My daughter is 18 months old and basically has no words. Well, if 'kak' counts when she sees a duck, or when you say, 'What does a duckie say?" that is her one word. She makes lots of noise and babbles. She said "yeah" and "hi" randomly at about 10 months but doesn't anymore. At her 15 mo check up I asked the NP and she said that I could pursue speech therapy if I wanted. I called and talked to a very nice lady and she basically made me feel like at this point it wasn't really a big deal. Then I was at a doctor appointment for ME and my doctor started asking about her. He was very concerned when I told her she had two words and now doesn't say those any more. First question, "Was she vaccinated?" Yes. Except her 18 mo shots. I'm avoiding them. I always avoid them then give in.
So my psychiatrist/allergist recommended ECI. I'd never heard of it. I read a lot of responses on how helpful they are and how it's great because it's free. Does anyone have any concern about letting the government into your home? What if they suggest some kind of treatment and you don't feel like it is right? Will they call child protection services and try to take your child away? Do they have any recourse if you deny services when they have deemed your child "qualified?"
Thanks, I just don't want to get into something that is not good for our family.
It is completely optional. It is required that they make it available, but they can not force it on you. My 3 yr old has been attending ECP (same thing) for about a month now, and I can't believe the improvements! Most of all with her confidence and social skills. She loves school. So I say give it a try. Yeah they come check out your home, but mostly to work with your child in the child's home environment. Sometimes they get some good info because the child is more comfortable. I admit I get nervous about them coming to my home, and fret way to much on keeping it clean and organized, but it is so worth it. At least give it a try, and you don't have to continue with it if you don't like it. There is no recourse. They are not going to take your kid away (unless there is something really disturbing in the house when they visit)
I have no personal experience withe ECI myself but have had one family member and one close friend who have both has their sons in the program. Both boys have made ENORMOUS improvement, it has been amazing! I would personally do it, I don't think that they would be coming to judge you or your parenting it is more to help the child. Obviously you want what is best for your daughter or you would not have called them in the first place, that in itself would show that you are care so if you opted not to do a certain treatment I think you would be well within your rights.
Good luck and I would definitely give it a try for your daughters sake, it has to be very frustrating not to be able to communicate =) Merry Christmas.
They main reason, I've been told, why they come to your home is because your child works best in their own home environment... more comfortable there. So more success happens there on a therapy visits.
We did ECI with my son for about 6 months. Then, I choose not to do it anymore because I thought he was improving enough and I knew that soon he would be old enough to go on to the school district's speech therapy program (in Plano that starts at 3 yrs).
So when I was ready to stop ECI, although they would have kept coming ... I told them no thank you... and that was fine with them... not a problem at all with my decision to do that.
And it's not completely FREE. They charge you on a sliding scale based on your family income -- total home income vs. # of people in your household. But it is VERY affordable compared to the private therapy that is out there! And it's only available to children until they turn 3. So you have limited time to take advantage of it before your child is too old for it.
It is therapy -- it can't hurt the child. It can only help. The assessment is free and can give you soo much information from a trained, licensed, educated professional who sees tons of children your child's age every day.... they know what to look for, what are red flags, they know what's typical. And they don't gain anything from it. Part of their program is govt funded... not all. They wouldn't waste time on a patient that really didn't need their services when they know there are many children out there that NEED them and their time. They're main goal is to help the kids and catch their delays early so that they can catch up.
You can get the assessment, listen to their recommendations and then make a decision from there.
We have our weekly ECI visit coming up tomorrow morning. It has been wonderful.
Our pediatrician gave me the option of calling at 18 months or 21 months. I went ahead and called at 18 and I am glad that I did. My daughter was at the same point - not saying anything except mama and dada. When they do the evaluation, your child does have to be 3 months behind to qualify which is why they weren't too concerned at 15 months.
Don't have a comment about ECI, but I do have a comment about the vaccinations. I will start by giving a disclaimer here...Don't know how true this is and I'm not a medical person...but it never hurts to ask your dr.
One day, when I was in an airport while waiting on a flight home, I was talking to a pharmaceutical representative about the vaccines and the flu shots and how some people are concerned about the side effects of vaccines. He said that he ALWAYS asks his dr to provide "single dose vaccines with no additives." He said it's the additives that cause the lasting side effects. I thought it was an interesting twist since he was the one making his living on selling pharmaceutical products to drs. You might consider this the next time you go to get your child vaccinated.
I really wouldn't worry too much about her not speaking much right now. I work at a day care and we have some kids there about that age and they aren't speaking yet either. But as far as ECI goes, they are really good. When my 15 year old son was a baby, he was a premie and I was told to go to them to get help. Back then, we made some trips to their office for them to work with him, sometimes they came to the house, and when he finally went to day care, they went to him there. I've also got a boy in my class that went through them and they came to him once a week. I highly recommend ECI if your really concerned about her speech. Another thing about them is when she turns 3 years old, they will refer her to a special class in public school if they think she still needs some help. If you have any other questions or concerns you can email me at [email protected]. Best Wishes and Merry Christmas!
