I've been meaning to post that I made a few phone calls last week and got put on a waiting list for one place (http://www.spot4kids.com/). They're expecting to call me in September or October :sad3: to make an appointment for Jack for an OT evaluation for his suspected SID. They said they have FOUR kids ahead of me on the list.

Then I called another place (http://rainbow-center.net/) and they are supposed to be sending me a packet of paperwork to fill out and then I'm supposed to get an order from our doctor (Jack's 3-year well visit is on 8/15) for him to get an OT eval for SID through them.

So hopefully I can get an eval for Jack before he's supposed to start Preschool on 9/11.

Jane (TwinMom) also gave me the name of a place near her that I'll check out if these other 2 resources don't pan out. (Her place is less conveniently located than these 2.)

Prior to making the phone calls, I was feeling really ALONE in my suspicion about Jack having some degree of SID because DH was in denial. Well, last week Jack had one of his classic "meltdowns" for DH that are far more than a "normal tantrum" and DH called me to tell me that he finally agreed that there had to be something else going on with Jack other than normal "testing the boundaries", etc., Preschooler stuff. I mean his worst tantrums get almost "seizure-like". It's really scary and exhausting and confusing for all of us.

I also got an older edition (1998) of "The Out-of-Sync Child" at the library (as recommended by Robynne here) and the more I read to DH about Jack's "textbook" SID symptoms, the less he was able to continue being in denial. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I went through the same thing with him when I suspected and suggested that Jack had a speech delay. And "mother's intuition" was right THAT time...so I'm SURE I'm not too off base this time, either...

I hope you can get him in, Aim! What about calling Early Intervention? They got Ava an eval w/in 2 weeks, that was before she started feeding therapy, and they did the same for OT. You don't need a prescription from the doc, either. Any concerned parent can call, but if your ped has "referred" you, it's sometimes easier to sneak in a spot. Not sure how it is there, but at 3, EI (it's actually Early Steps here) kids are integrated into the public school preschool system and they receive their therapies while they're at school as well. Jack could get speech and OT if needed.

Something to think about!!!

I hope you can get him in, Aim! What about calling Early Intervention? They got Ava an eval w/in 2 weeks, that was before she started feeding therapy, and they did the same for OT. You don't need a prescription from the doc, either. Any concerned parent can call, but if your ped has "referred" you, it's sometimes easier to sneak in a spot. Not sure how it is there, but at 3, EI (it's actually Early Steps here) kids are integrated into the public school preschool system and they receive their therapies while they're at school as well. Jack could get speech and OT if needed.

Something to think about!!!


Since Jack is already 3 your states early intervention program will probably refer you directly to your local school district for therapy services- if, that is, the state agency that handles the preschool 3-5 programs in your area (most of the time it is the school system). However, the federal law that mandates services has different parts for early intervention (part C) and preschool/school age services (part b). Part C services are based on medical needs in which a child with a medical condition including developmental delay (determined by usually a 25% delay in one or more five different domains). Part B services are based on educational needs and a child needs to fit in one of the various handicapping conditions and sometimes having sensory issues alone does not qualify a student.

Make sure you check out the price for the services offered at the places you checked out as medical insurance does not often pay for sensory integration therapy (unfortunately not enough research has been done in the area for insurance companies to recognize it as a medical condition and over 3 years of age developmental needs are deemed to be the responsibility of the school system by insurance) and places that offer sensory intergration therapy can be quite pricey!

It's frightening isn't it, you want to find help anyplace you can...I hope you can find the support you need:hug:

Aimee - Since he is going to be 3 in such a short time, call your local school district. The school's out here in Will County do have "special" preschools for those in need of services. I believe they are either full or half day for 4 or 5 days a week. They provide them with OT, ST, PT....it might be worth checking out since there would be no charge for the services.

I didn't think of his age with the initial post, but one of the previous posts brought it to my attention. I've already talked to the principal of the lower grade school out by me (she's a church member) and she said that Jason would be accepted since EI would be "testing him" at discharge age and make the referral.

Pam & Jane...all I want at this point is an EVAL to see if I'm crazy or if there is actually a problem. THEN I'll contact the school district, if necessary. I'm not going through Early Intervention because he was evaluated by both a DT and an ST through EI and worked with the ST for 8 months before "graduating" from Speech Therapy just prior to aging out at 3. But neither the DT or ST ever recommended OT for him.

And Pam, the places I called accept DH's insurance which is a PPO, so at least some percentage of the service charges should hopefully be covered. And if all I end up getting is an Eval, and I have to pay for it out-of-pocket, so be it.

