Seeking Someone with Info About Children That Do Not Talk...

I would suggest starting with the pediatrician. And ask for hearing test, but also ask for testing for Autism. My son has a very mild autism and can talk, but I have a friend who has a son with autism that only says a few words and he is 6yr.

ECI is a good place to start. I have gone with them twice now first my son because he had a speech delay due to retaining fluid in his ears I was first referred by his pediatrician on his 18month check up. They did an evaluation and then directed me to ECI absolutely loved it. My daughter just turned 2 and her pediatrician also referred me to ECI. My daughter speaks but she does not combine 2-3word sentences everything is said to me in one word and her pediatrician said it would be a good idea to get her evaluated as well. She just had her evaluation and will start speech classes mid March here at out house. ECI is a great program...but I am surprised that his pediatrician did not bring this to her attention.

Try to get into contact with ECI in your community. They will help with children and test them untill they are three.(after 3 you would have to contact the public school system) They can offer speech therapy or if they think the problem is more serious they will let you know. I contacted them with my step son and he is now in speech therapy. good luck I know how frustrating this kind of cercumstance can be.

I would start with the baby's pediatrician; he/she should be able to recommend tests or refer to a specialist from there.

Early Childhood Intervention... I just did this with my daughter that turns 2 tomorrow. It is excellent. I have typed it up several times on here, if you would like to click on my name and look through there I have commented when others have asked this question...

Feel free to message me if you want more of my personal experience with it.

Good luck!

My nephew was'nt talking by the age of 3 but his parents were in denial that something was wrong. They finalyy took him to some wpecialist and he was diagonsed with autism. But they did'nt take hi until he ws around 5 yrs old. I know that the sooner you get help the better the outcome is. I would suggest your friend ask their pediatrician for a referral to a specialist.
I hope everything goes well

Hi D.! I have a non-verbal child and everyone's responses re: ECI and speech therapy are great! However, I would like to add that it is very IMPT that your friend get her grandbaby's hearing and ears checked out by an ENT. The ENT needs to: perform a Tympanogram to see if there is fluid buildup blocking sound, check for ear infections, determine if tubes need to be inserted, and perform an ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) - the hearing test needed for a non-verbal child, as in your friend's case.

Due to the time limitations and the age of your friend's grandchild, I would DEFINITELY contact ECI and get him registered now! But, please don't wait to contact an ENT either. Hearing and speaking go hand in hand and EARLY INTERVENTION IS CRITICAL in my opinion. Please feel free to contact me at ____@____.com.

I don't know where you are located but most states have something called Early Childhood Intervention. If you can't find their info, you can call your local Childrens (or Family) protective services and get the info from them. They service children until they are 3, then the local school district services them. LMK if you need more info. If you are in or near Galveston I may be able to help with who to call.

when he points at something just keep asking him is this what you want. tell him the name of what he is pointing at. You can see an ears,nose,and throught specialist they can test his hearing and everything.

there is a program called ECI they will come and give him an assesment and see if he requires speech therapy. The price is extremely minimal. I have used them twice for my children and my son did require speech therapy and they went to my home and provided him with the help he needed. You can find their number in the phonebook ECI (early childhood intervention). They may also require him to repeat what he is asking for before they give in to him. Hope this helps.

call home spun or ECI for the county you live in the will evaluate him and provide free services until he is 3 so act fast. after he turns 3 there is a program with the school district for preschoolers with delays. my 12 year old did the same thing and now she will not shut up. we put her through the home spun program and they helped tremedously. good luck

Both of my children were with ECI-early childhood Intervention, the oldest for speech and the youngest (still with them) for occupational therapy and now for speech. They help with many many things. They will come out to your house and do an evaluation of your child in what you feel he/she should be doing and isnt or isnt doing it well. After they do the evaluation they will let you know if he/she qualifies for their program, the eval. takes atleast 2 hrs. sometimes longer, so dont plan anything, also your child only has to be 1 month behind to qualify for speech. After qualifing you will write out a goal plan with them, for instince if my son/daughter says 5 words consistantly on his own for one week, i would feel he is making progress, after you write out the goal plan with them you will set up the visits how often and when, and they will be at your house (although i have meet her a few times at the library). Im not sure where you are located but, I live in three rivers, so my sons therapist comes from the portland and beeville office. I can give you the phone number to that office and the should be able to give you the number to your local office if it isnt it and i can also give you their web site. The toll free number is 1-888-819-5312, the ECI State Care Line is 1-800-250-2255. The website is www.eci.state.tx.us I would also talk to the pedi and request to see a ENT to get his hearing checked (just to rule anything out). Also, they only work with children until they are 3 yrs old., so i would start now, because when they reach 3 they will start to help you get started in either another program or with the local school district for further help, if he needs is. I hope this helps you, if you have any more questions please dont hesitate to ask, i will try to answer them. Ohhh, and you dont have to get a referal from the pedi to get help with the speech, you can do everything on your own if you wish to, but it is better to let the pedi know what is going on, and get his/her help and advice, but in the end (if he/she doesnt agree with you) you can do it anyway. Sorry if i misspelled anything not great at that. Good Luck, i love the ladies that come out here, they are always so nice, and very helpful with other things also not just that!!