I see so many threads on EI, and I always wonder how you guys knew they needed it? I look at the boys compared with the other kids in their daycare and I see that some of them are leaps and bounds ahead of the boys (even much younger kids) in some areas, but in some areas my guys are at the top of the ladder. How do you know what's normal and what's not?
Good question, I've wondered the same thing. I'm guessing that you could ask your pedi about it. I know when we bring in the girls for check-ups they go through a check-list of milestones.
QUOTE(beemer @ Mar 24 2009, 09:50 PM) [snapback]1243148[/snapback] I see so many threads on EI, and I always wonder how you guys knew they needed it? I look at the boys compared with the other kids in their daycare and I see that some of them are leaps and bounds ahead of the boys (even much younger kids) in some areas, but in some areas my guys are at the top of the ladder. How do you know what's normal and what's not? Hmmm...I am not sure you would really know unless you had them evaluated. For my sons-Nicholas had torticollis-so pedi recommended EI to come and evaluate him. He qualified-for physical therapy on his neck. Granted by the time they came out to work with him-it fixed on it's own. Anyways...while they were evaluating him, in the back of my mind I was wondering if Anthony could do the same things. So-I ended up scheduling an eval for him. He qualified-for what, I am not sure. But he ended up needing it to roll over back to belly(he finally did at one year). Now...neither of them talk. They know EVERYTHING we say. They know the sounds an elephant, sheep, and lion make(I know-not your typical dog, cat, etc!) Anthony will point to almost anything you ask him to in a book. It's crazy. He can even do puzzles(not perfectly-but he does match them up). But-no words-besides mamamama and dadadada-not used in right context usually. So the Dr said to give EI a call for speech. I have yet to as I said I don't think they would qualify(after talking to a friend who does EI). But now, I am going to call because if there is something out there that I can help them with(I do work with them on a daily basis-to the best of MY knowledge-and not that of a Speech Therapist), then I want them to get the help they need. I know it's in them, and I feel like they are on the verge of speaking... They just need the help of getting it out... Anyways-it's a free service(well-it can be, or it's minimal money for the most part). It's good until they are 3. If you have worries-you could always have an eval done. Talk to their teachers-I'm sure if they had concerns, they would let you know. And don't forget the most important part.... EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT! With having twins though-it's hard not to compare!
I only worried about DD because she doesn't stand on flat feet, and if you try to make her do it, she just bends her knees. All the other stuff I'm not too worried about and I know they will get eventually... this is just worrying me because she needs physical therapy just to be able to keep her feet flat.
Our pedi gave us a referral at one of our well-baby visits. It wasn't long after coming home from the NICU but I think he referred it because they were preemies and because he noticed a few delays himself. Hannah was the only one who needed anything.
At their 10 month appoitment, I mentioned to the pedi that Josh still was not rolling from his back to stomach. He also was not crawling or attempting to crawl. She gave me a referral and they came out the next month. They evaluated both Jake & Josh. Jake was fine, but Josh was delayed. In order to qualify, they must be at least 30% delayed; Josh came in at 32%. At 11 months, his gross motor skills were that of a 7 month old. You pay depending on your household income and insurance. If you insurance covers say 50%, EI will eat the other 50%. They come out twice a month and I pay $20 per month. The evaluation does not cost a thing so if you are concerned, get a referral. I'm glad I did. Josh actually took about 5 steps by himself today! :banana: Jake has not taken any yet but it's just funny since Josh was always behind in everything and here he is almost walking.
