EARLY INTERVENTION
Early Intervention supports services and resources for eligible children that enhance daily opportunities for learning provided in natural learning settings. Our focus is to facilitate developmental milestone achievement for children between the ages of birth to six years old.
ELIGIBILITY
Children from birth to age five who have special needs due to developmental delays and disabilities are eligible to receive Early Intervention services. The process to receive early intervention services typically start with a referral from you child's doctor to the state agency BabyNet. Once a referral is received, a representative from BabyNet contacts your family to schedule an initial visit/evaluation. At this evaluation, if your child is found eligible for services, you are provided with a list of agencies in which you are able to select your child's early intervention provider.
PLANNING
Planning begins with a phone call from one of our Early Interventionists/Service Coordinators. These individuals will serve as a liaison for services needed for your child. Services for your child are outlined in your child's IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), a document created at the time of our initial visits. The IFSP is created using assessment tools provided by our team. Outside therapy reports can also be used to develop the IFSP.
Once the IFSP is developed, and Early Interventionist/Service Coordinator meets with your family to finalize the document and initiate services. Services from the Early Interventionist could include Family Training and/or Service Coordination. Services are provided within the child's natural learning environment and are embedded in typical routines and activities, within the family, community and/or early care and education settings. This approach provides frequent, meaningful practice and skill-building opportunities.
Supports and services are designed to meet the developmental needs of children with a disability, as well as the needs of the family related to enhancing the child's development in one or more of the following areas:
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Physical development, including vision and hearing
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Cognitive development
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Communication development
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Social or emotional development
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Adaptive development
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BEST PRACTICES
The best way for your child to benefit from our planning is by using events occurring in your child’s home or school as the foundation for family training sessions. In short, we attempt to integrate family training into the child’s everyday life to make the experience more “real.” By having your child quickly make connections between what is learned during therapy and what is happening in the immediate environment, our goal is to make your child’s new skills a permanent part of his or her daily life.
In addition to providing family training therapy sessions, we constantly offer support and guidance to parents, the child’s teacher and classroom curriculum (if desired) and any of the child’s caregivers to ensure the child’s therapy goals are being incorporated on a daily basis. This concept of “whole child” development, thoroughly involving key people in the child’s life, is an essential part of our service model.
Lastly, to further reinforce all of the skills your child acquires during family training sessions, the EI/SC will give your child “fun work”, which is brief yet comprehensive work to complete along with you. Our goal is to help children establish skills and to involve parents in the process.
CONTINUED PLANNING
After 6 months of family training/service coordination sessions (depending on your child’s age and needs), we provide a follow-up assessments to measure the child’s progress. As with the initial assessments, our EI/SC informs parents of the results and recommends the next course of action, which may include decreasing the frequency or duration of sessions, ending the sessions, or increasing sessions. Again, because every child is unique, each reevaluation factors in the child’s age, needs, abilities, and parental concerns.
RESOURCES
How much do you know about your child's development? Click the button to find out more about your child's developmental milestones.