Re: Help dealing with Birth to 3

[Guest guest]

What state are you in? maybe theres someone who can help with the specifics of

your situation. Even in NY, B-3 or EI, is about teaching the family and giving

lots of homework for the days when the SLP didnt come. My dd is 9yo now and

during EI she had 2x week of Speech, this was before her Apraxia dx. Do you have

any diagnosis from a medical doctor? Ped Neuro or Dev Ped? Thats one way that

can be used to secure more speech services without driving all over creation!

Kids are supposed to transition from B-3 into the school district. Having

services from b-3 will not hurt, but help! The school often wants to do their

own evaluations and not be biased by reports from B-3 therapists. But they

usually dont want to know what you were getting from b-3 until their own evals

are done.

Maureen

>

> is nearly 28 months old (on Sunday). We contacted Birth to 3 around

> 18m because he had no words and very limited sounds and had not not started

> babbling, jargon, he was essentially silent most of the time (other than

> crying or laughing). Our county has moved to a model of parent education

> for speech, rather than direct therapy. They said he qualifies for services

> and that it would be 1x a MONTH in home. After 6 months of this, he made

> some progress, he did start babbling in that time. He also has a

> significant sign vocabulary and a huge hunger to communicate. Our insurance

> (United Healthcare HSA) specifically excludes speech therapy except in case

> of recovery from an injury or birth defect. In January, I called the

> semi-local university (50 minutes away) and got on the waiting list for

> their graduate school clinic because they provide therapy at a greatly

> reduced rate because it is a teaching clinic. They called in early February

> and he has been going twice a week for about 2 months and the change is

> HUGE. He is making tremendous progress, but still has a very very long way

> to go. His sounds are still limited, but he is learning to use the ones he

> has and is even saying a few words spontaneously. I have seen the proof of

> the value of direct therapy for him and will continue it, but it is very

> difficult to drive nearly an hour each way plus therapy time, while

> homeschooling his sisters and occupy them while I am in therapy with him.

> Does anyone have any suggestions for getting Birth to Three to provide the

> services he really needs, instead of the once a month parent education that

> is helpful, but just not nearly enough? Are they required to provide

> specific services under any circumstances, if so, what are they? They are

> actually telling us that we should choose one or the other B-3 or outside

> therapy because of potential insurance conflict or conflict of approaches.

> Also, if we accept 1x/month with B-3 will that put us in a bad position to

> request more from the school district when he turns 3 in December?

>

> Thanks so much for any advice!

> Ann

> www.BooksKidsRead.com

> Bring Katya Home fundraiser ends April 1!

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