Thanks for the feedback, though. I'm going to print this off and keep it in Jack's "file".

I don't know if you are aware, but if the eval and such are done with EI he would have a much greater chance and would be more likely to qualify for the public school preschool. That is how the principal explained things to me.

Sometimes the other therapists thru EI don't "look" for things unless you mention a concern. I've been fortunate with the ones I have for the twins as they are aware of their birth history and actually do look for things ...

How was his temperment with the therapists? Did they ever see his meltdowns? Most children if they are SI don't care who they are with to have the meltdowns. If he only is doing it with you and dh, it could be a behavioral issue because of all the attention that Michael needed due to his medical issues.

I only mentioned this because I see what the costs of these evals and therapist are thru the billing statements I receive thru EI...they are expensive and private insurance usually does not cover "developmental" issues only if they are medical. Sensory is not usually considered medical with the insurance companies. DH makes a real pretty penny as an engineer/project manager, but I would not be willing to pay out for these therapies at the cost.....which is why I am very glad and thankful that the twins will still be receiving public aid after the adoption.

Just my 2 cents....for what its worth

Keep in mind as well that even though the places accept your insurance does not mean your insurance will cover the services.

Thanks again for all your input, Jane & Pam! I'm sorry I missed your responses until now!

I'm well aware that insurance may very well NOT pay for the evaluation, but I'm willing to pay a few hundred $ out of pocket if necessary to get a definitive eval of his "issues" once an for all so that we'll know how to proceed appropriately. (Whether it is SI or "behavioral".) I'm also just hoping to get some suggestions on how DH and I can interact with (and preempt) Jack more effectively. That's our biggest frustration with him (and ourselves) right now. We feel like failures as parents when we can't prevent his meltdowns and then have a hard time helping him come out of them.

The ST saw some of his outbursts, but I don't recall her seeing one of his full on "meltdowns". The DT witnessed his overstimulation withdrawal and shutdown until DH and I removed him and let him "feel safe" again by sitting on DH's lap while the DT continued her evaluation. Actually, now that I think about it, during his FIRST eval with the DT and an ST (not the ST that ended up providing his therapy), OT was mentioned as a possibility because of his significant issues with "transition". But it was mutually decided (by them and us) that we'd see how the speech therapy went in regards to his speech development and behavior overall. And then if it was still felt that he might need OT, we'd cross that bridge then. So maybe I should contact EI with our concerns...

And we got the information on the School District Preschool because of Jack getting his speech therapy through EI, but he didn't qualify because his speech delay was so minor, and even if he is "diagnosed" with some degree of SI, I don't believe it will be severe enough for him to qualify for what the School District calls their "At Risk" Preschool Program.

Aimee, does Jack drink a lot of milk? Just wondering because Michael is MSPI

I noticed with Jason when he ate eggs that he was a tornado....constantly irritable and melting down. Now that he's been of eggs for one week, he is much better behaved, meltdowns are barely there.

Just another thing to think about, I know, but if something can be "fixed" by their intolerance of a food...

Aimee, does Jack drink a lot of milk? Just wondering because Michael is MSPI

I noticed with Jason when he ate eggs that he was a tornado....constantly irritable and melting down. Now that he's been of eggs for one week, he is much better behaved, meltdowns are barely there.

Just another thing to think about, I know, but if something can be "fixed" by their intolerance of a food...

Jane, I've been lamenting that about ALL Jack WILL drink is milk! So we lowered his intake significantly a few weeks ago hoping that it would increase his appetite and make him more inclined to drink water and/or juice. But, unfortunately, it hasn't really seemed to have that effect. And it hasn't really helped his chronic constipation, either, which I know is also caused by his goofy dietary habits. (And of course the constipation is also causing complications with potty training.) I'm very concerned that when I take him for his 3-year well visit on the 15th, our doctor is going to be displeased with the amount of weight that Jack has gained (or hasn't gained) over the last year, because his eating and drinking is so "spotty".

But I HAVE considered that his diet (or lack thereof since he is such a picky and unpredictable eater) may contribute to some of his behavioral problems. In fact, I had a long PM exchange with Kimber about it since she's had to do so much dietary trial & error and modification for her son Zach. But again, a lot of questions are asked about dietary habits on the "checklists" for SID, so I was fully expecting to have that conversation during the eval.

And Michael is NOT MSPI. We thought he might have been when he couldn't tolerate milk-based formula, but he did okay on soy formula ...except for horrendous constipation...and is now tolerating dairy products with no problems.

Thanks again for taking the time to continue responding to me! I really appreciate all your insight!