You'll have to bear with me, I am long-winded! If this is TMI, just ignore me. With my twins I knew they needed to be evaluated because they lost skills ( they did babble and they stopped, they made eye contact and then stopped, they smiled often and were very engaging and then they stopped) and never met some other milestones way after they should have in my opinion. Their pediatrician was not yet concerned about their milestones, but having had a child before the twins, I knew something was not right when they were about 10 month old. I self-refered them 2 days after their 12 month appointment. It is very important to remember that every child develops at his/her own pace. Speach often doesn't start until after the age of 2, but understanding language should happen MUCH sooner. Many babies don't walk until 18 months, but if a chld is over the age of 2, they may need some physical therapy. Those are just examples! We all compare our children to others, it's difficult not to. You really have to look at your child and if they seem to be progressing through their milstones at their pace. If they are not progressing or they stop doing something they could previously do, it is important to get an evaluation. Parents know when something isn't quite right and you need to listen to that voice inside your head. If I had not listened to my own instincts, my boys likely would not have gotten help until the age of 2 or even later. Knowing now that they have autism(diagnosed), it was so important they got the help they did as early as possible. My experience is therefore not only biased, but passionate about getting help if you think there is an issue. The areas EI should (and does in our area) screen are typically: expressive language (speech,any form of communications getting their point across to you), receptive language (what they understand), fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social develpoment, hearing and vision testing as needed. There may be something else I'm forgetting because it has been so long, but that's the bulk of it. If your child understands everything that you say to them, that is receptive language and it typically develops first. Speech or expressive language develops later and can have a wide range of ages to emerge. If a child is not talking at all by the age of 2, I would want an evaluation. However, if that same child understands absolutely everything said to him/her and always responds to his/her name, can point to objects (like find the apple) in a book, and is social that child may just be behind in speech development. I would still do an eval. but I wouldn't be as concerned. But that's just me! You have to remember that words are any sound your child uses consistently to label and object or person. If the child calls a cat a "doe" every single time, that child is considered to be saying a word. If that same child uses different sounds to attempt to label an object, that is not considered a word yet. You have to look at what the average is for your child's age like maybe at child should have 50 words minimum at age 2 and your child says 40 I don't think that would be considered a deficit. But if your child has 10 words, an eval. might be a good idea. My boys had no words at 2 but each have over 50 nearing 3, so things can change quickly. Actually one of my twins had no words at Christmas and now has over a hundred words! With speech though, the meaning and social use is hugely important, not just the words. Was that WAAAYYY too much info about speech??! EI can get a child help for all or only one area they evaluate them for. My boys needed failed in all areas but gross motor skills, so they receive developmental therapy,occupational therapy, and speech therapy. They did not qualify for speech until their 6 month reveiw because at 12 months ( the age they were first eval'ed) they were not considered behind on speech yet. So the process is ongoing once you qualify for EI services. At any time you can request further eval's and they have re-eval's every 6 months. A friend of mine with triplets noticed her girl was not develpoing gross motor skills like her brothers were so she had her evaluated. She qualified for physical therapy and guaduated from the program in 6 months. As a parent, if you have any concerns that you don't feel you are willing to wait to see if it happens in time or something you feel just isn't right you should have an evaluation. If anything, you will be reassured your child/children are developing right on schedule and things are just fine. I don't know if any of my rambling has helped, but I hope it has in some way. I don't want to place fear in anyone's head, I really don't. I think often times twins are slightly behind their peers for a while when they are babies/toddlers. I also was told boys tend to be behind as well. There are age ranges on every single milestone for a reason. "NORMAL" is a spectrum! I am happy to answer any questions about my boys, our experience with EI or anything really. I am not a professional by any means. I was a psychology major in college, but that qualifies me for not one thing! I cannot identify issues in your child, but I am happy to give my opinions and share my experiences. Hope I didn't bore anyone to death! Kelly
i think it's standard procedure to give nicu grads an eval and then go from there.... if you didn't have nicu babes then your pedi would probably give you a referral. but i believe most of us here who have or have had EI were nicu grads. as for knowing what normal or not--i mostly read about what to expect in books. during the first year i was always right on target w/what i thougt my babies gross motor, fine motor, language levels were because i'd read various books about development..... now it's the second year and i'm more relaxed (and there aren't as many books!). talk to your pedi if you are concerned but it sounds like yours are doing just fine! gl, jl
We called EI for Luke when we were seeing how he was struggling to crawl. He would not use his legs at all. By the time EI came out, he had started to crawl but they did look at his motor, speech, cognitive skills. It is a free service and I would say if you are concerned about any area of development with your children, definitely talk to your pedi about it and if you are still concerned, definitely call EI. It's worth the piece of mind. Good luck!
You've gotten some good info (great informative post, Kelly!). You can ask your ped for a list of milestones, and what age range babies should be meeting them....and, you can trust your gut. We had Kevan evaluated right after he turned 1. Our biggest concern was that he had difficulty closing his lips, so his mouth hung open a lot, and consequently he drooled a ton. And, he wasn't babbling age-appropriately -- he didn't have any consonant sounds at that point, although he was plenty vocal. He did qualify for speech therapy, and started getting it a couple of months later. As he grew older, we noticed he was behind in a bunch of things, plus one doctor pointed out he had low tone throughout his body, not just his face, so we got him into physical therapy....we thought he might just be a late walker, but no, he really did need help (and finally walked at 19 months). I would start with the ped, though, and see what he/she says...
Thanks for all the good information. I think I am going to call EI and see if it would be possible to have one of the babies checked out for speech. At our 12 month appointment as we went thought all the speech milestones I had to say "no" to almost all of them if not all of them. And I remember the 9 mo being similiar, though he did get credit for a few it seemed a real stretch (like he did it once, but she checked it off anyways). The pedi still wasn't concerned. He has no words, and clearly isn't the same level as his brother or even close. I know it could be perfectly normal, but I have been worried for quite a while. I would really like to put my mind at ease.
I'm getting Aidan a speech evaluation too. His is next Thursday. I was told he'd have to have a 30% delay in order to qualify for speech therapy. Sometimes I think he's fine and other times I really think he's behind, so I'm glad I can get a free evaluation done through EI.
