Getting Early Intervention

Here is a little bit about the early intervention process. If you are in the "People say my kid is behind in ___, and I don't know what to believe" phase, this article is for you!"

If you sometimes wonder if your baby is behind- in speech, in gross motor, in waving/ clapping/ whatever, here is my advice- GET IT CHECKED OUT! And I don't mean just ask the pediatrician if your baby is on track. 

Most doctors are eager to reassure the over-nervous new mother by saying that some babies are late bloomers, and everything is probably fine.

For me, I was ashamed to get Chelsea checked out by early intervention. I thought that if someone had to come to my house and teach me how to play with my baby, that must mean that I had failed as a parent. 

I was a offended and embarrassed, worried that everyone would think I was a dreadful mom because I couldn't even keep my kid on track for basic milestones. I already spent every waking moment with Chelsea. Was I not doing enough? 

SO- where do you go? 

Any pediatrician should be able to refer you to an early intervention office. This is a state run agency that has child developmental specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, feeding specialists, physical therapists, all that jazz! 

All you do is have your pediatrician write up a referral and send it into their office. The EI (early intervention) clinic will contact you to set up an evaluation. 

This is a FREE evaluation they do for your child. Someone will either come to your home or ask that you come to their office, and they will assess your child's abilities through a range of tests, and ask you a bunch of questions. 

Again- you don't pay anything for this evaluation, and they will look at all areas of development- problem solving (yes even for little babies!), speech/ communication, gross motor, fine motor, social, everything! 

If the clinic has had a large number of referrals when you are referred, you may be put on a waitlist. I had this happen with my youngest. They told me that they wouldn't be able to see me for 3-4 months. 

Knowing how crucial early intervention is, I then started calling their office every day to see if there were any cancellations for evaluations, and we were seen that week. The squeaky wheel truly does get the grease!

After they finish the testing, they will write up a report and review it with you. If your child is on track, they will send you on your merry little way, with you now fully reassured that your child is "normal". 

If your child is still struggling in an area, they will set up an individualized family plan for you. This could include a 1:1 therapist working with your child in your home, a group class at their office for ABA, horse therapy once a week, family training so you have some more ideas, all sorts of things!

That little cutie on horseback? Chelsea at 2 years old!

Now, when the plan is set up, they may or may not charge monthly for the services they provide. It will depend on your income. But even when you are charged, it isn't very much. Most families pay between $15-50/ month. 

So if you are worried if you baby is behind, or if you want to approach a friend, I would ask "What is the worst that happens? You will either go in and they say your baby is fine, or they say that an area needs a little extra work, and here are some tools/ resources/ ideas"

Good luck!!!