Seeking Advice on Pediatric Speech, Physical & Occupational Therapy

My son, now 3 years old, was diagnosed with expressive language delay (speech) about that age and has been through a battery of tests and assessments. Have you had his ears checked... Dr. Paul Bauer at ENT for Children in North Coppell is a FAB specialist. You may want to check out ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) which is a state run agency with no cost for evaulation and some times no cost for therapy. Although we weren't that pleased with the ECI therapy sessions (twice a month for a toddler is not sufficient for improvement, we are now with a private sector speech pathologist twice a week with continued improvement) we are keeping our ECI account active as a referrel service because they can open doors that the general public cannot easily get in to. ECI was able to get us in to our school district Special Services program, available at 3 years old. I hope this helps... V.

Hi S.,
My son is currently going to Baylor-Our Children's house in Coppell and we are having a very positive experience. My son's therapist is Sarah - and she is very good. I had rec'd referrals that she is the best. And since we live off of Beltine/Macarthur (Riverchase) its super convenient too. Since you are in Coppell as well, you should give them a try.
My son is receiving therapy right now since he is 13 months and not yet walking.
Let me know if you have any further questions. You can reach me directly at ____@____.com
Good luck,
K.

Check with Cook's Children's physician's network. They have an entire system of OC/PT facilities around the metroplex.

I took my daughter to Baylor Our Children's House for an evalution for not walking. They are very nice, but they kept doing evaluations for the fine motor skills and we need gross. I was told she has low muscle tone and they gave me some exercises to do with her. She is now standing on her own with no help but not walking yet. Hopefully she will walk next month but if she isnt walking by 19 months I have to take her back for therapy. If you have other kiddos they suggest that you leave them at home so they don't get in the way of the evaluation. I had to take all of mine cause the babysitter didn't show but the therapist was really understanding about that. everyone is very helpful and if you forgot how to do something you can call and they can help you out. I will be using them if she doesnt walk.
Good Luck!

Hi S., I would check with Early Childhood Intervention first. It will be free or close to free. I think we ended up paying $10 a month, but they will work with you even if you can't afford that. We lived in Coppell for ten years and we started our daughter in Speech Therapy with them when she was 18 months old. They stop working with them when they turn 3 and then she was transferred to the speech therapist at Wilson Elementary. Even with therapy she didn't start babbling or making one syllable noises until after her 2nd birthday but now at 4 1/2 she won't stop talking and she can pronounce all of her words clearly except for S sounds and 'th' so we're very pleased.

At our 18 month pedi appt for our twins I expressed concerns about my son being delayed in speech and a few other developmental areas. He was a preemie with some other residual issues. My pedi was not super concerned about his delays, but he suggested that I contact ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) for a full developmental assessment to better determine if he could use some assistance. It's a state program - there is a fair amt of paper work in the beginning but they come to your home - will do an assessment and then if it is determined your son/daughter would benefit from some type of therapy, they put together a plan and make arrangements for the therapist (or therapists) to come out to your home for sessions. The services are free for the first 6 months and then after that it is done on a sliding scale based on income (I think not to excede more than around 150ish a month which in my mind is a great deal). Anyway - I'd suggest trying this service first. I have had several friends in my twins group that have used ECI services and been pleased. I've been very happy with the case manager and the therapists that have been working with my son. He works with a speech therapist and then on general developmental skills with another therapist on alternating weeks. So basically he sees one therapist or another each week. http://www.mhmrtc.org/ECI/

Beyond that - We have also had experience with Our Children's House at Baylor for something different - and we were also very happy with the therapists there. (My son had torticollis as a baby - which shortening of neck muscle on one side which causes them to favor one side and therefore what often happens is they develop a flat spot on the side of the head they favor.) Any way we did therapy sessions for him once or twice a week at their facility and we had "homework" stretching exercises to do with him at home in between. If you go there I think you will like the people and facility. I just think ECI is a great thing because the therapist comes to your home -and I think the children are more receptive to therapy in their own environment. Less to adjust to. Just a food for thought.

I've also recently bought a DVD called "Baby Babble" which is great. My twins love it - and I think it is a great way for a parent to learn how to work with your child on speech skills. Wished I had purchased it sooner. I've noticed that the therapist who come to work with my son use many of the same techniques and ideas demonstrated in the video. It also includes some baby sign lauguage which we have also been trying to incorporate.

Best luck to you. I can give you more info if you wish - feel free to drop me an email. I'd be happy to talk to you on the phone as well.

G.

S.,

My son went to Our Children's House in Coppell a few times when he was around 10 months old for physical therapy. They were very nice and he pretty much had a great time. They make the evaluations and exercises so interactive and interesting it's almost like playtime for the kids.

Hope you find what you are looking for! C.

Hi S., My daughter had a speech delay and we called ITIP(Infant and Toddler Intervention Program). The website is www.itipnt.org. We live in Denton County, so I don't think this specific program will be the same one to help you, but I'm sure they could give you the correct number for your city.
My daughter only said about 5 words at her 2 year check up and with the twice a week speech therapists she only needed 6 months of therapy. They were so helpful. She is doing great now. We think her older sister was doing all the talking for her, so she never even tried to talk. She doesn't have any mental or physical delays.
We did also have Baylor's Our Children's House see her just for a second opinion, but we decided to use ITIP. ITIP will come out to your house to work with your child or they will go to the child care center your child attends. Let me know if you have any questions, I'll help all I can.
Good luck.

