended up walking on her own at 17 1/2 months. Funny thing is that once she got moving, you couldn't tell the difference between her and other children her age.

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You might want to check baby's ears to see if she/he has fluid in ears cause if there is fluid thier equillibrium could be off. It happened to my son and as soon as he got tubes in ears he started running.

Hope this helps.
ECI is okay, I don't feel that they helped my son. He is on the Autism Spectrum.

I did not read all of the advice so sorry if I am repeating... If your baby is only 15 months and not walking, that still falls within the range of normal development. ECI will also consider all of the baby's developmental milestones (talking, attentiveness, feeding etc.)before accepting a referral. If everything else is on target, they will tell you to call them back at past 18 months.

My 2nd daughter did not crawl until almost 11 months and did not walk until almost 19 months. I was panicky, and frantic. I called ECI and they told me not to worry since she was hitting all of her other developmental milestones. Today she is 3 and she is running and jumping and climbing. You can't tell any difference between her motor skills and early walkers.

But if you have concerns, by all means call ECI and see what they suggest. Its better to discover problems early and address them than find out later.

We used them for speech and nutrition. I thought they were great. They gave me lots of good ideas about how to help and encourage him on a daily basis. They come to your house, it's affordable, it wouldn't hurt to try. You can call them and discuss your child and they will do an assessment and determine which services, if any, they feel would benefit your child.

Don't worry yet. You little one still has time to walk and be in the norm. Both of my kiddos didn't walk until around 15 months.

Don't know about ECI Services, but I wouldn't worry about your 15-month old not walking. My second didn't walk until she was almost 17 months old, and only then because I paddled her and made her walk. I was pregnant and couldn't carry her anymore! She didn't like it when she'd lose her balance and land on her bottom. She'd cry and cry. Thirty years later she gave up on sking. She told me she was the SAME as she was as a toddler. She HATES landing on her bottom!

Our little one had issues with talking.....was very delayed. ECI did several tests and suggested ways that we could help at home. We thought they were very thorough and pleasant. I would recommend them.

yes, I have used ECI for 2 1/2 years. They have been very good. I have experienced that if you want something you need to ask, very strongly, for it. If you want PT ask for PT. ECI wanted my grandson to have a developmental person. NOT THE SAME. the PT said he needed PT so I insisted on PT. We reached apoint where PT said he could go on consult. I was Ok with that. He has caught up and only gets direct speech service now. They have all been very nice. Give them a try. PT and OT must have a doctors permission.

hi J.
i used ECI not too long ago b/c my son wasn't talking yet and i was afraid he was behind.....they came in to my home, asked me a TON of great questions and fouund that my son was actually way ahead!!! I liked how they came to my home and it was free for me b/c of our income level!!
S.

My daughter is going through the speech therapy program with ECI. It is a very positive experience for her and they are wonderful. They are always full of answers for my many questions and very, very friendly. My daughter has gone from having no words at 18 months to now being 23 months and having 20 30 words. It is amazing how much progress she has made in those few short months. Good luck to you and your baby.

They are wonderful. They do give you a full evaluation and very supportive. Although, I have used them for speech delays in my 4 year old and not walking issues they are awesome. They will walk you through step by step. My daughter started speech therapy last year in Florida theough ECI services and it was so easy to get her started in Texas.

I havne't read the other 20 responses but I'm sure I echo many moms by saying we had a great experience with ECI. We wound up not qualifying for intervention, but were in the follow along program for about a year, and now are taking advantage of the services provided by Ready Start. (My big guy started walking at about 14 mo, and the little one ddidn't start until about 19.) No speech problems, no cognitive impairments, no eye/ear issues, no motor skill issues, so far they are doing great for having been born so early.

I have heard good things about ECI but to also give you encouragement my first walked at 15 months my second at 12 and my third at 20+, my first was to busy talking to walk, my second was wanting to walk asap and my third, just didn't have enough room to walk, we were moving at the time and had to spend 6 months in a apartment, the day we moved in to the "big" (big for him) house he stood up and walked and never crawled again. I'm sure ECI will be a great help but don't stress over it. My Dr was a bit concerned with my 3rd but I wasn't, I knew it was more about our situation than his abilities, but ECI is a good resource to help you through this transition.

sorry if I'm repeating I haven't had a chance to sit and read through all your responses yet.

