Clark finally had his 1st appointment with Speech Therapy since his BMT. This was more of an evaluation, instead of helping Clark out. They need to see how well he is doing, if he needs help, and what the best methods to help him might be.
We learned from this evaluation, that Clark’s cognitive skills are above average! He understands what we say to him, and can follow directions. We already knew this, but its always nice to hear it from a professional. :)
As for his speech… he is behind, but very interested in learning. He can say the first part of words, or has special sounds for words. For example, when he says “sit down” it sounds exactly like “sit down”, but when he says “milk”, it sounds like “emm”.
As it turns out, UCSF’s Speech Therapy only helps temporarily. They do not do long term therapy. So now I need to find a local speech therapist that is covered by insurance. This is turning out to be a difficult task. I have already called a few local offices, and they either have a very long wait list, or don’t accept health insurance. And since each session will cost approximately $120, and Clark has been recommended to go twice per week…. that doesn’t sound like an option. I am not done looking though! I will be making more calls this week. :)
On a positive note, there is a Regional Center that is government funded. They do Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy, as well as other programs. Clark is currently in the process of being evaluated. This may take a couple months before he is approved for help. If he is approved, Clark will have a speech therapist until he is 3, and I believe it is free of charge. This would be a huge help for him!