https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 03 May 2026 17:08:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045326 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 11:59:55 +0000 MrsMccarthy 2045326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Go through EI! It will save you money. My husband and his twin sister didn't start speaking till after two years old. Could just be a late bloomer. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045317 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 11:56:54 +0000 looch 2045317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>EI can also help to get you continued services via the public school systems, so there is a benefit to going through that channel.</p> <p>BUT not all speech therapists are created equal. Don't assume that you will get the same level of treatment from a privately paid therapist to one in EI or vice versa. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045182 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 10:43:58 +0000 brownie 2045182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At two, we had to go private SLP because he needed two qualifying issues for ei. He only was behind in speech and his speech wasn't bad enough. At 2 it is word count and he said words just incorrectly. I loved the private programs personally. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045177 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 10:43:01 +0000 Mama Bird 2045177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, EI is kind of slow but it's basically the same speech therapy once you do get it. It may be faster if you're currently in the program - we left after B finished PT at one, and by two realized that he's barely talking and we should have another eval. We had to start from scratch, so by the time therapy started at 25 months, the kid had a verbal explosion on his own and started talking in little sentences :grin: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045157 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 10:32:06 +0000 Mammabare 2045157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mommyslp Thanks so much for the info. I will definitely follow up. @spanielove I was thinking sort of along those lines as well. I figured the private SLP would get to us faster than EI, and we LO number 2 will be here soon. Was hoping to get things underway before baby comes! Thanks so much everyone for all of your input! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045137 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 10:20:22 +0000 MommySLP 2045137@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mammabare: I saw you're in NYC, so I looked up the SLPs in your area that are certificated through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). Hope it helps.<br /> <a href="http://www.asha.org/proserv/srchresults.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.asha.org/proserv/srchresults.asp</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045130 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 10:14:57 +0000 MommySLP 2045130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mammabare: it really depends on where you live, but EI where I am is free for eval and services. That said, if he does qualify, sometimes (depending on your state/county) services aren't very frequent. I would still do EI, but I would also look into a private speech therapist. Your insurance may cover some or all of it. Usually the process is faster. If you want to look for a qualified speech therapist, look at <a href="http://www.asha.org" rel="nofollow">http://www.asha.org</a>. There is a place on there that you can look up qualified SLPs in your area. This is prime time for hopefully gaining some good progress. Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions about the eval/early therapy progress---I work with primarily new diagnosed/assessed 3 yr olds. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2045075 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:53:44 +0000 spaniellove 2045075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You could always pursue both if you have the time and energy, because an evaluation through EI doesn't obligate you to anything and it's free. Sometimes the therapy services are free, and you can choose to supplement with private speech therapy which would most likely be less often and you'd be paying through insurance with a copay. We do EI for LO's hearing loss and he will eventually receive speech therapy through EI but he also sees the speech therapist at a hospital on the side every few months. It's kind of like a supplement. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2044972 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:05:07 +0000 pinkb 2044972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I could be wrong but I think the only difference is EI is sometimes provided for free through the state until age 3, I would say it is more like "public" healthcare. And going to a speech therapist is seeking out private care you pay out of pocket for. Not sure if that is 100% correct. It can take awhile to get an eval with EI but it just depends on your area, it only took us 2 weeks. My LO receives EI for speech and a licensed speech therapist comes to us every week. Her receptive skills are above average for her age but at 2 we had maybe 4 words and 8 signs. She has been in EI for over 6 months and it has helped a lot! At age 3 if she has not caught up to where she should be we will have to continue and pay for it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2044963 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:01:15 +0000 Mammabare 2044963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok that's good to know. Thanks! What sorts of things should I expect? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2044935 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 08:49:02 +0000 stargal 2044935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son receives ei services for apeech, they will do an evaluation to see of he will qualify. My son kist turned twp and his receptive language was great.but.he wasnt talking much at all and he qualified. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/early-intervention-vs-speech-therapy#post-2044924 Thu, 29 Jan 2015 08:41:45 +0000 Mammabare 2044924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So my son is 2 and is not talking yet. Our pediatrician suggested we get an EI evaluation. But I'm wondering if we should just go to a speech therapist and have them do the evaluation that way they can continue with the services needed. His receptive language is fine which made the pediatrician unsure of whether or not he would even qualify for EI services. This is why I was considering going straight to a speech therapist. Anyone deal with this sort of issue? </p>