Virtual Speech Evaluation - What to Expect

[Anonymous]

My DS has a virtual speech evaluation on a few weeks. I completely understand why it needs to be virtual, but I’m wondering what to expect? And honestly how to make sure my kid stays engaged for that long?

[Anonymous]

How old is your DS?

[Anonymous]

Depending on the age of your child, it may be more for you as a parent than for your child per se. You should know how many words s/he says (if appropriate) etc. You will need to answer a lot of questions about the child's communication. Again, all age-dependent.

[Anonymous]

How old is your child? Is this the county intervention service or private? A lot of private providers are doing in-person now.

[Anonymous]

When we did assessment of our then 17 month old through Infants and Toddlers in Montgomery County they encouraged us to send them videos of her communication and babbling. The assessment was mostly them asking us questions and sometimes asking us to try to get her to do something. At no point were they expecting her to engage directly with the video.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. Through the county and he’s almost 17 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. Through the county and he’s almost 17 months.

They will send you instructions on how to prepare for the visit. You’ll need to have most of the requested toys and objects available and an area set up for the evaluation. Then they just walk you through the steps. It’s okay if your child gets distracted. I just had to follow mine around with the phone.

[Anonymous]

fyi - i found it helpful to have the zoom open on a computer and a phone so that we could speak to the computer and we could follow around with the phone and angle it with more ease

[Anonymous]

I did a virtual SLP visit but for feeding issues in a newborn. It was very helpful to have videos ready to screen share of him eating. Maybe record a few examples of things you notice or typical behavior just in case you can’t demonstrate live.

[Anonymous]

I would have videos ready, as others has suggested.
Prepare to articulate what your concerns are very specifically. I went through this process with my son and found myself getting flustered and not really knowing what to say (and I am not usually like that). This can be hard/emotional.

Also, for a kid that little, if you are deeply concerned and have the resources, I would gently suggest looking into private speech therapy that is in person. I have a ton of recommendations if you happen to be in VA - I am in Alexandria and have my kid in speech three days a week - he is making huge progress. I did not find the virtual services to be that beneficial for him (though great for parent teaching). Insurance covers a lot of this.

If you want to take some action immediately, I would get the book "It takes two to talk" and start implementing some strategies with your son.

Best of luck!!!!