by Heide » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:00 pm
Hi Heather,
I understand your frustration and hope that things work out for you as they seem to have for us. Our little one was not speaking either at 18 mo.; she also is very bright and perhaps a bit stubborn (ok, she hits once and a when things don't go her way). Looking back, she seemed to get what she wanted just pointing but I was starting to panic, especially when I watched the other children in her daycare class.
Last August (at about 19 mo.) she started speech therapy through the birth to three program, once every two weeks). While I know that helped, there were a few other things that we did "at home" that I believe have helped us (or maybe even just gave me something to do to make me feel a little more proactive). We took a "Kindermusik" sign and sing class that we took for six weeks last Fall ( the animal signs when we listened to noises interested her and I think watching peers doing signs encouraged her). I also made four photo books (just the cheap 1.99 case ones with digital pictures of her sister making signs and then the word it meant below) - we kept one at home, one for her daycare teachers and one each for the grandparents. Using her sister in the pictures was a way to motivate her and the grandparents to look at the book; it definitely helped her sister and I to learn the signs too:). Also, if you have an HMO, you may wish to check the coverage that applies, with our little one's BLCP situation, she is "entitled" to four covered speech therapy sessions and four "feeding" sessions (she still is behind in eating), so I try to see our HMO's therapist about every 6 weeks.
At about 21 months, she finally started using signs and almost instantly started using words. Now, at 27 months, she has come further than I dreamed; she uses four word sentences and I can generally understand her.
I wish I could give you some suggestions about appealing the county's denial of treatment besides going up the chain of command but, thankfully, we have not had to deal with the situation.
Finally, when our little one was born, we went to the Shriner's hospital in Chicago in pursuit of treatment options. Their teams seem to be "driven" by the speech therapists, perhaps a call to them may provide some resources and/or advice.
All the best,
Heide