Early Intervention

By: Lekeya Dunlap, Audrey Latshaw,

Nicole Brown, Elizabeth Connor,

Melissa Focht

Definition of Early Intervention

Early Intervention is a statewide program, available locally, that provides quality support and services to enhance the capacity of families to meet the developmental needs of children from birth to age five who have delays or disabilities.

What makes a child eligible for Early Intervention?

Significant delay in one or more area of development:– Adaptive – self help skills – Cognitive – thinking skills– Physical – gross & fine motor skills– Communicative – receptive &

expressive language– Social and Emotional- interacting with

others and the environment

What Services are Provided

• Occupational Therapy• Physical Therapy• Speech and Language Therapy• Social and Emotional Development

Why Early Intervention is Important

The first 5 years of life are a critical time for brain development. Human learning and development is most rapid in the preschool years. During this time new stimulations and experiences drive cognitive, social and physical growth. If the most “teachable moments” or stages of greatest readiness are not taken advantage of a child may have difficulty learning a particular skill at a later time.

3 Primary Reasons for Intervening Early

1. To enhance the child’s development2. To provide support and assistance

to the family3. To maximize the child’s and family’s

benefit to society

Early Intervention Process1. Parents or pediatrician make a referral for

Early Intervention and appropriate agency is contacted

2. Child is evaluated by specialists and diagnosis/recommendations are made

3. A IFSP is managed by a service coordinator who works with the child & family. Information included in the IFSP include the location, frequency, and types of services to be provided.

4. IFSP is reviewed to see if services should be added or eliminated

Where Early Intervention services are provided

• Birth through age 3– Home

• Ages 3-5– Childcare/daycare setting – Private or public preschools– Early Head Start/Head Start programs– Or any combination of the above that

the family/IFSP team deems most appropriate for the child’s progress

Occupational TherapyDefinition: A therapy or treatment

provided by an occupational therapist that helps an individual's developmental or physical skills that will aid in daily living; it focuses on the use of hands and fingers, on coordination of movement, on self-help skills, such as dressing and eating, and sensory and perceptual-motor integration; it also includes the design and adaptation of materials, equipment, and environment.

Occupational Therapy and Early Intervention

• The occupational therapist evaluates the child and identifies the things the family can do throughout the day to reinforce a skill, improve sensory processing, or enable new learning.

• The goal of occupational therapy is to help individuals have independent and productive lives.

What an Occupational Therapist Does

• Help develop exercises to increase strength, dexterity and coordination, as well as motor, communication, and play skills

• Demonstrate, design & build adaptive equipment needed: wheelchairs, eating aids, dressing needs, etc.

• Focus on helping family/child develop, recover, or maintain daily living skills

Pediatric Occupational Therapy includes help with:

• diaper changing, dressing needs

• grooming• Feeding, finger feeding• Listening skills• Social play• Adapting toys• Any other daily living activities

Occupational Therapy YouTube Video

Physical Therapy

• Designed to promote gross motor and balance skills for infants and toddlers

• Assist children to:–Crawl–Walk–Run–Jump–sit

Physical Therapist’s Job

• Their job helps children with:PhysicalDevelopmentalNeurological disabilitiesMusculoskeletal problems Cardiopulmonary diagnoses

• Physical therapist who treat infants and toddlers are trained to treat movement and functional dysfunctions

Primary Role of Physical Therapy

• Primary role is to enhance the stimuli and cognitive skills normally provided to the child by play and exploration

–Assisting child in several positions and movements

• With the goal of enhancing the child’s developmental skills processing and overall learning

Services Provided in Physical Therapy

1) Passive or active exercise to maintain or increase range of motion

2) Free weights3) Training I functional skills4) Gross motor milestones with optimal

movement quality 5) Casts for positioning or functional activity6) Training in prosthetics7) Modalities such as heat, cold, electric

current, or whirlpool to decrease pain 8) Aquatic therapy for increasing flexibility 9) Aerobics exercises 10) Breathing exercises

Speech and Language TherapyDefinition: the treatment for most

children with speech and/or language disorders. – Speech disorder: a problem with the actual

pronunciation of sounds– Language disorder: difficulty understanding

or putting words together to communicate ideas.

When Speech and Language Therapy Is Needed

• Hearing impairments• Cognitive or other developmental delays• Weak oral muscles• Birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate• Autism• Motor planning problems• Respiratory problems• Swallowing disorders• Traumatic brain injuries

Age Language Level

Birth Cries

2-3 months Cries differently in different circumstances; coos in response to you

3-4 months Babbles randomly

5-6 months Babbles rhythmically

6-11 months

Babbles in imitation of real speech, with expression

12 months Says 1 - 2 words; recognizes name; imitates familiar sounds; understands simple instructions

18 months Uses 5 - 20 words, including names

1-2 years old

Says 2-word sentences; vocabulary is growing; waves goodbye; makes “sounds” of familiar animals; uses words (like “more”) to make wants known; understands

“no”

2-3 years old

Identifies body parts; calls self “me” instead of name; combines nouns and verbs; has a 450 word vocabulary; uses short sentences; matches 3 – 4 colors, knows big

and little; likes to hear same story repeated; forms some plurals

3-4 years old

Can tell a story; sentence length of 4 - 5 words; vocabulary of about 1000 words; knows last name, name of street, several words; several nursery rhymes

4-5 years old

Sentence length of 4 - 5 words; uses past tense; vocabulary of about 1500 words; identifies colors, shapes; asks many questions like “why?” and “who?”

5-6 years old

Sentence length of 5 - 6 words; vocabulary of about 2000 words; can tell you what objects are made of; knows spatial relations (like “on top” and “far”); knows

address; understands same and different; identifies a penny, nickel and dime; counts ten things; knows right and left hand; uses all types of sentences.

What a Speech and Language Therapist Does

• Language Intervention Activities – interact with the child through play and talking– use pictures, books, objects, or ongoing events to stimulate

language development– model correct pronunciation and use repetition exercises to

build speech and language skills.

• Articulation Therapy – Model correct sounds and syllables for a child, often during play

activities.

• Oral Motor/Feeding Therapy – Use a variety of oral exercises, including facial massages and

various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises, to strengthen the muscles of the mouth

– work with different food textures and temperatures to increase a child’s oral awareness of eating and swallowing.

Does Early Intervention Work?

After 50 plus years of research it has been found that Early Intervention increases the developmental and educational gains for the child.

Early Intervention has been shown to result in. . .

• the child needing fewer Special Education services later in life

• the child being retained in grades less often

• the child being sometimes indistinguishable from non-disabled children later in life

Special Education for children 3-5 years old

Between 3 – 5 years special education services are outlined in an IEP or Individualized Education Plan. Under the provisions of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act), the Pennsylvania Department of Education is the lead agency for children 3-21 years old. Many public schools run preschool classes, or the child may receive special education services in pre-K Head Start programs or at daycare.

Special Education Services for Birth through Age 3

IFSP stands for Individualized Family Service Plan. An IFSP outlines the services and interventions the child (ages birth to 3 years) and the family will receive. In Pennsylvania, the lead agency for this process is the PA Department of Public Welfare. Early intervention ends when the child reaches 3 years old. If eligible to continue in special education the child will be referred for an IEP.

Early Intervention Funding• Early Intervention services are provided

free of charge (with some exceptions) for those who qualify in the state of Pennsylvania.

• Early Intervention is funded by grants from the Federal government as well as state & local dollars.

• In other states, Early Intervention services may depend on the family’s ability to pay or insurance coverage.

Social-Emotional• This activity is for ages 3-5.

Socio-Emotional Continued

The End!