Places in Tacoma Area to Go to for Possible Developmental Delay?

M. - PLEASE contact FIRST:

Athena Elrod, Lead Family Resources Coordinator, PCHS
____@____.com
###-###-####

Leave a voicemail indicating that you need your child to be evaluated for birth to three services (or email). They will send a Family Resource Coord to your home to do a prelim eval and then they work with you to coordinate FREE services. It s a federally funded program for all children under 3 regardless of income or insurance.

The dev Pediatrician at Mary Bridge (Dr. Glenn Tripp) is excellent and you could have your child evaluated there as well....
This would have to be through medical insurance or medical coupon; You would need a referral from your Pediatician. If you need a good pediatrician I highly recommend Dr. Belinda Rone or Dr.Megan Struthers at ###-###-#### in Fircrest.

Additionally, you could also contact:

Autism Center-Tacoma
Cherry Parkes Building
1900 Commerce Street
Box 358455
University of Washington
Tacoma, WA 98402
TELEPHONE: ###-###-####
FAX: ###-###-####
EMAIL: ____@____.com
WEBSITE: http://depts.washington.edu/uwautism/

Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital has all the testing and therapy and links to any other things / links you may need. They are off about 7th and Martin luther king. Good Luck and make sure you dont let anyone put you off, push them to help your son no matter who you talk to. Roberta

I can certainly sympathize with you. My daughter was about 18 months when I felt that she had a speech delay. The doctors and nurses were never concerned and I finally went to a child-find screening sponsored by the school district just before she turned 3. We are in Franklin Pierce and they took about 3 months to do all of the screening, but they determined what I already knew...she wasn't communicating in normal English. She is now 6 and speaks so much that other parents are astonished that she hardly spoke 4 years ago.

Call the school district that you are in (if you don't know, then just call one at random and give them your address) and ask for the Child-Find Screening. There is no cost to you and they will evaluate him for speech delay and anything else that you have concerns about (within their scope, of course). You can also go to a doctor, but some districts discard the paperwork in favor of their own findings.

This may or may not be a delay. It could be other medical issues or conditions, including Autism or sensory issues...but you won't know unless you have him evaluated. I don't want to get you worked up, but if you feel there is something that you need to address, pursue this now, sooner rather than later if there is a problem so you can start therapy. I wish you the best and hope for a positive outcome for you.

gO TO YOUR HOME "GRADE SCHOOL" THEY CAN SET YOU UP W/AN ei EVAL, OR SINCE IT IS SUMMER GO TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND THEY CAN SET YOU UP, DO NOT DELAY, THE SOONER THE BETTER (OOPS CAP LOCK) and lastly, you can go to your ped, they should be able to get you in as well... but as I asid do not delay, every day counts in EI (early intervention)

H.
(Gage our youngest has been in EI for 3 years, not mainstreaming into 1st grade this year)

We received a lot of help from Lois and Jacque just over the bridge at Harbor Children's Therapy. (Olympic View Dr. exit) They are OT's speciallizing in Sensory Processing Disorder. THe number is ###-###-####. They will have other resources to refer you to as needed.
Dr. Tripp is good-if you can get in.
If you have interest in my (long) story please feel free to email me.

Go to Children's Hospital in Seattle or University of Washington. These are the best places if you want a definitive diagnosis for developmental delay. If you are just looking for a speech evaluation, then I know of clinics in Olympia that could help you. Call Therapeutic Beginnings @ ###-###-#### or Pediatric Therapy ____@____.com school district is also a good place to start, although they are now out for the summer.

Our 20 month old daughter doesn't talk either, but we have just started to get her help. We started going through Pierce county birth to 3. They then referred us to Tacoma Learning Center which is on Tacoma Community College Campus. We were referred by our dr but you can do self referrals as well. Going through the county helps you find all available options and help with payment if needed. Pierce county human services ###-###-#### or www1.dshs.wa.gov/iteip
I don't think it is an emergency but getting help earlier means the problem can be resolved quicker and before it may affect social development. I also felt better knowing that it was only speech that we had to deal with and not the other possiblities that go through your head.
I can understand the start of frustration when you think communication should be getting easier but they aren't using words and they are old enough to know what they want or don't want. When an infant can't communicate you just do basic feed, diaper, cuddle, but that doesn't work the same with toddlers.