My DS did not walk until after 16 mon. I think most docs say not to worry unless they are not walking at 18 mon. I was not worried w/ DS because he was developing in other ways. He was very interested in the letters of the alphabet and numbers. So, I knew he was learning but just not the physical part.

wonderful...wonderful...wonderful....please do not hesitate to call them to set up the evaluation

Whoah! There is not something wrong with your child just because because he/she is not walking already without support. As long as they are walking with support, there is nothing in the world to seek intervention for at the age of 15 months. Many babies do not walk without support until 16 months, and you should not become alarmed about them not walking until 17/18 months. So, unless your child is older than the 15 month description you have in the "a little about me" section, don't do anything just yet. Talk to your doctor and they should reassure you that it is perfectly normal for some babies to not be walking yet at 15 months. If your doctor is contributing to your worry, then you need to seek another doctor or atleast a second opinion. Only an alarmist would be telling you that your 15 month old needs intervention because they are only walking with support. Just an example, my daughter began walking on her 15 month birthday, but she certainly could have waited longer without me worrying. Don't do anything about it just yet. Give them a chance to do it on their own, unless there is some other circumstance that you did not mention in this question which would make this a more serious situation than you have described it to be.

All the responses about he'll walk when he's ready, yes he will. But have him evaluated, it can't hurt. My son wasn't walking at 15 1/2 months and we had ECI come out. He started walking 2 days before they came, of course! They still did the eval and said he still would quailfy if we wanted to but we decided to see how he progressed and he did fine. But at his 2 year well check, the Dr said he's says 30-50 words and 2 word sentences, I said yes, but thinking about it later, he didn't have 30 words, maybe 20 words, so we called ECI again. They came out and he quailified for speech therapy and they were great! Came to the house and really helped him and helped us to know how to help him. Please check them out!

My son didn't start walking until he was 15 months. I was very concerned however, my peditricain said a referral to ECI was not necessary until he reached 18 months. I really think my son was afraid to walk, I also have a 3 year old, who bring him toys to play with, therefore, he never had to move. Now he is 20 months old, and he runs around the house.

J.,

Trust your mommy instincts. Believe it or not, you know best. That said, my third child did not walk until close to 16 months. The other two walked much earlier...but I didn't worry at all. She just did it on her own time. Now I can't keep up!

Good luck.

We had a great experience with ECI. We had a wonderful case manager/play therapist and wonderul PT and OT. They did great for the time we were with them and I greatly appreciated the support from them. Financially it wasn't a strain for us over trying to do private therapy. I still keep in contact with the people we worked with even though we haven't seen them in a couple of years. Good luck to you!

I used ECI for a year with my son and we had a wonderful experience with them. Even though, like the previous poster said, to not be walking at 15 months isn't really a big deal it never hurts to take a proactive approach and get him evaluated. Better to be safe than sorry. I didn't get my son help until 24 months because of people telling me he will do 'x' when he gets ready to. But just like with anything else it all depends on the people you are dealing with in your area if the experience will be good or not. I say give them a call and get on the schedule for your first evaluation becasue there is usually a waiting period.

I would go ahead and give them a call. You do want to be prepared though that you may have to push to get services more frequently than what they initially offer. I have twin boys. One walked at 15 months the other took until 18 months. We finally got the second one walking by having him chase a toy. We had a little farm with blinking lights and music that we would put on the couch with him a couple steps away. Then when he would get to the couch we would move the toy to the back of his anywhere chair and he would go for that. Back and forth and each time we would move the other chair out a little bit farther. He will do it when he is ready but there is really no reason not to get the evaluation.

I used ECI too and felt it was a good start at least to get a diagnosis but for good intense therapy I would go private.
ECI just doesn't give you the needed time. Integrative Pediatric Therapy is wonderful and they can help. They have great Occupational/Physical Therapists.
Good luck , L.

My Son was 15 1/2 months before he walked. Infact he never even crawled. He would roll. Two weeks before our little girl was born we took him and just started walking him between us. Finally he started to get his balance and we would start moving back a little further. After almost 2 hours sitting there doing this he was finally walking. My daughter was walking by 7 months so kids can be very differant. I also remember being concerned. Our Dr. said that it is very common and that boys are usually slower than girls.

J.,
I work for ECI (currently in South Fort Worth) and I would be happy to answer any questions you have about us. I am not a physical therapist but ECI has a team approach so I have worked with many of our PTs.
T.

We used ECI for our daughter and absolutely loved them. The hardest thing for us was the scheduling but they try to work with you on that. I would say go for it. It can only help your son and they have lots of great ideas. Remember it's not about what other people think. It is about what is best for your son. ECI is there to help you. IF it's nothing they will tell you. I would say at least give them a try. Our daughter was on the Autism Spectrum scale and has a sensory disorder so we got a lot of great ideas. Plus they come to you.