Shellie
Ahhhh boy do I have experience here. Its all good though and we worked with Tarrant County ECI for over 3 years. I could give you some great help (I think). I am sending this to you privately and bc I have so much to say and I hear the little one stirring I am going to ask that you call when you get a chance. 817-453-9526
Hi Heather,
I work for ECI so maybe I can clear some concerns up for you. ECI's philosophy is a team approach, so whatever we do is very family and parent centered (for instance, we want to teach you how to do the speech techniques at your home because we believe you are the expert on your daughter). We have no power to take away children from their homes and would only call CPS if you were abusing your daughter. If she qualifies and you do not want services then we close your case and you can reopen it at any time. We were created by parents for parents and we are in no way like CPS. You will never meet a group of more caring people because we all work with children because we love the work. We are funded by the state government but we are not "the government." I think you will find that we can be a great support to your family if you choose to try ECI. My role at ECI is a developmental service provider (I do a little bit of all therapies) as well as service coordinator (all of the fun paperwork). My background is that I have a master's in counseling. Most people that work for ECI have similar backgrounds (physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, child development, social work, etc.). I would be happy to answer any questions you have. I love working for ECI and am proud to represent them.
Take Care,
Terah
My son was 2 before he talked. A few of the very high iq kids don't speak a word until around 2 to 4 years of age. I've known a lot of kids who don't speak until late. Then one day they talk. My son's first word was helicopter. We never did speech and he still learned to talk just fine.
ECI is a program through the local school district that is federally funded, not government per se. It is a wonderful opportunity for many children to have early intervention that may prevent or lessen difficulties down the road. If ECI determines that your child could benefit from services, you have the option to refuse w/o repercussions. There is no question of Child Protectice Services being called in unless there is evidence of abuse, which does not sound like the case at all. The ECI folks will explain every step to you becaue you will be very involved in the event your child qualifies. If at any time you want to change your mind, you can do that also.
I am a special education teacher and am very familiar with the law as it applies to special education, the program under which ECI falls. ECI has helped many children. If you are still uncertain, call and just talk to the ECI folks whose number you were given. They can reassure you that YOU have the choice in this process. YOU are the parent, YOU have final say.
Good luck! I'm sure you will make a good decision and your child will thrive!
My one concern here is that your pyschiatrist/allergist/what else?? is the one concerned about your daughter? Is he/she a child development expert? I could be wrong, but for someone who hasn't really met or evaluated your child to push this is really suspect imo. VERY SUSPECT. Also, the whole vaccination thing.... don't even get me started. I think what your pediatrition should be more important here.
18 months is incredibly early to start worrying about this -- especially if all else is normal. My son was almost 2 1/2 when we started speech therapy and that was considered very early for an otherwise normally developing toddler -- even by ECI standards since I spoke to them as well. He too jargoned a lot, said words one time (which is normal and counts by the way!!), had vaccinations (which is really a moot point), etc and he's now a motor mouth at 5. My question to you would be, are there any speech delays in your family? This is very often hereditary. Does she have any other significant delays? If not, I'd say just sit on this a while.
ECI can be a great resource for many parents since they do come to the house. They can evaluate your child and hopefully put your mind at ease here. If you're not comfortable with them coming in your home, you can always persue a private option but if your insurance doesn't cover it you will be paying out of pocket.
There is also the possibility that your child would not qualify for services. Mine wouldn't have given his receptive language skills were off the chart. We went through OCH at Baylor instead. LUckily, our insurance did cover this otherwise it would have cost a heck of a lot.
Seriously, I think 18 months is entirely too young to start worrying. Please don't have this person rob you of enjoying your baby, because that's still what she is.
Heather,
ECI is not the governement.
They are wonderful. I have used them for all of my
foster children and have seen great results from the different therapies they offer.
Please contact them and have your child evaluated!
Helen
I am not one to encourage "government" at anytime, however found this agency to be good for two of my grandchildren. Both of these children were in different households and ECI was requested for two different issues. We found them to be courteous, professional and eager to assist. One child did qualify for their program regarding muscle development. ECI came for several months and worked with him and showed the family what they could do on their own. He is no longer being seen by them, but I feel confident he would have had to have surgery if not for them. I would encourage you to let them evaluate her. After that, you can make your own decision about letting then assist.
