Anyone Used ECI???

When we spoke to the ECI they told us that they don't provide services unless the child is at least 4 months behind in development. They will offer services until the child is within 2 months of their targeted development. There is no harm in an evaluation. Even if he doesn't qualify now, he can be evaluated again later if you still don't think he is progressing...but, I think their is a min time gap of like 5 months before they will come out again for another evaluation.

Hope that helps.

We used ECI and liked it. They came to our home and did the evaluation. Then, once they "diagnosed" the problem, they gave us (the parents) work to do each week with our son. Then they come out every week to see how things are going. I would definitely give them a call. :)

Hi S.
I am using ECI for my son who is almost 2. I agree with what everyone else has said. It has been good, my son did not walk until 19 months. I'm not completely sure how much of everything he does can be contributed to ECI but it sure doesn't hurt. And it is nice to have someone else looking at your child, evaluating what is "normal" and giving advice. I would give it a try.

I was happy with them and wish I would have called them earlier.

My twins are almost 3 and have used ECI since age 1 for developmental and speech. It is great b/c it is free or very little cost and they come to your home. They can also help you with a ton of things, even if it is not what you originally got an assessment for. If you aren't comfortable with what they do or if you don't like the therapist they assign you to, you can always ask to change the plan, get re-evaluated, etc. You just have to be an advocate for your child. I love the speech therapist we were assigned and it has done wonders for my children.

I would definitely give it a try b/c it cannot hurt anything. My girls didn't qualify for some services but did for others. I think the hardest thing is just accepting that your child may need a little help (at least it was for me). It did take a little bit of pushing that at first seemed silly, but in retrospect was the best thing for them and now they are caught up and on the right track. Good luck!

I used ECI and was completely happy with them. I don't know if it helped my son or not - he was still 2 when he started pulling up and cruising, and a month or two past that when he started walking - but at least I felt like someone else was looking at the problem. They gave me exercises to do with him, and came to our house once a week (then once every two weeks), to check his progress. They worked with me, and supported me in my 'quest' to find out what was wrong. I was grateful for them, and would use them again in a heartbeat.

S.

definitely use them for the evaluation! depending on what they say and how frequently they can see him i would consider private therapy if you have insurance.. they were seeing my son twice a month.. he now goes to baylor twice a week per therapy.. his case is much more severe though..

definitely hear them out and go from there!

we just had our 18 month old evaluated for not walking yet. ECI does a survery of what your child can and cannot do before they even "qualify" your child. So they will not offer any extra services if they do not see the need. We had our daughter evaluated the first time at around 6 or 7 months, and she did not qualify. This time around, she qualified by a landslide (sigh). So just see what ECI says and then make your decision about whether or not you think the intervention may be necessary.

if he is not sitting unsupported then i would have concerns however i used eci and did not like them at all, this is just my opinion and i have heard others that loved them but our experience was terrible. you could try them and if you don't like them you could get an eval. at private therapy

I would use the advice of the doctor and try ECI. Another good Rehab group is Sante' We have used both. The only downfall with ECI is they can't come out very much, where as Sante' can come out twice a week or more if needed. I would take the advice 9 months and not sitting is a little delayed, they can do so much to help him be able to move better. Good luck