Early Internvention (EI) program. Both Ellies therapists are fantastic & they come every 3 weeks. This session usually lasts 45mins - 1 hour. Its quite a intense session, to see where Ellie is at, give me some new exercises to do with Ellie, and then practice these. This gives me the confidence to do the exercises at home, which I do, most days.
However... lately I have been thinking... Is this enough? Can I do more with Ellie? I have been thinking about doing private therapy sessions on the weeks where the EI therapists dont come to our house.
Last night I went to a information night about 'What is Early Intervention' 'Why is EI important' 'What therapies form EI'. Leaving this seminar I thought ' Yes' I am going to start doing private therapy with Ellie. Yes I know it comes at a financial cost, but I learnt that the critical time period of learning is 2-5yo, and that the highest rate of learning is from birth - 3yo.
It was also mentioned that best practice indicates that children need approximately 2o hours per week of early intervention.... This shocked me... this is 3 hours a day.
However, on the other side of the fence is the views that, even if I do private therapy with Ellie, this still only forms a small part of her therapy routine. That the most part and the important part is what is done at home.
Yes... I agree with both of these sides... but why do I feel a nagging feeling at the moment that I am not doing enough. That I could be doing more..
Maybe this is because Ellie is 2 in a few months, and I thought she would be doing more now.
Maybe its because that with special needs kids the devleopment takes alot longer, and that I find hard.
Right now I am in the frame of mind, "What do we have to loose"
Love to hear some other thoughts from Mums
I asked and still do...the same questions.
ReplyDeleteI have also paid for many private PT/OT/ST for Violet over the years and I feel it definately has contributed to how far she has come to date.
I also know the the private therapists we have had are so much more passionate about what they do which was a pleasant surprise for us!
To help out with the cost initially we used the enhanced primary care plan thru our GP to reduce the fees for a few visits which helped alot.
Definitely go for more-- especially if your insurance will help cover costs for private therapy. My older daughter was not referred to EI til she was 15 months old, and although I had her in EI right away, if I had known then what I know now, I would have taken her for private therapy in those early years, as well. Kaylee receives a lot of therpay already at 4 months old from EI-- speech 1/wk, PT 2x/wk and Developmental Therapy 1/wk. However, I am considering adding private services, as well...I guess I am just a strong believer in the idea that you cannot have too much therapy.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to look into is hippotherapy (therapy provided on horseback). I swear that it is a magical therapy that brings about amazing results in trunk strength and control. If Ellie can wear a helmet, she would love it. I plan on starting Kaylee as soon as they will let me.
Good luck with whatever you decide! xo
I always ask the question...should I be doing more. The answer, of course, is always yes. BUT I think we also need time to let our kids be kids...it can't be therapy ALL the time.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would go for the private therapy as well. You're right..it's a critical period. You don't want to kick yourself years later and think "what if I'd done the private?" Do it. Forget the cost...the benefit can greatly outweigh.
And I agree with what the previous poster said to you...horse therapy is awesome! My daughter, now almost age 4, has been doing it since she was 18 months old. It has helped her tremendously.
Oh, I wish I had that figured out as well... it's always hard to figure out the right balance. When I'm in doubt... I tend to increase my snuggle time with Caleb-- makes me feel better every time :)
ReplyDeleteI say go for it. Tanner has 3 therapists that each come once a week for an hour. OT is Monday, PT Tuesday, and a speech teacher on Fridays. His pediatrician always tells me to get additional therapy and I want to.....I'm jsut trying to figure out where to fit it in our schedule. Especially with the our other 2 boys.
ReplyDeleteIm so glad you met up with Anna and another mommy. Was that the first time you guys met?? Getting together with our nearby WHS friends is one of my favorite things to do!!! I feel so at home. Good luck with your decision sweetie.
I will also say go for it with more therapy. EI is critical for our kids development. However, as parents, we know our child the best. If you feel completely confident in doing all the exercises daily that are given to you by the therapists, maybe you don't need more. One of the main points of EI is to teach the parents what to do when the therapist is not there. Obviously we can't do PT, OT, and ST 5 days a week so the parents make up the rest of the time working with the child. If you don't feel like you are getting enough info on what to do to help Ellie, then definitely go for more. Just my opinion as an OT!
ReplyDeleteJess, so sorry for my DELAYED response... I had actually met Anna and Ryley before... but not Liv and Elliott... I LOVED meeting them both. I am hoping we can do it more often
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