Early Intervention

I was not familiar with Early Intervention until it was time to call them for Cole.  I knew his speech was delay but never realized what other areas he was delayed in.  I worried that Cole wouldn't get help with speech because he didn't qualify.  According to EI you need to be delayed 33% in one area or 25% in 2 areas.  I thought Cole was only delayed in speech.  I found out he was delayed in 3 areas at least 25%. I was so upset and felt that this was all my fault.  I still feel that guilt but tend to push it to side because focusing on helping him is more important.  After reading a couple books on speech delay and also autism I realized had I picked up a book I would have learned about EI sooner.  I am glad my pediatric doctor  recommended EI to us.Not only has Noreen and Melissa from EI helped Cole they have been a great support group for me.  They prepare me for all Cole's appointments and just help me realize that no matter what I am doing the best for Cole.  They have become a part of our family.  On the down side of EI they only work with your children until 3 and then they transition them into the school system.  I still have time for that but still worry about it for Cole when his time comes. My advice is that if you have a child who is delayed and you are worried EI is a great help.

Return to Speech

So many people know I gave Cole a spring break from Speech at the hospital and from EI.  Until Cole has been diagnosed I figure he deserves a break.  He enjoyed going to BounceU, shopping, having lunch with mommy and daddy and playing with friends.  I worried that today he would not adapt well to returning to speech but he had no problem.  He actually got upset that the learning toys had to go away because our session was over.  He is not babbling as much as I would like to the speech therapist.  He seems to do more at home then out at speech.  My goal is going to work on that with him and hopefully get back into the swing of our sessions.
I am also waiting to hear from CHOP.  I am really hoping to hear from them before Tuesday but am starting to think I will have to call them.  My hope is to make sure Cole is receiving the proper therapy before I actually graduate from school.  I want to know that when I start work that Cole is getting the help that is needed to get him to speak,respond to his name and interact with other children.
I don't know who reads this blog but i know that it at least gives me an outlet to express what Cole is doing and how I feel.  I hope that one day this blog helps someone else to.

4/26/11

Cole has had a week and half off from all sessions.  He seems to be trying to say ma but not there yet.  We went through a time where Cole would not take his Omega-3.  I noticed that the babbling had slowed down and we are hoping to be able to start this back up this week and see progress.  I am also waiting on a call From CHOP who will hopefully give us a second opinion.  I also have started doing research on autism.  I am no longer upset about this being a possibility but still wish that I have been over reacting.  I notice myself feeling bad when Cole is around other children who can talk and he can't. I also worry about teaching him sign language when the children he is around don't know sign language.  He tried signing to another child and they had no clue what he was doing.  So I still feel upset and wish that there was something more I could do or wonder why Cole is having this problem.  I wonder what I could have done different and how it might have helped him now.  Thankfully my husband keeps reminding me that things will get better and that we will get Cole to where he needs to be.  So I will continue to pray, research and work on his therapy even if I don't have EI or speech at the hospital.
So if I have anything to offer another mother dealing with a speech delay child it would be to keep your head up.  Things will get better and as frustrated as you are so is your child.  I would also hope that parents will find someone to talk to even if you need to email me. So my hope is to start blogging everyday again and to make sure I write about the progress, test and doctors we visit. Tomorrow starts the beginning of speech again.....

Update

So its been a long time since I actually blogged....I got off track with everything going on.  We had the evaluation at the neurologist and well the news was not what I was hoping for.  It seemed like my word came to a stop and I just couldn't deal with the news.  I walked out of the office and tried not to cry.  My grandma had said that the doctors at the hospital were the best and now they were telling me it could be 3 things.  We are now looking at Autism (which I wasn't upset about just the fact she scared me with the seizures he could have), learning disorder that is showing now but we would affect him more when in school, or a problem with his brain.   The doctor gave me scripts for all these different test and told me she would see me in 3 months. All I could think of was I didn't know what was worse the test to see what the problem was or the actually diagnoses I would have to deal with.  So after taking the day of processing it I decide it was best to actually have a second opinion done.  So I am now waiting on CHOP to call me to make this appointment.  This seems to be the hardest thing n the word waiting and seeing what may happen.  I also gave Cole the week off to relax from Speech therapy at the hospital and EI this week.  I figured he works hard and needs a break from all this and I need time to process what we were going to have to deal with next.  I look at Cole and then look at kids around Cole's age and wonder what he would be saying if he was talking.  I guess that's why its best to take one day at a time.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful child and so proud of how strong he is to be able to handle everything he does..

Tomorrow is hopefully the last evaluation

I sat in class today wonder what tomorrows appointment will bring us.  On one side I would love to know if Cole has a speech disorder but on the other I just hope that I am overreacting to this speech delay.  I am preparing for the doctor to say he needs to see Cole again before he will diagnose him. This would leave me with no answers and hoping that what Cole is doing now is enough.  I have so many feelings going through me and I can only imagine how Cole feels.  He has seen and Audiologist, ENT, his pediatric doctor, Speech therapist and evaluated by EI. Now he will see a neurologist and maybe a ped neurodevelopmental doctor if the neurologist feels he needs to.  I pray that tomorrow comes answers and a new goal plan for Cole.  I am not a big fan of the speech therapist we have outside of EI and I am hoping to hopefully get our speech therapist through EI in here at least one extra day a month.  So until tomorrows post and hopefully some answers........

