Anyone have kids qualify for PT/OT? I need some advice..

My twins are actually 13 months, but I posted here since a lot of kids get pt/ot before 12 months of age. Anyway, one of my twins is not standing or pulling up or bearing weight. We went for an evaluation and for gross motor he is only functioning at 8 months age. So we got him some leg wraps to keep them straight as he bears weight. The PT told us he needs one hour of therapy per week and that he will need to be evaluated by OT and will most likely qualify.

They won't let him do PT and OT in the same week or the same day since he'll be too worn out. They want me to drive him downtown to Children's Hospital every Friday. Also DS hasn't met his insurance deductible yet so we would have to pay the first $1000.00.

Are there any other alternatives to PT/OT? Doesn't the public school system provide that? Do I have any other choices? I thought I would just go to a couple of sessions, learn what he needs to do, and then do it at home with him. He just cries and tenses up with the therapist. He has extreme stranger anxiety....

Thanks,
jennifer

 

I had concerns about my girls gross motor skills when they were getting close to their first birthday, so I called Early Intervention. I think this is the state program you're talking about. You can do a search on the web for the program in your state and you should be able to find information about who to call. Or talk to your pediatrician - he or she should be able to give you information too.

 

Call Early Intervention as Sara recommended. Your pediatrician's office should be able to give you the number for the local birth-3 program. If not, it is operated depending on your local school district, so call the local elementary school and ask to speak to their PT for the number of the birth-3 program.

We only needed EI for a brief period, but it was FULLY covered by the state. We have private insurance, and EI charged insurance, but the state picks up whatever the difference (co-pay/deductible, etc). They also send someone directly to the house - which was great for us. No exposure to germs, no time wasted in the car & waiting rooms. The evaluator came to the house, the PT came to the house, even the family coordinator who just pushes the paperwork to set it all up came to the house.

Good Luck. You'll be surprised how quickly they catch up.

 

I agree with the others..Call ECI (or whatever it's called in your state). With us, there is a cost family share, but since we are below the requirement where you have to pay, we pay nothing..And I like that they come out to us, instead of us coming to them.

One of my boys is behind in gross and fine motor, so he is going to receive services..

 

Like pp call Early Intervention in your sate. My girls are both in PT/OT and Speech therapy. They go twice a week for an hour. I don't have to pay for anything. Call your pedi and they should be able to refer you.

 

The 1-5 board has a thread for Early Intervention/Develop. Delay & there's a link for the EI.

http://www.nectac.org/contact/ptccoord.asp

My dd has been going to PT for several months now & is slowly improving. She has still yet to pull herself up, though, or crawl. She's just now starting to bear weight on her legs. She also freaks out when we go & "yells" at the therapist. I think she just doesn't like being messed with. Last time she did a lot better, and we had her facing me instead of the therapist....maybe that helped, I don't know.

They told me that if she doesn't start to crawl within the next couple months, she will probably qualify for EI (which in my state I think is free). I would definitely look into it!

 

Here's a link to the thread in 1-5:
Early Intervention/ Developmental Delay Information & Resources

Good luck.