L
lggmoney
Guest
What is the name of your state?NJ
I am looking for some advice regarding my 2 1/2 year old son Michael who is currently receiving speech therapy for Apraxia of speech which is a neurological disability.
The pediatrician failed to acknowledge Michael's speech delay at his 19 month check up and basically said in not so many words that he'd catch up. Their biggest concern at that appointment was the fact that I was refusing the MMR vaccine until I was clear as to what was causing Michael's delay and even threatened that they have the right to ask me to find a different Pediatrician if I don't vaccinate. During the months that followed Michael showed no improvement. In June, Michael was now 26 months old, I stumbled upon some brochures at an audiologists office while having my newborn daughter's hearing tested. I asked the Dr. what Early Intervention was all about and she advised me that the Pediatrician's refer you if they see any developmental delays.
I called the pediatrician and they insisted that Michael been seen immediately at which time they gave me the referral. Michael was evaluated in July and it was determined that he is 33% deficient in his expressive speech. To put it more clearly he was talking at a level of approx. 12 - 15 mos. The good news was that Michael did qualify for the program however, Early Intervention is provided for children 18mos.to 3 years and Michael would only recieve therapy for about 6 months. I wasn't too upset that we were late in getting help for him until his first Therapy appt. when the Therapist informed me in a matter of minutes that Michael has Apraxia of speech. This was something much bigger than a typical speech delay. Children with this disability do not out grow it. I left several messages at the pediatrician's office to discuss this and to find out how I can get a clinical diagnosis for Insurance purposes as his therapy is costing roughly $100.00 per session and also to find out if we should be referred to a Neurologist. Four days went by and still no return phone call. The Therapist along with the Early Intervention Team all questioned why the Pediatrician didn't refer me when I expressed my concerns when Michael was 19 months old. because so much time has been lost during such a cruicial stage of his life. My question to you is do you feel that I could possibly have a case against the pediatrician? I feel that I let down my son by just listening to the "Good Doctor" and fear for what may lie ahead for his future. Therapy can help him but as I stated in this situation Time is of the essence and 10 months of treatment has been lost. I am angry with the pediatrician for missing this and for not even calling me back to discuss his condition. Please help!
I am looking for some advice regarding my 2 1/2 year old son Michael who is currently receiving speech therapy for Apraxia of speech which is a neurological disability.
The pediatrician failed to acknowledge Michael's speech delay at his 19 month check up and basically said in not so many words that he'd catch up. Their biggest concern at that appointment was the fact that I was refusing the MMR vaccine until I was clear as to what was causing Michael's delay and even threatened that they have the right to ask me to find a different Pediatrician if I don't vaccinate. During the months that followed Michael showed no improvement. In June, Michael was now 26 months old, I stumbled upon some brochures at an audiologists office while having my newborn daughter's hearing tested. I asked the Dr. what Early Intervention was all about and she advised me that the Pediatrician's refer you if they see any developmental delays.
I called the pediatrician and they insisted that Michael been seen immediately at which time they gave me the referral. Michael was evaluated in July and it was determined that he is 33% deficient in his expressive speech. To put it more clearly he was talking at a level of approx. 12 - 15 mos. The good news was that Michael did qualify for the program however, Early Intervention is provided for children 18mos.to 3 years and Michael would only recieve therapy for about 6 months. I wasn't too upset that we were late in getting help for him until his first Therapy appt. when the Therapist informed me in a matter of minutes that Michael has Apraxia of speech. This was something much bigger than a typical speech delay. Children with this disability do not out grow it. I left several messages at the pediatrician's office to discuss this and to find out how I can get a clinical diagnosis for Insurance purposes as his therapy is costing roughly $100.00 per session and also to find out if we should be referred to a Neurologist. Four days went by and still no return phone call. The Therapist along with the Early Intervention Team all questioned why the Pediatrician didn't refer me when I expressed my concerns when Michael was 19 months old. because so much time has been lost during such a cruicial stage of his life. My question to you is do you feel that I could possibly have a case against the pediatrician? I feel that I let down my son by just listening to the "Good Doctor" and fear for what may lie ahead for his future. Therapy can help him but as I stated in this situation Time is of the essence and 10 months of treatment has been lost. I am angry with the pediatrician for missing this and for not even calling me back to discuss his condition. Please help!