Just wanted to give you an update on my son's "speech issues".... It turns out he doesn't have any and he's "ineligible" for their program. HA!
A few weeks ago, a service coordinator from ECI came to the house for an initial meeting. It was basically a lot of paperwork and some "getting to know you". This past Thursday, she returned for the follow-up assessment and brought along a speech therapist.
The assessment process was interesting. They sat on my living room floor with a huge duffel bag filled with an assortment of toys and puzzles. Unpacking them one by one, they observed how my son played with each item. They would ask him to do things like "put the red peg in red hole", organize a set of rings from largest to smallest, and stack blocks (even though it was clearly more fun to knock them down, or at least, my son thought so...), then they would scribble a bunch of notes....
A few weeks ago, a service coordinator from ECI came to the house for an initial meeting. It was basically a lot of paperwork and some "getting to know you". This past Thursday, she returned for the follow-up assessment and brought along a speech therapist.
The assessment process was interesting. They sat on my living room floor with a huge duffel bag filled with an assortment of toys and puzzles. Unpacking them one by one, they observed how my son played with each item. They would ask him to do things like "put the red peg in red hole", organize a set of rings from largest to smallest, and stack blocks (even though it was clearly more fun to knock them down, or at least, my son thought so...), then they would scribble a bunch of notes....
They observed and evaluated my son on several key developmental levels- physical, social, self-help/independence, etc.
And, GUESS WHAT?!
He scored well ABOVE his age on all categories except for "communication", in which he's ON target. Meaning he communicates (including signs, speech, and nonverbal) just fine for his age and he currently doesn't need speech therapy... but people have been telling me that all along, so no surprise there.
The whole visit took 45 minutes and ended with them issuing of an actual "notice of ineligibility". They left us with a few pointers on things we could do to help him advance further, but short of refusing to feed him until he tells me what he exactly wants to eat, his speech will have to blossom on its own.
(....um, and yes, refusing to feed her daughter until she says the words for exactly what she wants to eat is how my sister-in-law is getting my niece, who is a month younger than my son, to start talking. No comment.)
As soon as they left our house, I shot an e-mail about the visit to all of my mommy friends. Everyone was very supportive with their "I told you so".
When I arrived for playgroup the next day, the moms expressed their joy and relief. While that was sweet of them, it wasn't so much for our behalf, but theirs. Our referral had put the worry in all of their minds...
All of our kids seem to be doing just fine, but what if they really aren't on track?
Well, they are. I mean, we all know that our boys are smart. There's just great vindication is being told exactly how SMART my boy really is... hehe!
Overall, this has been a good experience, but I'm glad it's past us for now. I guess we all are.
6 comments:
that is a lovely rejection! glad that is all over and in a few months you will be saying "this kid never shuts up..."
I'm so glad that you have some peace of mind now! :)
Good for you!
Fantastic news! Bet you've never been so happy to be rejected! And if I only fed my daughter things she could say she'd eat cookies and juice at every meal ;)
That sounds like a relief... good news.
My son did have a speech problem. He was 16 months behind for his age at 3 1/2 He started with a wonderful speech therapist and by Kindergarten he was totally on target and will graduate from high school next year. He's still not the most talkative kid I know, but he can talk you head off a times.
It's great you didn't need it, but for those moms that do, I say go for it! It was the best decision we ever made. My son loved the sessions, where he learned to talk and to read at the same time. He was ready for Kindergarten and has excelled in school. Don't hesitate to get help if your child needs it. You won't regret it. Don't worry about why your child isn't talking on schedule, just know that lots of kids don't and the therapy is very effective.
If I hadn't fed my son until he had asked for it, he would have starved. What a stupid idea.
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