Hi,

We have but it was because my pediatric thought that my child has strong kick for her age. But yes they are helpful and they go more like therapy approach.

One of my best friends used to work for ECI, and I can tell you it's like getting free help from a whole host of specialists. They can get you all sorts of services and referrals, and my friend was very dedicated and truly cared about all the kids she served. But I figure, what do you have to lose? It doesn't cost anything, and they are only there to help.

get a second opinion if you feel the need (assuming you've already discussed with the pediatrician). but i didn't walk till 18 months as a baby. behind? no. spoiled and carried alot? yes! LOL

Hi J. I have used ECI actually we just still stopped within the last couple of months. The two ladies that came out were REALLY nice and not sure if it really helped...I think my daughter is just stubborn! She didn't crawl until last month (20 months old) and was not even pulling up at 12 months when they first started coming out. She would scoot like a crab for the longest time and then one day at 17 months started to walk. So see they all do it at their own pace. She is absolutely fine she is just going to do things on HER terms. I swear every time they came out she would start doing something right after that! I was REALLY worried about her since she did everything so late and I know it is frustrating when your child isn't doing "what they are suppose" to do but believe me it will happen all in good time. My daughter wouldn't even walk with support so I know yours start soon. Also ECI did tell me that she had low muscle tone and that when kids do have that they walk slower then the ones with I guess normal muscle tone. Anyway good luck and I think it is a good program but felt like they should go to someone that was more in need of services then us.

Good! They're there to help out! My son was 18 months and only said 3 words and even those weren't super clear. We've had a speech person come in starting out every week and now I think it's monthly. He'll turn 3 at the end of this month and his speech is really starting to come around. It's better to find out now if there is some problem that your child needs help with. Some, like my son, are just slow to do something. Not meaning they're 'slow' but you know..just doing it in their own time.

I've had a great experience with them and 110% recommend the service!

Hi J.. I had a positive experience with my dd. She wasn't crawling in any way at 11 months. They came and evaluated her the day she turned 11 months. She crawled over their legs and crawled for 2 days then was up cruising. My dd didn't need services; however, they were always very professional and kind.

J.,
I am a foster mom for infants, and each one that I recieve is evaluated by ECI. They have been wonderful with each of my babies. I only have experience with the Rockwall office, but they go out of their way to get the help I need for the babies. They all seem to really love their jobs, and don't seem rushed. I don't know about your child's past medical history, but sometimes that plays a role in how long it takes them to walk. I pray that everything works out for you both. S.

Like so many other Mom's have said...go for it! ECI is awesome and I am thankful to have had them work with my daughter, as well as with me to learn how to help her in the delayed areas. They were very good about keeping her in the program until we were both ready to do things on our own.

J.,
I am a foster parent and have used ECI with everyone of my foster children. I think they are great and the therapists really seem to love what they do!
You can also look into Theray 2000. ECI only works with children 3 years and younger while Therapy 2000 works with all ages.
H.

Hi J., my oldest son who is now 4yrs old didn't start walking on his own till right around 15 mos. Doctor was never concerned because they said he was fine on all aspects of height/weight/coordination/developmental, etc...As for ECI- we were required to sign up with them for our twins because they were born almost 8wks premature. As for services from them we were blessed that each time they came out to the house to evaluate the twins for the 1st year they were doing fine and never required any type of treatment. So now ECI just sends me follow up surveys by mail and I fill it out and send it back and they determine if we need anything from them or not, which we haven't. Hope that helps! J.

We used ECI for 2 1/2 years, until my daughter turned 3. It was a wonderful experience. Although a lot of people are telling you not to be alarmed, there is no reason not to make a phone call just in case. You would hate to later realize you could have done something to help him along and you did not make the call. There may be nothing going on, but just that he is not there yet. None of us really know. However, I would make the call, as they might have some great advice for you.

My youngest son is a twin and was premature at birth. I was told about ECI when he was an infant I believe. Signed him up for it and they worked a lot with him. That was about 14 years ago! I'm glad that I put him in their program because I would not have known what to do to help him. They went wherever they needed to go to work with him. They are very good at what they do. I currently work at a day care and have a child in my class who had someone come out once a week to work with him and they also went to his house. Between us he is doing so much more than when we first got him, so I would say if someone recommended you to them, do it! Good luck.

DS was evaluated right before he turned 3. It was useful in determining the issue, learning about next steps to get a diagnosis, and getting him into PPCD. I wish I had heard about them sooner because there services could have helped DS when he was 2. You have nothing to lose. Go for it! Early intervention is the key!