Working W/ ECI - Advice About Delays

I know it's hard, but don't worry about it. My daughter was exactly the same. She is an only child, but I have always stayed home with her, so I knew what she wanted and when she wanted it. She had no reason to learn to talk. I also called ECI and went through the hearing tests and all that. We found her hearing to be excellent so that wasn't the problem. My daughter held her head up pretty much since birth, rolled over early, sat alone early, walked early.....it just took her awhile to start talking. ECI wanted to send someone to the house once a month to work with her, but I felt that wasn't enough, so they sent someone once a week. They did basically the same things with her that I did everyday (puzzles, coloring, shape sorting) since I stayed home with her. Eventually within a couple of months she was starting to talk, and once she started it was almost in complete sentences. The only thing I would suggest is make him say what he wants before you give it to him, even if you know exactly what it is he wants. I would know my daughter wanted her juice cup, but I made her say (or at least attempt to say) juice before I would hand it to her. That was hard, knowing what she wanted and not giving it to her right away. But I really think it helped. It gave her a reason to have to learn to talk. Good luck!

My 3 year old daughter is in the ECI program as well for speech delays. I put her in daycare, and that has helped tremendously. She is speaking so much better. We also tell her to "find the word." The kids made up this game where if she would say the word she got points. If she got 10 points in a week she got a prize. She really likes that. Anyway hope this helps.

Hi A.! Your situation sounds a lot like mine with the speech delays! My son started speech therapy (with ECI) between 12 and 18 months, he wasn't talking much at all, but making a lot of sounds for things. He is now 2 and still doesn't talk a whole lot (except for his own language), but he does sign and has some good words that he uses. He imatates words more and adds about 1 new word a week.

What I am saying is, he will pick things up at his own pace. I used to really worry about my son being behind (my mom told me I was reciting nursery rhymes at 21 mnths), but every child is different. Keep working with him. Try to discrourage the other children from talking for him, as this will slow him down if he feels he doesn't have to talk. Keep using his the signs (the theory is he'll get tired of signing and talk, and it has worked with my son on some words). Talk to him clearly and in simple 1-2 word sentences. Name the things he wants before giving it to him (Juice, Want Juice?, Cookie, Want cookie? ect..) He will be fine and soon won't stop talking!!

Good luck!

M.

Hi my name is N. I am 24 and a mother of 2. My youngest used the ECI service until she turned 3. I don't think you need a second opinion. The ECI staff is really good. They usually know what they are doing. One thing you may want to look into is seeing if the school district you live in has a program called Early Education. That is what I did. My daughter only said about ten words before I got her in this program now she will not stop talking. If you would like to talk more you can contact me at ____@____.com or if you have a myspace account my address there is www.myspace.com/hvnly

Be patient with your child. Everyone starts around two to three, if ECI screened him and he is starting to make sounds, then he is on track.
Sing songs to and with him. Read riddles to help him understand that there are so many sounds to put together.
Keep talking to him and the other children, dont get caught in the point and retrieve game- you know the one where he points and you get what he asks for.
Encourage him to make requests, but be flexible there as well.
If in three months he is not adding to his sounds or not putting constonants in there, then reevaluate him.
The worry shouldnt start until he is passed three.

My son didn't speak more than a word or two until he was 3. Then he was speaking in full sentences. We went thru ECI and Child Find to get him a speech pathologist. She worked wonders. We also had an occupational therapist who helped with his motor delays. I worried horribly for years and now he's a straight A student in the gifted and talented program. At one point we did go to a neurologist but he said there was no neurological problem. My advise would be to take it one day at a time, one step at a time and to remain positive. I think I wasted alot of time and mental energy worrying.

Blessings and best of luck!