Preparing for neurologist

We spent last week working with the speech therapist and having an mini evaluation done trough EI.  I want to have everything together when we go to the neurologist.  The upside to all this week is that I actually got to see on paper the improvement Cole has made with EI. So something to think about: When preparing for multiply doctors have a binder together.  I made up different tabs that have all of his evaluations, all his EI notes and any information I have like supplements.  Having all his information in one spot helps when going to Cole's different appointments.  I am hoping out of this evaluation to get either a diagnoses or a unofficial diagnoses.  I want to make sure he is receiving the best that he can with his therapy.  I also plan to plead Cole's case to his speech therapist through EI to try and get her in more then once a month.  I am sure that if Cole has made the milestones that he needs that we will get them in more.  As far as his new speech therapist I am out on a verdict with her.  I am going to give her a little more time. So I hope that this next week we will have come a full circle and have answers to why Cole is struggling to talk. 

New Speech Therapist

Today Cole saw his new Speech pathologist.  He is scheduled to go to her twice a wee for a half hour each time.  She didn't really push him today.  She is doing close to the same things that Noreen and Melissa are doing with him.  She did try to do a new activity but Cole wanted nothing to do with it.  She had a paper blender with some paper fruit.  She wanted Cole to say MMMM and Velcro fruit to the blender.  She also did bubbles with Cole.  I wish she would have waited until Cole would make the b sound before blowing the bubbles but like I said hopefully it was because she was getting to know him.  This Friday I will actually be able to see what progress Cole has made in the eyes of EI. Next week we have one more appointment with the neurologist and hopefully we will have come a full circle.  Until tomorrow

Evaluation Day

I don't know if anyone has had to bring their toddler to a hearing test but they are normally not fun.  Cole saw an audiologist and well it always ended up with crying.  This time we had a hearing test done at his ENT and let me say how amazing it was.  It was like night and day with the test.  She was able to get accurate reading and put to rest the fluid that we were told Cole had in his ear.  There is no fluid but a little bite of negative pressure from him being a little congested from allergies.  He was inconsistent in the booth, so they want him to return in 6months.  If you don't know what the booth is what its called with speakers.  They normally will make a sound at different levels and hopefully your child turns their head the was the sound came.  They also have some kind of visual reward with a movable stuffed animal.  Cole sat great in the highchair they put him in.  He unfortunately didn't want to turn his head all the time.  So thy figure in 6 months he will be better to sit through the test.  They did assure me that its not his hearing keeping him from speech.  If any one has to bring their toddler for a hearing test i would recommend Coastal ENT office in Neptune NJ. 

Our next appointment today was for speech.  This didn't go as well as I would like it to have gone.  I addressed my concerns for apraxia and of course was told he does have a lot of signs.  The therapist explained that's he needed more sessions with Cole and while they are this age she doesn't like to label them.  That they need the labels more when they go to school.  So she set Cole up to see her 2 times a week.  So now my poor son has EI here 4 times a week and then 2 days a week he will go to get speech at the hospital.  I did express my concern for a label for the fact that I don't think Cole should have to have 6 therapy sessions a week.  So we will do this a month and reevaluate it again.  I was really hoping to hear that I was just worrying too much and that my son was a late talker.  So I guess now I need to regroup and process what will be happening now.  
I hope that any mother out there with a child that is not speaking get the help they need.  That they know to fight for what they believe is right for their child. 
On a side note Cole started his Omega-3.  I plan to journal how things change with this.  I know that the omega-3 helps support brain function.  Lets hope this helps Cole.

Pre-Evaluation Day

So I skipped blogging yesterday since Cole had me blowing bubbles for over and hour straight.  With his new b sound comes the need for bubbles to be blown since that is what he is trying to say. I love that he has a new sound and hope that this continues.  He can also mouth the word bubble just no sound with it. He is working so hard. 

So tomorrow we see the ENT and the Speech Therapist.  I am excited for the day to come but also nervous.  I feel like I have been waiting for this day to come forever.  I also am worried that if that don't diagnose him that we will be doing the we need to see him back.  I would like this to come to a full circle and have some answers tomorrow. I know that no matter what happens that I am doing the best that I can right now and will continue to do what i need to until Cole is talking. 
So until tomorrow......

A new month

April is here and with warm weather coming, so will advancements with Cole.  Today he was able to mouth bubbles but not get the sound out.  It makes me so happy that he was able to do this but sad that no sound came with it.  He tries so hard on something that comes so natural to most children.  I know that I am not the only mother that feels this way but at times I feel that I am the only mother.  Cole also showed Noreen (from EI) that he can now sign peg with little assistance.  We plan to continue with sign language and also trying to get Cole to speek.  We also worked on his mouth muscles.  We used sour candy spray on the battery operarated toothbrush.  I didn't know if he would like the spray but he really enjoyed it.  I plan to try to do this 3 times a day.  Hopefully this will help. I also plan to research more ideas to use with Cole. If anyone has a suggestion I would  love to hear it.
Tuesday we will start Omega-3 since studies show that it helps children with speech delay.  My Aunt was so nice to send us that and a new multivitamin.  After cafefully looking into different suppliments my husband and I decide that this would be our first suppliment to try.  I also plan to speak to his doctors on anything else he should be taking. 
2 days left until his evaluations.