I used ECI with my son and had a wonderful experience. Honestly, the thought of it being govt. run didn't really occur to me other than the fact that it's a service my taxes pay for anyways so I might as well take advantage of it. It does run on a sliding scale though, so you may have to pay a small amount each month (but it's based on income so it may be free too) but the first 6 months is completely free regardless. I waited too long, imo, to start my son with ECI. My husband is a family doc and he kept wanting to wait until he was almost 2 and then he was like "yea, I think he may need some help" when I knew all along he wasn't developing normally w/speech. I think, as a mom, you just know if your child needs extra help. One of my biggest regrets is not starting him sooner - I am a language acquisition researcher and know from all the research that the best time to form a language is before the age of 7, but really you want it well before then. I know there are LOTS of parents that say "just wait and see" but I for one would not recommend that approach at all. ECI will have a professional speech pathologist evaluate your child for free - take them up on the opportunity. By 18 months a child should have about 10 words or so. If she has none, I would definitly call them. The whole process took a few months to finally get evaluated and then seen on a regular basis, my main reason for saying not to wait. At age 3, my son did not qualify for the public school services because his skills were a tad too high. I really feel ECI helped me teach him more ways to express himself and teach him new words. I copied your questions in case I didn't answer them above.
Does anyone have any concern about letting the government into your home? I didn't. You will be assigned a "case manager" who makes sure everything's going smoothly and fills out all the prepaperwork. Other than that you will only have a speech therapist to your house as needed, usually once a week.
What if they suggest some kind of treatment and you don't feel like it is right?
Then you talk to them, express your concerns and you don't have to go with what they say. My son qualified and then they still asked me if I wanted him in the program, everything is totally and completely up to you - the parent.
Will they call child protection services and try to take your child away? Only if they suspect physical abuse. All childcare workers (including doctors, teachers, etc.) are required by law to report any suspected child abuse.
Do they have any recourse if you deny services when they have deemed your child "qualified?"
No, all choices are yours to make. Even if she qualifies, they will describe the program/procedures in more detail and then ask you if it's something you want to do.
HTH and feel free to email me with more questions if you'd like.
My situation was a bit different because my involvement with ECI was due to my daughter's delayed developement from being institutionalized her first year (we adopted from China). They were wonderful with her and us, and I can't say enough good things about them! It's not like letting "the government" into your home - these are well trained, professionals whose only concern is getting your child the help necessary to bring them to their age appropriate levels. Believe me, it can't hurt and if she is OK at this stage, they will let you know. If not, they are awesome to work with, great with the kiddos and extremely compassionate to parents in my experience.
Good luck!
I don't know about ECI, but I would have her hearing evaluated by a pediatric audiologist. In older kids that do more than check for hearing. They check auditory processing (understanding and verbal memory). Not sure how they would do an 18 month old, but I'm sure they have some techniques. For example, They used a computer to measure brain activity in response to sound when my son was in the NICU.
That would be step 1. Then if hearing is fine, read with your daughter. Name things she points to. Limit TV to 30 minutes. Play music-classical and upbeat. You could do Kindermusik.
If hearing is fine, I would also do the ECI eval with the speech pathologist or go private if you are concerned about government.
Also, I've used baby signs with my two kids. The verbal comes later, but it's nice to be able to communicate early. Less frustration for both of you.
Heather,
I was very concerned about them recommending that treatment continue in the school system as I did NOT want him "labeled" in the school system at 4 years old, but they were actually wonderful. They made a huge difference in my son's developement, mostly by showing me some tips and tricks that as a first-time-mom, I just didn't know. They were never pushy or judgmental, so I would highly recommend getting them involved now. (And I am also a big non-govt telling me what to do in my own home, so I understand your concern totally!)
I would not put too much emphasis on what YOUR doctor said unless he is keeping up with the latest research in child development (a field growing exponentially) and sees children on a regular basis so he can see the research in action.
My son did sign language and did not use words even at 2.5 years. I spoke to my mother (mom of 4 and professional school psychometrist [I.Q test evaluator]) and to my pediatrician. They were not concerned. But at age 3 I was still worried because his words were pretty jarbled. He was evaluated and I was told that his comprehension was beyond that of a typical 4 year old. So, he was just busy inputting. He didn't qualify for ECI services, but I was told of some things to work on with him and contact their office again if I was worried.
At 3 years, 9 months, he is doing well. We struggle sometimes to understand him, but his big sister translates everything (which is another reason for the delay).
If YOU think your daughter needs help, then pursue it, but don't be led by fear of what your physician said.
Heather, ECI is wonderful. They have professionals (degreed speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) who evaluate any possible abnormalities in a child's development. WHen our boys were born prematurely, we were immediately referred and assigned to ECI. When the boys were about 6 mo they were thoroughly evaluated and place in the follow along program. (they, fortunately, did not qualify for the ready-start program, meaning they had no indication of serious delay). This is a great program because it's all self-evaluation. They will mail you surveys and activities to complete with your child and you send the surveys back. They are scored, and someone will contact you if the scores are dificient in any area. You will receive newsletters and ideas in the mail to help foster development in the area needed. (for you, speech). I had them come back at about 16mo because I was concerned that my little guy wasn't walking yet, but, as anticipated, he started finally at 19mo. The services are no cost to you, so I would take advantage of them, for sure! Good luck! You are welcome to call me if you'd like to ask questions: 940-595-4001