Early Intervention 101
Now that your child has graduated from the NICU, and is an official #NICUalumni, we wanted to talk to you a little bit about Early Intervention! If your child is age 3 or younger, they could receive services like physical therapy, speech pathology, nursing, and more – all at no cost. Use our Early Intervention guide to find out what EI offers, who's eligible, and how to connect with the program in your state.
What Is Early Intervention?
Early Intervention (EI), sometimes known as Early Steps or Early Start, is a federally mandated program available across all 50 states. This program is available to children from ages 0-3. If you are noticing that your child is not learning, playing, or growing like other children their age, you are entitled to request that your child be evaluated by the Early Intervention (EI) program in your home state.
EI delivers evaluations and multi-disciplinary services to support a child’s ongoing development at no cost to families
Although EI is available in all 50 states, how it’s delivered may look different in your home state
🎙Check out the NICU Alumni Podcast episode about Early Intervention for helpful information.
Why Should I Look Into Early Intervention for My Child?
If you've noticed signs of delays in your child, such as failing to meet the developmental milestones for their age, it can be tempting to "wait and see" if they will catch up on their own. But what you may not know is that interventions like therapy are more effective the earlier they are applied. That's because the circuits in a baby's brain are at their most adaptable for the first three years of their life. The experiences they have during that time can significantly change their developmental path.
That's why Early Intervention exists: to improve outcomes for children with developmental delays and their families. The CDC recommends that parents request a referral to EI as soon as concerns arise, in order for their child to get any services they need as soon as possible.
What Services Does Early Intervention Provide?
Family education and counseling
Home visits and Team Meetings
Therapy like Speech Pathology, Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychological Services, Nursing Services, Nutritional Services, Social Work, Vision Services, and even access to assistive technology devices
Who Is Eligible?
All children ages 0-3 are eligible for an evaluation by an EI agency in their home state. The evaluators will assess whether your child shows signs of developmental delay (cognitive, physical, communication, social, emotional or self-help), and recommend services based on any delays they identify.
How Can My Child Start to Receive Early Intervention Services
Step 1: Open a Referral
To get the evaluation process started open a referral with the EI agency in your home state. The referral can come from a doctor, a teacher, or directly from you. Remember, you are the expert about your child, and the earlier you get started in the process, the better.
Each state has its own EI agency. Use this link to find contact information for the one in your state.
The onboarding process for EI can take a few months, so even if you're hesitant about Early Intervention, we still strongly recommend that you request a referral to have your child evaluated for eligibility so that once it’s completed you can decide on next steps. Remember, EI is completely voluntary and confidential; the results of the evaluations are treated like medical records.
Step 2: Speak with an Initial Service Coordinator
After your referral is received, you will be contacted by an Initial Service Coordinator from your state's EI agency. They will give you an overview of your home state’s program, gather a brief health and development history about your child, and will help arrange for all appropriate evaluations.
Step 3: Your Child's Evaluations
Once scheduled, your child will be evaluated across multiple areas to identify signs of developmental delays and determine what services would be recommended for them, if any. During the evaluation, professionals will observe, play with and talk to your child. The type of evaluations will vary based on your child's suspected delays. For example, if a speech delay is suspected, your child may have a session with a speech language pathologist who will ask them to name toys or objects in photographs.
Step 4: Determining Eligibility
After the evaluation, you will meet with the team of people who assessed your child to review the results and find out whether they recommend services. If your child is determined to be eligible for EI, you and the team will work together to create an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Your IFSP is a written plan that is agreed upon by the family and the coordinators and lays out the goals that the therapist(s) will focus on for your child’s development.
Step 5: Your Child Begins Receiving Services
Congrats! – Your child is now able to receive the services laid out in your IFSP! You can work with your EI agency to find and schedule services with therapists and other providers.
This process can be overwhelming, so remember: You do not have to start with the full amount of services recommended in your plan. You can absolutely start slow. Like we said though, in our experience, the sooner you start, and the more services your child can receive, the better!
What Do I Do if My Child Is Ineligible for Services?
If your child is determined ineligible for services, and you feel this does not reflect their development, you can request another evaluation after three (3) months.
Final Thoughts
We are big fans of Early Intervention! EI services can help you and your family learn the best ways to care for your young child so that you can support and promote your child’s development during a critical time in their growth, and include them in family and community activities.