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I thought I would go over our Early Intervention Steps & Timeline. All states have an Early intervention program where every child birth-3 can get evaluated and if needed receive appropriate services & resources. Some states programs work more swiftly than others. Some states offer all services for free and some work on a sliding scale. Your Pediatrician or local school system should be able to put you in touch with Early Intevention services.
April 06- I placed a call to our Help Me Grow/EI Program shortly after getting over jet lag. Livi is 16 months old and is evaluated. She scores fine, slightly low in language but not low enough to warrant a referral for EI and she is not eligible for any further evaluation. I share my concerns over her chewing issues. I’m given some playgroup resources. I never hear from this service coordinator again. I’m baffled that Livi does not qualify for further evaluation and services. I just shrugged this off as the way things worked in this county. ( I was a service coordinator for another county in my state)
Dec 06
I call Help Me Grow again… at this point I’m having concerns with Livi’s sensory issues and speech. While she was talking well, I was concerned that I was the only one who could understand her. HMG seemed to be puzzled why the first service coordinator never touched base with me after our april visit or why she never created an IFSP. It seems as if we fell through the cracks or someone dropped the ball. I’m assigned a new Service coordinator who is on the ball… Livi is evaluated and although she scores within range on the ASQ test, her eating issues and sensory issues and general background warrant further evaluation.
Jan 07
Livi is evaluated for speech, fine motor, gross motor, and cognitive and is referred for Occupational Therapy for sensory and fine motor issues. We officially get on the waiting list for center based services at a well known school close to our home. I am told that center based is the way to go due to all the resources at the school’s disposal. I do have the choice for at home services but not both.
Feb 07
We wait. I learn about a respite program and I learn that we qualify for this and fill out the paperwork to receive center based respite.
March 07
We finally get the call and meet with the EI coordinator to discuss the schedule and options. I have a choice between one on one therapy that meets twice a month or a Mini-toddler group session that meets twice a week. I picked the later because of the opportunities for socialization and frequency of classes. Its decided that this will best suit Livi’s needs. We officially started classes in Mid March. I filled out a language and sensory profile. I will tell you all more about the sensory profile in tomorrow’s post.
