Okay my daughter is 2 and says maybe 5 words daily and when we went to her 2 yr well child check her dr did not seem concerned but her father and i are starting to get a little worried so i sent a referal to them and they just called and said they are gonna send a post card with more info and someone will call in a week or so and set an appointment up to come and asses her to see if she is where she needs to be at or if she is behind and how much and so forth... i did not tell my bf (her father) that i did this until today when they called and he hasnt texted me back anything (he is also at work) i also dont know how his parents would feel about someone coming into the house (we live with them) to take a look at her which i would only make the appointment on my bfs day off to make sure someone else was home but anyway has anyone here done help me grow to help with a delayed child in speech and if so how did it go and did it help at all? i was in speech in grade school bc i studdered and had a hard time saying a few letter combos but never did anything with the state that i know of
trust me i know i did the right thing but i am just not sure if i should of waited a little while longer to contact them or if i did the right thing and i know its free that is why i contacted them
2 is the age that I use as a reference. Start now and if she does have a
delay, but the time she starts school she should be right on target. Kids
usually love the speech therapy because the therapists make it fun and they are in their own home.
You did the right thing. Don't let anyone tell you different.
It just kills me that parents have to be afraid of asking for help for their child regarding delays. No one should ever be made to feel ashamed if their child is determined to have special needs.
My son had speech delays and attention issues so we contacted the Michigan program called Early On, they help him so much and I will never regret contacting them. Not only that but it is state funded, so it was free. Free help for my child, I would be nuts not to utilize it!
Totally the right thing to do. If she does need help, earlier is always better.
Of course you did the right thing for your child. No question on that issue in my mind or anyone else's at all.
I'm wondering why you are so conflicted about doing something so normal??? Do you feel the need to have everyone's approval for everything you do with your child?
You did the right thing! A few people will come in (usually 2 therapists and a case worker) and will assess your daughter and if she has a 30% or more delay in a certain area they will recommend a therapy. Then a speech therapist will come to your home at the mutually agreed times and will work with your child for an hour (playing different games). The therapists are awesome, I highly recommend you or the relatives stick around to observe how they do things so you learn from them.
There's is nothing wrong with contacting them now. We took our daughter to a speech evaluation not too long ago. Though she wasn't really sure about what to make of my daughter, the process taught me what I needed to know. We have been working with her and she is progressing. Don't feel bad, peace of mind is always a great thing to have.
I do not have any personal experience with this, but my cousins twins (one more than the other) had some delays and I know she was/is very pleased with the progress they have made with the help of Ohio Help Me Grow. A few years ago, her son was 'behind' his sister and my daughter (who is a year younger) in speaking but now, he is right on track :)
You did the right thing... having your child evaluated will not hurt anything. If she needs services, you will have them at no cost to you in your home. If she doesn't, then you'll have an answer! At her age, she should be putting words together into 2 word utterances and be replacing gestures with consistent words. Speech therapy at a young age is very powerful and you will see your daughter develop her language skills and you will also likely see a decrease in her frustration when she is able to communicate!
The only thing I will say is that you really should have told her father ahead of time. If you are co-parenting and intending on raising her together then you need to include him when making these important decisions.
I live in colorado and it is called child find here, but they were very helpful. We had to do our initial evaluation at another building but then the therapists came to our house and they were always very nice. We needed speech, physical and occupational therapy, so we needed a lot LOL. Our speech didnt go great, but I think that was more because of the therapist than anything. I bet it would be really helpful!
You did the right thing. At two she should have about 50 words, and be putting two together into a simple sentence. She should not have perfect speeech, there should be errors and subtutitions as this is typcial for the age. Please have a private evaluation too. Help me grow is not designed to be everything she needs, it is only there to make her minimally functional in her enviornement and prepare her to be minimally functional in school once she gets there, they are not required to do any more than that, and with budget cuts...you get the picture. Do what you can now, even if you have to pay for a little therapy, it is worth every single penny.
You did the right thing!
M.
I contacted Help me Grow after my son turned two years old to get help. He was already in speech thearpy, that his doctor suggested, but I didn't feel they were helping enough. I'm happy that I had finally asked for help. Help me Grow put my son in a school environment called early intervention where he would meet with a speech thearapist once a week, and he was in a classroom with about six other kids around his age with developmenal problems. Then once my little guy turned three they helped me find a preschool that would continue to help with his speech. I think between the monthly visits from Help Me Grow and the two days a week that he went to Early Intervention helped my child and I am very thankful that I excepted that my child was behind in his speech and contacted them.
I hope everything works out for your little girl and she starts talking!
I don't live in Ohio, but I do know that there is a nation-wide group called different in each state, in Texas, ECI (Early Childhood Intervention). You did the right thing. They will test her, and if they feel she needs a little help they provide it free of charge until she is 3 years old. My son was a little delay in his speech, the doctor wasn't worried either. He really started to talk when he was like 3.5. Don't worry too much, but also know you are doing what is best for your daughter...
