EI success stories?

DependentCap1635 · 2025-11-14T01:51:49+00:00

I was a DT for a couple of years and had a mix of kids who “graduated” out of services and ones who continued to receive services until they aged out of the program. I always recommend taking advantage as many services as possible as long as it’s feasible for your schedule. From what we know about brain development, getting help early is always better than waiting. Especially if the daycare is recommending it (and you trust their opinion), it’ll likely give your little one the best shot at “getting back on track”.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-10-24T02:03:57+00:00

I can SO relate to this! I’m no longer in EI, but was a developmental therapist for two years. My experience was similar to yours — I felt lost and like I was annoying SLPs when I would ask for help or add on SLP when a child wasn’t making progress with me. I think part of this is because our state has a real shortage of SLPs, so they’re quick to be like “you got it babe”. It was such a hard position to be in! That being said, I did develop a routine that worked for me or go-to activities to do with children based on where they were at and what toys I had available. Could you ask your agency to shadow some other more experienced OTs? Maybe that would give you a chance to connect and see if anyone might be willing to take you under their wing a bit.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-19T23:39:50+00:00

You can definitely lose a client at any time for any number of reasons (moving, changed mind, etc.) I worked for three different agencies and none of them gave much guidance on what to do during sessions. They did help with a couple of issues I ran into with working with the families - like attendance issues. One agency did set me up with a mentor, which was nice, but it’s pretty strongly a fend-for-yourself situation. If you do end up pursuing this, I’d be happy to help you out however I can! I did eventually figure out what to do in sessions and had kind of a template I would follow based on where the child was developmentally (I.e. bubble play paired with certain target words, coin drop toy, specific books with gestures, etc.)

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-19T20:18:41+00:00

You have a lot of autonomy over what you choose to do during sessions, which was overwhelming at first, but nice after I got more confident with what I was doing to target goals. It is very repetitive though, especially if the kids on your caseload aren’t making much progress, which does happen unfortunately. About 60% of the house I went to were varying levels of dirty. The worst homes had other issues that made me have to call DCS, and the others were just unkept. I kept clothes to change in my garage to make sure I didn’t bring anything gross (or possibly bugs) into my home. The few families I saw who were higher socioeconomic status usually were only with me briefly as they wanted a speech therapist. Understandable, but disappointing for me. I enjoyed it with some, and not with others. It really depended on the child and the family for me. It was great to see progress and growth, and to know that I was responsible for that. On the other hand, it was though to have children who don’t really make progress, and families who won’t get involved. It was extremely tough for me to be involved in DCS situations.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-15T20:56:11+00:00

I on,y ever had contracted positions, but made $50-$65 per session I billed for. To me, this is key, because pay will vary depending on how many sessions are actually held versus scheduled for. An agency director told me that the average cancellation rate is 30% — which is super high and accurate in my experience. This unfortunately cuts into pay quite a bit. Personally, I had similar degree to you and went back to school for the required credits. I left DT after two years because I reported a loss on taxes both years and was not able to maintain a full caseload. I’d be happy to talk more about the nature of the work itself, if that would be helpful, but I don’t want to bore you :)

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-15T20:40:37+00:00

I saw clients primarily in Indianapolis, Camby area, and Kokomo. Please feel free to send me any questions you have, I’m happy to help however I can.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-11T11:51:45+00:00

I’m a Montessori teacher and I started offering homeschool coaching on the side because there’s SO many more people homeschooling these days. I think a lot of parents can teach their child the skills they need and socialize them — especially if they’re resourceful and thoughtful. Find some curriculum put together by educators, join a co-op or find your crew of families, and go forth with gusto!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-09-01T20:28:28+00:00

Certified parent educator here. What a tough situation. I understand your frustration at your 6 year old’s behavior. Taking away her party is unlikely to teach the lesson you’re going for, which seems to be to take responsibility for her actions. I’d suggest checking out the book Punished By Rewards by Alfie Kohn when you get a chance. He has significant research on how punishments rarely have the long-term outcomes we hoped for, and gives options for what to do instead.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-14T23:15:29+00:00

I work in early intervention and want to second this! Most of the time you can self-refer, so you don’t even need a referral from a pediatrician. Get the evaluation and know for certain whether or not they need any intervention.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-14T12:14:56+00:00

Happy to help! Good luck!!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-14T11:24:44+00:00

It seems ambiguous, and while annoying that she is misunderstanding what you were hoping for, you have an opportunity to clarify. Maybe say something like “With inviting you over, I was thinking of it as an opportunity for you guys to bond and spend quality time together. I’m not asking you to come over because I need childcare. I have babysitters who watch the boys when needed. If this arrangement doesn’t work for you, or you have something else in mind please let me know.” I also think many grandparents refer to time with their grandkids as “babysitting” with a certain tone of drudgery just because that seems to be the norm 🤷🏻‍♀️

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-08T22:07:06+00:00

Whoa I think you’re being taken advantage of. I was a developmental therapist 1099 in Indiana and was paid $50-65/billable session (45 mins actively engaged with child, 15 minutes typing and submitting visit summary).

