If you could afford private EI therapy's (ST, PT and OT) for your baby and lived in a city with an excellent hospital (like Cincinnati, for instance) for those therapy's, would you pay for it yourself?

If yes, why, and if no, why not?

Thanks,

M

you mean pay for it above and beyond EI (added to EI services) or INSTEAD of EI?

I don't know how all states do it, but I will say that I know work for a SLP who also owns her own business and employs about 60 therapists in our area. We also contract out to our first steps program, the schools AND private pay/ins pays. So, you'd get the same therapist and services from us regardless if you went through your EI program or private paid. Unless YOU wanted to pay for more.

A.

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2007 St. Louis Buddy Walk Regan 14 (and a half), Russell 9 (and a half) DS, Autism, Visually Impaired, Reece 7.

I've paid for private PT and a private speech evaluation.

The PT we did privately when we wanted a new approach and Callum was no longer responding to the environment or the PT that were provided through EI and the only alternative offered through EI was home based which we already knew Callum wasn't going to do.

The speech eval I paid for was to get the ball moving on his getting speech through EI, we were told they wouldn't even consider it until he was 2 years old and I wanted it sooner.

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Naomi
Mum to Callum (DS) 3/03 and Kieran 8/04
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I found our PT and SLP privately, did a private assessement, and paid for a few months of them until our next IFSP when EI said they would cover them - one they use quite a lot and another not so much. I went with their usual OT because i liked him the best of the ones i interviewed. I liked being able to pick the therapists for my daughter's team instead of just being given them, which happens in a lot of cases and some people have no choice because they are the only people available.

That being said, once Eliza ages out of EI I am getting prepared for having to supplement privately!

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Liz - Mom to Walker (3/24/02) and Eliza (Ds) (5/6/05)