A.,
I can relate to you. My 2nd child was born with a congentila catract so she is delayed alot. We are getting help threw ECI program also. My daughter didnt walk til after her 2 yr birthday and now she goes everywhere. Also, she didnt talk much. We are seeing the docotrs on base and since Annabelle was born with a catract we have to see an speacialist for neurology and also take her to San antonio to see an eye dr.
If you think that your son needs to be reevalutated by someone else get a second opinion. My oldest child is 4 years old and she also was in the ECI program she didn't get off the bottle until she was 19 months old and also didn't walk until she was 2 months old. Both of my girls were delayed but, they will catch up. My 4 year old sometimes studders but, I think that her brain is working to hard......
A little bout me:
I am 25 years old. A mother of 2 girls. Abbygail is 4 and Annabelle is 2. I am going to have another baby in March. I'm not really for sure if this one will be the last one cause, my husband and I want to have more children. I hope that all the test come how to be normal for you guys. I know how waiting can be so hard. Is Cameron's neuroloigt in Abilene or somewhere else? We have to take our daughter to San Angelo is to a pediatric neuroliogist and he is very good. I hope that Aiden will be okay. I have a friend whos son was born a week after my 1st child and he had to have a kidney transplant. They are not easy but, with prayers everything will be okay. Just have to trust in god and the doctors. Have a little faith....
Thank you K.

It sounds like you have a handfull. I just have one idea you might try for your two year old. When you are going to give him something make it a game. Hold two things up and say the name for each one like cup and toy. Make him decide which one he wants and have him verbalize before giving it to him. He may not say the word but as long as he verbalizes somehow what he wants that is okay. Make it a habbit to do this all the time. Also work on his nonverbal communication. This is good for those who are not able to verbalize well. I actually got this advice from a doctor for one of the patients that i provide private nurse care for who is also delayed with his speech. I have only been working with him on this for a week so I can't tell you results yet but it is worth a try. God bless you!
Mandi

If you have any questions just send me a message

ECI worked with my youngest son from about 18 months to about 3 years old. He just wouldnt speak. They checked his hearing, and it was fine. My doctor even checked his hearing, and said the same thing. My husband (his stepfather) and I worked with him just as much when ECI wasnt around as when they where. Part of my sons problem was that for a while, he lived with my mother, and went to a private babysitter. At my mothers and the babysitters, all he had to do was pretty much point and someone got it for him. When he came back home to live with me, we actually started making him say something if he wanted it. It wasnt that he didnt know how to speak, or know the words, but for the most part it was just that no one had ever really made him.

But the main thing to remember is that every child develops at a different pace. Two children even from identical parents, will probably never develop at the same rate.

A.,

I too agree that it is early to worry too much and that each child will develop on their own time. Have you tried singing songs or getting your child to sing the words. As a music therapist, this is a suggestion you can try. Speech is on one side of the brain and music is on the other side. That is why when a person suffers from a stroke, they sing alot with them. They can usually sing what they need and then eventually cross it over to speech. Worth trying! Hope it all works out! God Bless!

M. Savedra

I have had similar problems with my son. He is now 3 1/2. He started with ECI at 2 1/2. At that time he maybe knew about 15 words. While there were some improvements, I didn't notice a major improvement until he started Preschool for Children with Disabilities with the school district.
He has been seeing a neurologist. They originally believed that he may be autistic. He was tested, and it just showed that his brain was maturing slowly for his age. 6 months later, he had another MRI and EEG, the brain tissue seemed to be within normal range. He still learns language slowly, but on the other hand he's learning a lot more than he used to. There are some behavioral problems that seem to come with the territory. You just have to be real creative in handling them.
He also had the ureteral reflux in both kidneys and had the corrective surgery.
I definitley recommend you see a neurologist. When he turns 3, they'll move him from ECI to your local school district. I have seen enormous improvement in him since starting with the school district. Maybe I was lucky with the elementary school he goes to. I often see bad things said about the public school preschool classes. I, for one, have been very pleased and impressed.

I'm not sure that your son's speech impediment is really an issue at this point. A speech therapist was in our MOPS group last year and spoke about the subject. She said that kids develop at their own pace and you really shouldn't compare them until they're close to school age. I think 2 may still be young to worry about it. Don't put pressure on your son or yourself because he's not as clear as other kids. He may just need a little extra time.

