Speech Delay - Plano,TX

You don't mention whether your son has an expressive delay, receptive delay or both in addition to any other delays. The evaluation would have given this information.

My son had an expressive delay. At about 27 months he was testing at about 16 months. His receptive speech was off the charts and he had no other delays. We went the private route and used Our Children's House at Baylor and have had fantastic results. He probably wouldn't have qualified for ECI because his receptive score was so high or he probably would not have gotten the 2 45 minute sessions a week he got with OCH. I would recommend any of their therapists. I'm sure there's one in Plano. Also, insurance did cover our son's speech therapy so you should check with yours.

We liked OCH because they were very aggressive with their therapy and also involved us in giving us ideas on what to do at home, etc. You have the option of changing therapists if you don't like the one you have fairly easily. I think this would be harder with private therapy since there's typically not a pool of therapists to choose from. I imagine this is also possible with ECI. OCH also does PT and OT there if your child has other delays or issues. My friends who did private therapy at home were not very involved in their kids' treatment. ECI might be different though.

I have friends who went through ECI for OT and ST. They were, for the most part, happy. I think they're especially good if you have a kid with more than one delay like my friend had. ECI therapists come to you which, for some, is a bonus especially if you have more than one kid or can't drive. They can sometimes be harder to get someone out and you may have to wait. We did have to wait a few weeks before we could get in for an evaluation at OCH though, but once we did we were in.

ECI is sliding scale so that is very nice, especially if you have insurance that will not cover ST. This would be something to consider in your decision of course.

Good luck!

Hi
I'm willing to share my experience with both. At our 24 month check up we got our referral for speech. I was not aware of ECI/ITIP at that point. We went to Our Children's House for about 5 months when one of the therapists suggested I try ECI because we were not progressing much and she felt bad that we had to pay for this. We started ECI one month later and continued for about 6 months.

I was happy for the most part with the therapists in both programs. We had speech 3x a week for about 30 minutes each session. ECI came to our house once a week for an hour however, we also obtained occupational therapy for an hour a week.

I have run into mamas who were not very happy with ECI. I've met some mamas who signed up with ECI and once that was well on its way they went ahead and started the private speech sessions as well...they just never mentioned it to either party.

If you opt for ECI then be prepared for the therapists when they arrive...do your homework. Also, and this is going to sound strange but, you should focus on what your daughter cannot do...not the time to voice your pride of the little things she can do. Ask for speech and OT right away if you think that's what she needs...it might take some time to be approved or start the process.

Good luck to you.
-mama to 3 yo twins

PS My sons receive speech 4x a week now through a private source.

I am a private speech therapist in the Plano area- feel free to contact me off list and I can give you my opinion on both! Thanks, J.
____@____.com
www.julieslp.com

Our daughter has been through the ECI program. She graduated from that and went on to the PPCD class in our Richardson school district at the age of three. The PPCD curriculum is the best thing that ever happened to our daughter.

She is now five, and will be turning six as she goes forward to a "normal" kindergarten class. She will still take speech therapy, but is at the level she can learn with her peers in every other way.

Honestly, I wish every 3 year old could go through these classes.

I would call your local elementary school, and ask them if they have a PPCD class available to you.

The classes are at the school in a normal elementary school and for three hours a day. She went from 8-11 in the beginning and then to the afternoon class 11-3 and even come get her from my house on the bus. The teacher to child ratio is almost one to one. I am a stay at home mom and didn't need to have her in school. After visiting the class and seeing how they teach them, I felt silly about not considering it.

Emma won't stop talking now!

My youngest is also speech delayed and was going to Treat Services in Plano(Debbie) which I Loved and so did my son. He progress Very well but we had to stop because we started to have issues w/our insurance. We are now starting speech therapy and OT w/ECI this week so we will see how that goes. My son is also developmentally delayed.

Hope this helps.
M.