if your kids started EI after age 1

If your child(ren) needed EI and started after age 1, did you have to wait a long time to get services started?

Jon needs speech therapy and special instruction 5 days a week, and OT 2x a week.

Nicholas needs speech 2x a week, special instruction and OT 1 day a week.

So far the same OT is doing both. However we have only gotten calls for speech and special instruction for Nicholas. One of them told DH since Jon is 5x a week it will be harder to fill that spot until after school is over. If he needs these therapies 5x a week, he obviously shouldn't be waiting almost 2 months.

How much therapy did your child(ren) need and how long did you have to wait to get started?

Thanks.

 

We didn't have evals for Jade until 17 months. But she didn't qualify for 5x per week. We had no problem getting a special education instructor (and we've had two GREAT ones 2x per week for over a year), I've had more problems with speech therapists (also qualified 2x/week -- but difficult to schedule).

Schedulling can be difficult and it seems to make a difference at different times of the year -- like times when kids "age out" of EI or at times when schedules change (like summer). Maybe you'll hear from some therapists soon. Otherwise, call the agency directly, or your service coordinator, and see if you can get -services 2-3x per week in the interim?

Best wishes.

 

Can you take the spots that they have open and still be waiting for more?

Jet just recently qualified for speech therapy 2x per week but they only had a spot for 1x a week. We took it and were on the waiting list for the other day. It only took a week and they had another spot open up.

-Kimberly

 

Lukas wasn't evaulated until 26 months and qualified for speech, ot, and pt. It took 2 months for them to find a place for pt and speech was pretty full with waitlists. So in the interim they placed him in a infant stim program in place of speech. It took another 2 months and me checking in with the service coordinator on a weekly basis before we found a speech therapist that was able to see him once a week though he qualified for twice a week but I just took what was available. It took another 4 months before another opening became available to fill his second hour of speech. So when he finally got all his services I was driving him to three different therapists. It seems that openings happen in waves and scheduling can be dfficult. What I found was that it helped to keep calling the service coordinator for updates and ask that Lukas be placed on everyone's waiting lists. Though coordinating all the services and just getting the services can be difficult, EI has been absolutely wonderful for Lukas. He just graduated from EI and has transition over to the school district for services.

 

Thanks for the replies ladies. I will definitely be calling to request any hours until they find someone who could do more. I just thought it would be a given but I guess I was wrong.