When children need 'early intervention'
"I think your child could benefit from early intervention."
For parents who hear this from a physician, an educator or child-care provider, the first reaction may be, 'Huh?' I was one such a parent after the birth of my daughter two years ago. While in Beth Israel's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, several physicians and social workers threw the term "early intervention" (EI) at my husband and me, when all I could think about was getting my newborn safely home to her nursery decorated grandly in pink bows and tiaras.
Our assigned team of medical professionals recognized that our precious princess was born with a diagnosis associated with developmental delays and therefore would be in a position to leverage early intervention. We quickly learned that the benefits of EI far outweighed our fear of the unknown.
"Early intervention incorporates services that help maximize the growth and development of babies and toddlers. Parents and professionals who have concerns about a child's development due to a diagnosis, a delay or risk of a developmental delay are often referred to EI," said Ellen Waddill, parent and community liaison for The Professional Center for Child Development (PCCD) in Andover.
What is EI?
Mandated by a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), EI is a systematic program of therapy, exercises and activities designed to address developmental delays. Services are provided by the state to children who qualify. In Massachusetts, EI services are available to eligible children from birth to 3 years of age.
The primary reason intervention programs begin early in the life cycle is that experts agree that the rate of human learning and development is most rapid in the preschool years. While sliding scale payments may be required by EI for some families, there is frequently little or no cost to parents.
Services offered through EI are comprehensive and integrated across six areas of development including social/emotional, self-help, gross motor, fine motor, cognition and expressive and receptive language. Specialists in the areas of physical, speech or occupational therapy work alongside educators, nurses, social workers and nutritionists to combine talents and establish a strategic program of care.
Getting Started
To initiate an EI program, the first step is called a development assessment, during which three specialists visit a child to review those six areas of development, and discern where services may be of most benefit. After establishing eligibility for EI, the team will write an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). In this document, a list of strategies and outcomes are established to maximize the child's potential. Services and the amount of intervention (number of times a week the child will be seen by a particular specialist and for what length of time) are then determined. Therapeutic visits then take place in the family home, a childcare center, in the park, or just about anywhere that would be considered a child's natural environment.
"For example, a family may meet their specialist at the local playground to work on gross motor skills such as climbing or jumping. Or, if a child has a delay in language development, a playgroup may be suggested as group interaction encourages children to express wants and needs," Waddill said.
EI programs also allows parents to learn new skills and techniques which carry over into daily routines-often reinforcing what is done during therapy sessions with EI team members.
What are the Benefits?