EI evaluation

DD is 18 months and has only 2-3 words (hi, and very rarely mama & dada) but her receptive language is excellent and she has hit every other milestone in the right time frame.

I mentioned it to the ped at her well visit today and she gave me the number to call to get EI. The Dr asked if she is frustrated when communicating and she absolutely is- she will scream and throw tantrums if we don't understand what she is pointing to or trying to get through to us (but i thought this was a normal toddler behavior).

I'm hesitant to get her evaluated bc i know she's still young and will develop at her own rate but I do not want to do a diservice to her by not getting her evaluated, I mean the worst that can happen is she doesn't qualify for services.

Looking to see if anyone has been in a similar situation and if you has DC evaluated that young. Also, what does the eval entail?

Re: EI evaluation

We had DD evaluated at 15 months for the exact same reason. Her receptive language is phenomenal, but her expressive language is terribly limited. She didn't qualify. We are having her evaluated again at 18 months (next month). The way we see it, speech tx can only help, not hinder her development.

Re: EI evaluation

It's always better to get the eval because if she does qualify, the earlier services start, the better. As you said, the worst that can happen is that she doesn't qualify and then you know.

When my son had his original eval for speech, the therapist came to the house and did some pretty basic games with him. She engaged him in certain activities (bubble blowing, stacking blocks etc) and somehow was able to determine his language from that. I'm sure someone else here will be able to explain it much better than I am, but basically he to be in a certain percentile to qualify for services (he as 15 months at the time and his language development was said to be between 0-3 months old).

They were in my house for about an hour. DS had other issues asides from speech that needed to be addressed, but they let me know within a week what he qualified for.

If your DD does qualify, the agency will set up a meeting with you to discuss what services they are offering and how many times a week they are willing to give. For speech, my DS is 2x a week for 45 minutes. In 6 months, they'll evaluate again and determine if she would need to continue, or if she needs more sessions/less sessions or to stay the same. The therapist will come to you.

Good luck with everything

EI evaluation

Thanks for the info. My gut is telling me to just do the eval so I think ill call tomorrow

I know the state covers the evaluation but if she qualifies for services, does the insurance usually cover that?

EI evaluation

They will ask for your insurance card, you do not have to give it to them if you don't want. That being said, they will bill out to the insurance and if the insurance covers the services or a portion, great. If not, they go completely through the state. You will not have to pay anything.

Re: EI evaluation

Call for the eval, it will ease your concerns with either outcome.

There is no downside ... only good can come of it.

If she qualifies she will get the help she needs. Services are completely free to you and provided in your home or daycare. No out of pocket expenses, no copays.

If she doesn't qualify, you will be comforted to know that she doesn't need help.

The third potential outcome is that she is "not delayed enough to qualify" and then depending on how she does, you have the option of seeking Speech Therapy through a private SLP which may be covered by your insurance (only OOP expense should be copays).

Good luck!

EI evaluation

Its just speech...........why so hesitant on an evaluation??

Re: EI evaluation

I agree- just get the evaluation. I had my DD evaluated at 11 mo for what thought was a motor skill delay. Turns out she was fine in motor skills but had a language delay. They gave her speech at 15 mo and she improved so much. She still has receptive, but her expressive and cognitive has gone up dramatically.

Re: EI evaluation

My DS has been through the evaluation process many times and currently receives services.

It's all up to you, but I would not be so concerned yet at 18 months. I think the most important part is her receptive language is great and you see no other concerns. My son speech wasn't great at 18 months either but more importantly his receptive language was not good among other things. It doesn't hurt to get them evaluated. When my DS was 2, they came right to my house.
I wouldn't be so concerened until 2, if it's just speech.
My middle son had a few words at 18 months but I didn't get concerned at all since is knew he was okay. I didn't see the same concerns that I had with my older son. I waited till two and he had a word explosion. Right before the word explosion, he was getting so frustrated when we didn't understand what he wanted. But he was able to point and take our hands to bring us to what he wanted. These are the things my oldest did not do.

Message edited 7/15/2014 10:52:34 PM.

EI evaluation

There's absolutely no harm in getting an evaluation. If you are at all concerned, request the eval, it will either put your mind at ease or provide your DD with the services she needs to improve.

I had my DD evaluated at 5mo for torticollis and although her torticollis was too minor to qualify for services, she qualified for gross motor delays and received PT 2x a week for an entire year. It helped tremendously! I almost didn't call because my Dr. told me she wouldn't qualify for torticollis, but I figured getting an eval couldn't hurt and in the end, I'm so glad I did.