Early Intervention/language Development for Toddler

Hi M.,

I have been a pediatric occupational therapist for 11 years and have seen this too many times. Early intervention can make a huge impact on your child's overall outcome. I highly recommend you contact ECI or a private clinic for an evaluation to see if they recommend treatment. Please don't wait 1 more day! You are doing the right thing in looking into this. He could just be a late talker, but why take the chance? Good luck to you!

BTW---here is ECI's website:
http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ECIS/eligibility.shtml

Had the same situation with my son. Don't wait. Call ECI.. its paid for by your tax dollars so the evaluation is at no cost to you (usually $250 and up at specialists) and you can start theraphy with them, too. And they can help answer your doubts.

Another great option is the UTD Callier Pre-verbal program. Google it and go. It is not free but worth it. We went there and they are GREAT!!!!

Email me with any questions. You are doing right by following your MomInstinct! I really believe at this age noone knows your child as well as you do. Trust yourself.

Good luck
S.

I worked as a special ed teacher dealing with language delays as well as other issues. You are doing the right thing. Waiting till the age of 3 seems a little late. The earlier the better. Don't worry, with the right intervention, he will be ok. But don't wait.

He may just be a late bloomer verbally and it is not necessarily anything to be worried about. It could also be a hearing issue. Has he had a lot of ear infections? I do think you are doing the right thing in getting an assessment. The program here is called Early Childood Intervention. You can find contact info and more here http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ECIS/eligibility.shtml

Note that it is better to start before age 3 so you do not need to go through the school district. My son was also a little late in speaking. ECI did evaluate him and said he was doing ok. I think they only really intervene if the child is 6 months or more behind. I actually did the opposite to what a lot of parents do. At about 1 1/2 I started allowing (carefully selected) TV. I bought some vocabulary building videos that he loved and it really helped him bloom. They were actually "Teach Your Baby To Read" videos. I had no expectations of him actually reading. I only did it for the vocab aspect, but you know what - at 2 1/2 now I am indeed starting to see him recognize words. I totally respect those who don't agree with this approach, but I can honestly say that they have helped my son develop his speaking and pre-reading skills trememdously. Message me if you would like the titles we used.

I agree with the vocabulary videos. Mine likes the Meet The...(Shapes,Colors,Letters,ect) and has learned his colors in under 2 weeks. You can contact ECI for early intervention and they offer speech therapy for children under 3. My son is very interested in puzzles,cars,computers...anything mechanical and analytical. His speech is delayed but not delayed enough to be covered by ECI( the child must have at least a 6 mo delay to be eligible). So I am trying the same methods you are(naming everything,making him ask for things,etc). Depending on what your son's strenghths are, he could just be processing the information differently like mine does, in which speech comes in last. If so, he will probably be very good at numbers and such when he gets older. Every child(and person) is different and we all input and output at different levels. I do not agree that there is a "norm". Just b/c something is common, doesn't mean its normal and that your son is "behind" just b/c he's not up to common standards. If he is at least trying, that is a very good sign and he will eventually catch up. Afterall, he has only been alive for 700 days. So no, 3 is not too late to start worrying. Too late to start worring is school age,5. Many children have a noteable increase in speech from age 2.5 - 3, so that is probably why your DR told you to wait.
But there is no harm in contacting ECI to see if your child qualifies and getting the speech therapy that is offered if it will make you feel better.

Call ECI like the other poster said. Early intervention is the key to making a huge difference in your childs life.

Also, if you find out or want to have him evaluated for autism (maybe he has a very mild form, like Asperger's) then call Easter Seals or the Brent Woodall Center in Carrolton.

You're doing the right thing by looking for early intervention.... don't let anyone keep you from it. It's hard to understand with 2 young kids what a difference it could make for you child down the road, but take it from those of us who have older children and didn't get it (because early intervention didn't exist like it does now) that you should take advantage of it immediately.