Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide system that provides coordinated early intervention services to parents of eligible children under the age of three with developmental delays or disabilities. You can discuss concerns with your primary care physician or refer yourself. Call 1-800-755-4769 or refer online.
Dennis Myers, our Director of Early Childhood Services, can also discuss concerns and options with you.
Families enrolled in EI have access to a core team of professionals to assist them with the development of their child. The team consists of Service Coordinators, Developmental Specialists, an Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapists, and a Physical Therapist.
Our local team is here to support you.
Families who qualify for EI services will choose a Primary Service Provider (PSP) from the core team that will act as their primary contact for all of their developmental services. The whole team meets on a weekly basis to discuss the individual needs of the families and to support one another by sharing their individual expertise. Every family has access to the full team because their PSP can ask for support from any of the team members during the team meetings.
All of our services are provided in a natural environment. A natural environment can be in the home or any other community setting the family chooses. The PSP will assist the family in developing strategies to assist with their child’s development using everyday activities and routines. The therapy services families receive through Early Intervention look different from those the family may receive in a hospital setting, but are just as effective.
Early Intervention therapy focuses on teaching the parents and caregivers methods of how to enhance their child’s development, rather than the therapist simply working with the child. By teaching the parent or caregiver methods on how to enhance their child’s development the child has the opportunity to practice their skills several times throughout the day or week, rather than only doing therapy for 30-60 minutes per week with a therapist. In addition, skills are practiced during everyday routines the family already have established, which allows the child to practice in the context of real life rather than in a hospital or medical center therapy room.
The frequency of services is dependent upon the support needed by the family to reach their outcomes. This differs with each family and can change depending upon the outcomes the family decides upon. Some families may feel comfortable following through with the strategies provided to them and only may require their PSP to check on them two times per month or less, while others may want more frequent visits to ensure they are implementing the strategies correctly.