My daughter was born with SUA and had multiple problems: From Kidney reflux to hydrocephalus. She even had delays in gross motor skills and speech. We went through the Easter Seals program for Gross motor skills and speech therapy. She benefited greatly from this and is now doing really well. In order to qualify for Easter Seals, your child must be at least 3 months delayed. If you qualify, you could potentially receive therapy at no cost.

Additionally, we had our child checked for occupational therapy as she didn't really seem to feel pain or didn't pay attention to things around her. She also had a chromosome test and it turned out fine as well.

My point with telling my story is that you have to do what's in your gut. If you don't feel comfortable with what someone is telling you or you don't feel like you're getting any results, keep going to a doctor until you find one that makes you feel at peace. At the end of the day, you are the childs best advocate and while doctors are trained, they don't know everything. You know your child better than anyone!

So don't give up until you feel your questions have been answered!

A.,
I don't really have any advice for you, except monitor his progress with ECI. If you are getting the feeling that he is not progressing get a 2nd opinion. My main reson for responding is to say God Bless You!!

Phonemic awareness develops on its own time scale - anywhere from 18 months to 5 or 6 years. Your first child is totally an exception, not the rule. I think you're stressing too much.

Take a breath and give yourself a break - your doing great. :)

S.

I just got my 2 yr old enrolled w/ ECI. He will be 3 in march. I live in n. austin and they did a comprhensive eval. he has a hearing eval tomorrow and i have to get him an eye appt. They said he is aboout mnth or so behind on his speech but everything else was fine. They start the speech on tues and he will do it 4 times a mnth for an hr each. They were very helpful w/ me letting me know what could help and what i could do...my niece was also in the program and she is talking a lot more... i know the best thing to do is try to get them to look at u when u speak so they can see your mouth, also try to get them to ask for what they want. dont let your older children talk for him or he wont do it for himself. I know reading to him can help a lot too, my son started vocalizing a lot more when i read him more books. His problem is he doesnt speak so clearly and doesnt put as many words together as he should.
Every child progresses at different rates so dont worry too much if he is different from other children, just try your best with him, and give positive reinforcement when he does communicate with you. good luck...let me knwo if you have any other ?'s...i was also a pre-k teacher for 4 yrs and have worked with all age children :)

I don't know how the ECI is here, but the one that we had where we use to be... was great.
talk to his pedi, and see if they think you should go to a nuerologist... maybe he just hasn't found anything worth talking about yet. there will probly be a time when you won't get him to hush ... praying for you

My daughter is also 2. She is getting speech, OT and PT through ECI as well. Her speech is the biggest challenge for us at this time (she is on her 2nd set of ear tubes). She has a genetic disorder called Hurler's which is extremely rare. She had a bone marrow trasnplant at 10 months of age with her brother as her donor. We have had her evaluated many times for hearing. What kind of hearing test have you had done? We found that the 'booth test' isn't very accuate for a child this age. We get her hearing evaluated every 6 months by getting a ABR done. It is when they give the child sedation and test the brain stimulus to see what they are actually hearing. We do this under the recommendation/care of our pediatric ENT in Fort Worth at Cook Children's Medical Center. She has started making more word sounds, but is no where near where she should be. Maybe your speech therapist can give you some recommendations. Have you seen an ENT?

Hi A.,
My brother had a similar problem with his oldest son from around the same age. He was communicative, but seldom used words to express himself. After confirming that his hearing was fine, they had him evaluated by a counselor and discovered that he is hyperactive and mildly autistic. He is still a social little boy, but he sometimes retreats into his own world, which, combined with lack of focus from hyperactivity, put his speech development behind. With therapy, he is now doing much better and is beginning to catch up. Just for peace of mind, you might have him reviewed by a psychologist or related specialist. My brother didn't get his son diagnosed until about 4, but earlier diagnosis and treatment could helped him more.

The first thing that I would do is have the other children stop talking for him. I would also go and get a second oppenion and have more test ran on your 2 year old.

what is ECI? My granddaughter has the same problem and she is 21/2. her pediatrition says there is nothing wrong with her, she does say some words and understands diretions and commands, but it is so frustating.