You might check with the Coppell School System. They may not start their special needs program until age 3 or 4; but it would be worth looking into.

Early Childhood Intervention is another group to look into. They offer speech, physical, and occupational therapy. They will do an evaluation; then they send therapists to the home for the child's needs. They even go out to the daycare centers and daycare homes to do therapy and train the providers and parents to help between their visits. They would come to my home child care to work with a little boy I provided care for, who was diagnosed with Autism. They work with children from birth to the age of three. This is provided by the government. They are listed in the phone book or your daycare provider can call them in. ALL providers have access to them. The sooner you start therapy the better.

Good luck and God bless.
http://www.MissBrenda.com

Hi- we have used Baylor Our Children's house in Grapevine, Dallas and Irving. The largest facility is Dallas, but it is very far. We currently go to Irving, because they have other specialists we need too- which are only available in Dallas or Irving. Many of the locations have a waiting list, so you may want to check around. Our experience at every location has been great. If you go to Grapevine, ask for Andrea if your child needs PT- she is WONDERFUL. For speech at that location try Kendra. We didn't like Sara as much- she didn't have as good of a rapor with kids. In Irving Karen is also great with Speech. We haven't used anyone in Irving for PT- so I can't recommend anyone there. Good luck!

Hello! I am a speech language pathologist. I have worked for Plano ISD and Coppell ISD. I have also done contract work for Our Children's House Baylor and currently work privately for myself and with Sensory Integration Center of Coppell. I have a couple of questions for you...first have you called ECI? I do not have their phone number, but you could get it through Coppell ISD. They will come out and evaluate your child for free and if he qualifies they will provide services within your house. Second, do you have insurance that would cover speech services? If you do then Our Children's House or Sensory Intergration of Coppell would be a great thing to take advantage of their services. The last option would be to contract with a speech therapist. They come to your house, would evaluate your son and if he needs services then you and the therapist could work out an arrangement (time served/cost/etc.) If your insurance does not cover therapy this can be very cost effective for parents, as private therapists as described charge less than a private practice. If you need more information or would like to talk with me further please feel free to e-mail me at ____@____.com.

Hi S.,

I can see you have received a wealth of information. As a speech-language pathologist, I often give referrals. If you are seeking another option, you might want to try the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. They perform complete speech and language evaluations. They are located in Dallas, on Inwood Road (near I-35). The phone number is ###-###-####.

Your child is very fortunate to have parents who are are seeking out early intervention. Good luck. If I can answer any other questions, please let me know.

S.

Hi S.,

I am a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in Coppell so I have some knowledge on programs. There are lots of choices out there. Baylor, of course, has a wonderful reputation. Typically, you get two 30 minute sessions a week, based on severity and they take most insurances, with little to no co-pay from the parents (5-15 per visit). Easter Seals I don't know much about, but there are also some in home services that you could try. Therapy 2000 (based out of Dallas) has PT, OT, and SLP's come to your home to treat them in the "natural" environment and also train the parents as well. They also typically do 30-45 minute sessions twice a week and take most insurances. You can check them out at http://www.therapy-2000.com/careers/dallas.html
Then there is ECI (Early Childhood Intervention). They also come to your home and have PTs, SLPs, and OTs. It is through the state and I think payment is minimal or they do insurance. Either way it is often a preferred route and doctors usually provide this info when telling parents that their child might need services. http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/index.shtml

The home service ones are great, because sometimes it can be difficult to load up your child to take them to all the different therapies that are needed. All these companies offer assessment and therapy services.

You can also go the private speech therapy route. Some private speech-language pathologists take insurance and others require parents to pay and to submit the invoice to their insurance themselves. Some have offices and some do in-home therapy and services (that's what I do).

I think since it is your first time getting your child assessed, the best route is ECI or Baylor based on their reputations. I hope this helps! Good Luck with your little one and if you need additional information or advice, feel free to contact me! Thanks!
~A. E., M.A. CCC-SLP

S.,
My son was referred to speech therapy at about 20 months as well. We went through ECI (early childhood intervention) It is run through the state and is free. It has been wonderful. They evaluated him and designed a program to help him. They come to my house every other week and work with him. Now that he will be 3 in Oct, they are transitioning him into the program run by the schoool district. I have been VERY pleased

L.

My daughter has Down Syndrome and we have been working with Our Children's House at Baylor in Grapevine. I also believe there is another Our Children's House up on 635/MacArthur. They will do the full assessment and recommend therapy for speech, physical and fine motor (occupational). They are great. I don't have their contact number handy with me.

If your son is only 20 months you need to contact ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) Your pediatrician should be able to give you the contact # for your area. It is a free service for the first 6 months if you allow tham to bill your insurance (even if the insurance denies coverage). After that it is based on your income and is VERY reasonable. We paid $75 a month for ST and OT and my husband has a very good salary. The amount is the same for any amount of services. The therapists are wonderful! We went to Easter Seals before ECI. When your child reaches the age of 3, if he still needs speech etc they will help you to get free services through your ISD and will attend all the meetings with you to be sure your child gets what he needs. ECI has been a godsend to us.

Good Luck!

Hi S.,
I have a nephew who is 41/2 yrs old who has a speech/language delay and was also recommeded to a therapy program, but unfortunately the insurance company will not cover----they stated that he is too young to comprehende instructions..so he has to wait until 6 yrs of age..
You might want to check out your insurance company first before going through the whole process of a therapy progam..just a thought..

Sumitra