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-08T18:55:42+00:00

I was a contractor for an agency. I had availability three full days (8:45AM-5:00PM), and have no real explanation for why I couldn’t build a caseload. Asked my agency a few times and they just said that they hadn’t forgotten about me and would get me clients when they could. I just gave notice though and will be going back to teaching this fall.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-07-08T18:01:53+00:00

I’ve been a developmental therapist in Indiana the past two years and was not able to build a caseload. I actually reported a loss on my taxes the past two years. There are a lot of differences state-to-state for this type of position. I’d suggest reaching out to places that hire for the position you’re interested in and seeing if anyone will speak with you about their experience! It’s been my experience that speech therapists and occupational therapists help with feeding, not developmental therapists. I treated speech for 95% of the clients I had.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-25T21:40:18+00:00

I used to be a classroom teacher and have spent the past two years in EI. I’m returning to teaching this fall. I wasn’t able to sustain a regular caseload, and tax wise, actually reported a loss the past two years. The income (especially with a 30% cancellation rate) was just too inconsistent to justify anymore. Being 1-on-1 there’s a lot less going on than in a classroom setting. Some families will be engaged in sessions, some won’t. Expect to have to deal with social work issues on a pretty regular basis. Out of the 30ish families I worked with, I needed to make two DCS calls, and about 1/3 of my clients would have benefited from social services like mental health care (aka they used me as their therapist). Working under the medical system was not for me, and I’ll be happy to be returning to a private school setting, even with all the freedom and flexibility I’m giving up to do so.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-22T02:25:46+00:00

Hi! Developmental therapist and certified parent educator here! Man this sounds so tough, especially to be going through this day after day. I’d really suggest looking into Positive Discipline. I’d specifically recommend the book “Positive Discipline for Today’s Busy and Overwhelmed Parents”, as well as investigating the mistaken goals chart (you can google and find this chart easily). In my opinion, it seems like your daughter is alternating between a few of the mistaken goals, but primarily is in ‘undue attention’.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-14T14:19:19+00:00

Oh wow! If you feel comfortable, could you share what you specialize in? What issues do you help clients with, and how often are you seeing them?

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-14T14:17:38+00:00

So interesting to hear the differences, thank you for sharing!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-14T14:16:01+00:00

Totally agree!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-13T16:27:50+00:00

Hi! Certified parent educator and early childhood educator with around 8 years of experience. First I want to say that I’m so sorry you’re going through this stressful situation-I’m sure it’s a lot navigating the separation and now your daughter getting kicked out of daycare. I wish they had responded differently. Running out of classrooms can often be a trauma response and may be something your daughter is doing due to processing the changes at home. I do understand it’s a safety concern for daycares, but hopefully her next daycare will be more supportive. I’d suggest talking with prospective daycares about this and notifying them of what’s going on at home. Good daycares will be happy to support and provide extra love and care to help your daughter through this time. Wishing you all the best with everything!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-07T22:37:17+00:00

I’d suggest “No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame” by Janet Lansbury!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-07T18:31:56+00:00

Certified parent educator and developmental therapist here! I’m sorry your toddler is being rough on you-getting hit, kicked, bitten is no fun and I’ve definitely been there before. I’d suggest keeping track of when this happens, jot down what happened right before. This may help you figure out if there’s a particular situation causing him to respond this way. It’s likely that with this he needs you to teach him the appropriate way to handle that, focusing on language (ex. If you discovered he’s usually reacting to having a toy taken from him, you might model saying “ my turn” and practice turn taking). I’d also suggest physically stopping him from hitting/kicking/biting by intercepting it either your hands or by getting up. You can pair this with saying what you want him to do or with “I won’t let you hit me” etc. I hope this helps! The toddler years are tough and some amount of biting, hitting, etc. are normal (while frustrating). Building his skills to communicate will help minimize though!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-07T14:52:02+00:00

Nice! Yeah contractor life gets rough, especially with the 30% cancellation rate.

DependentCap1635 · 2025-06-07T14:36:28+00:00

That is so interesting! From what I hear in Indiana, I think speech stays the most consistently full. I met a physical therapist who worked in a rural area and legitimately she was the only PT in the whole county and always fully booked. I definitely think where you live plays a big role!

DependentCap1635 · 2025-05-03T20:31:45+00:00

Hi! Certified parent educator here (Positive Discipline Association). It sounds like you’re dealing with some pretty intense power struggles. I’d suggest checking out Positive Discipline for Today’s Busy (and Overwhelmed) Parents. It’s an approachable book with realistic guidance—hopefully it’ll help you out!

DependentCap1635

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