We need early intervention... but I know nothing about it

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Forum -> Children's Health

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GAMZu

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:01 pm

My baby is very behind in... almost everything and amongst a dizzying list of specialists, I was told to contact early intervention. Whom do I call? What is it? How does it work? I need to call ASAP. Does anyone have a number?

mimsy7420

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:02 pm

where do you live?

bluesclues

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:04 pm

call strive rite 718 531 1800 theyll come to your house to evaluate

allgood

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:06 pm

I'll second that recommendation. There are many other agencies that provide EI services such as Yeled V'yalda, Step by Step, and Challenge, but I will definately recommend Strivright.

Reality

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:12 pm

B/f you get all panicky, who told you that your baby is very behind? Your baby's doctor? or well-meaning friends & neighbors? There is a large time-table for baby to reach milestones.

It isn't as easy to get EI services like it used to be. It is best if your baby's Dr. recommends it first. My baby's Dr. also warned me that once you are rejected from the board of ed. it is harder to get services later on even if your child needs it then. So the first thing that I would do is contact the Dr.

Good Luck!!

Twizzlers

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:14 pm

I recommend Yeled V'yalda. You can call my service coordinator, Heather at 718-686-2349, tell her I recommended you. She'll ask you your concerns and will explain everything and all the processes. I have only good things to say about my experiences with this organization.

flowerpower

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:15 pm

When you get approved and they appoint therapists then make sure they know what they are doing because some are very good and some are not so experienced. Good luck!

Last edited by flowerpower on Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

Twizzlers

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:17 pm

Reality wrote:

It isn't as easy to get EI services like it used to be. It is best if your baby's Dr. recommends it first. My baby's Dr. also warned me that once you are rejected from the board of ed. it is harder to get services later on even if your child needs it then. So the first thing that I would do is contact the Dr.

Good Luck!!

There is not much a doctor can do to insure that you receive services. What your acceptance is contingent upon is how much of a delay your child has. This is calculated by an evaluator who comes to your home, interacts with your child a bit and asks you some questions. Ultimately, if she does not rate significantly behind according to the states schedule, she will not be eligible for services no matter what your doctor says.

gold21

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:28 pm

jumpstart early intervention center has a good name. its a subsidiary of Womens League by the way.

MinnieMa

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:34 pm

STEp BY Step was great. I used them for my two kids. 718-633-6666. Mindy Pessin is a great service coordinator if you can ask for her. WHen they give you therapists, make sure you ask around to see if they are good therapists. Hatzlacha. PM me if you have any questions

ShakleeMom

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 8:47 pm

with babies it goes fast, 2 week turnaround sometimes. With older kids, it's about 6 months from when you call until you start therapy. what doesn't she do? mine is 9 months and only sits if I sit her and doesn't roll over, crawl, or attempt to crawl. she also doesn't grab a toy if you hand it to her... we got approved for services.

GAMZu

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 9:21 pm

Reality wrote:

My doctor told me.
Shaklee, mine is a month older than yours, and all she does is sit if placed in that position. She doesn't attempt to get a toy that's out of her reach, but will take it excitedly if you hand it to her. She claps if I do the clapping rhyme with her and guide her hands. When she's on her belly, she does not try to lift it off the floor. Only her head and chest.

In any case, she was also referred to a geneticist, neurologist and urologist.

ra_mom

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 9:30 pm

Hatzlacha GAMZu!
We used Challenge for Early Intervention, and they were great B"H.
Advocate for your child. Advocate, advocate, advocate!

amother

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 9:45 pm

I highly recommend step by step. Mindy Pessin is a great service coordinator. Always calls back, very on top of everything, will advocate for you. Her number is 633-6666 x111.

twerpz

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 9:48 pm

I "third" Step By Step. They are wonderful to deal with, Susan Nadell was my sc 633-6666 105. Their therapists are tops. Ask for fran shanker to do the developmental evaluation. YOu can pm me for more info. I know someone who works there and she can help you get good therapists possibly.

Stayci

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 10:07 pm

GAMZu wrote:

Reality wrote:

Was the referral to the above mentioned specialists given only on the basis of the delays you mentioned? It seems that it's only a minor issue, maybe something like low muscle tone or just simple delays. I wonder why they were so concerned as to have you check it out.

Good luck. I used HASC to get Physical Therapy for my daughter. I was very happy with them since she wasn't quite eligible for services (at first glance) but I strongly pushed for it and they guided me on how to be able to get it. And no, they do not service kids with severe disabilities only.

gold21

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 10:27 pm

ra-mom, what does "advocate" mean? my neighbor is always telling me to advocate for my son regarding EI. in terms of what does a mother advocate? a child is usually approved if he needs to be, and recieves therapy as needed-or maybe not, maybe BH just happened that way with me? should I push for more than twice a week PT? I think twice a week is fine. I guess a mom can advocate regarding getting rid of a bad therapist and finding a good one: is this what ppl mean by "advocate"?

Twizzlers

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 10:46 pm

gold21 wrote:

advocate means to push as much as you can to benefit your child. yes a child will be approved if he has a specific percentage delay. But most times, evaluations are not accurate. How can they be when the evaluator comes in as a perfect stranger and expects your child to perform as normal? You have to describe to the government official at your meeting exactly what your concerns are, why you feel he needs services, and how you'd like him to improve.

True story: An evaluator put some cheerios on the floor next to my 18 month old along with a cup and told him to put the cheerios into the cup. He promptly ate all the cheerios (a kid after my own heart, lol) In a split second he was approved for special education services because of "lack of ability to follow directions" Rolling Eyes

Moral of the story is, an evaluation can be to your benefit or not. But the government official DOES listen to what the mother has to say and if you feel he needs it, you must push for it.

ra_mom

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 10:47 pm

gold21 wrote:

My daughter had a lot of issues that weren't so apparant in a 20 minute evaluation. If I didn't expres to the evaluator what my concerns were, and what was going on when the evaluator wasn't there, she wouldn't have gotten the full picture.
Also, she has sensory issues - which are usually not reason alone for a child to be approved for therapy. Only if the sensory issues are effecting the child's day to day life, etc.
My service coordinator coached me and I learned how to be my child's best advocate B"H. First the nutritionist approved her for nutritional services due to her low weight. She then informed me that because my daughter was eligable for 1 therapy, she wouldn't need to score as low on other evaluations in order to be approved. That was my way in to getting my daugher OT services, which she desperately needed for her sensory issues. You have to understand that the sensory issues were effecting her eating and sleeping (she was doing neither.) The OT evaluator had no idea that EI was recommending nutritional therapy already. Once I told her, she was able to recommend OT services based on dd's scores.
By advocating, I just mean that the parent should be on top of everything and try to make sure the child gets what she needs.

GAMZu

Thu, Aug 13 2009, 10:51 pm

Stayci wrote:

GAMZu wrote:

Reality wrote:

The doctor referred me to specialists based on other factors.
Puffy eyes + ear deformities = possible kidney issues (urologist)
Small head + fontanel closed 4 months early + physical and mental delays = neurologist
All the factors together = geneticist

Whew, that's a lot of running around in my future.

Thank you all for the informative replies!

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