Your child’s first 8 years of life are full of learning and growth. They are a time when their brains soak up information like sponges.
Parents often become concerned when their children’s development seems slower than expected. They often ask their pediatricians or childcare providers for help. This Practice Portal page explains early intervention and how it works. Contact Montgomery County PA Early Intervention for professional help.
Occupational therapy addresses the everyday activities that help people function and develop. It helps children and adults learn to use their innate strengths, adapt to challenges, and develop productive routines. OT can address many issues, including autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, physical disabilities, sensory processing problems and more.
In the context of early intervention, therapists use a unique approach called “routines-based” or “family-centered” interventions, which focus on helping families build upon activities they do every day to meet their child’s needs and promote his/her learning. This includes assisting them in creating and using daily routines, activities and interactions with their child, as well as in developing and supporting the skills needed to participate in community life.
Many states, including New York, require that children who have developmental delays or disabilities receive early intervention services. A multidisciplinary evaluation is conducted to determine eligibility. If your child qualifies, a contracted agency will work with you to provide an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for your child.
This process requires the involvement of many individuals, including your child’s evaluator and members of her/his team, as well as the child’s family. The IFSP describes the evaluation results and lists the specific services that your child will receive. The IFSP is reviewed and changed at least twice a year.
There is a growing body of evidence that indicates that intervening at the prenatal and early childhood periods offers an opportunity to shift children’s life trajectories in positive ways. This evidence is based on the theory that it is easier to prevent problems from occurring than to fix them after they have become entrenched.
Physical Therapy
When a child is diagnosed with developmental delays or disabilities, an early intervention program can help. These programs focus on identifying the issues and providing therapy, which is usually free of charge to the parents. The goals are to ensure the child reaches important milestones and improve their chances of a normal life.
A child is eligible for the early intervention program if they have a medical condition that could affect their development, are not meeting certain developmental milestones, or are at risk of a delay due to medical or family history. The first step is for parents to contact the local early intervention program in their area. A representative will then evaluate the child and determine if they are eligible for services.
In determining eligibility, the evaluation will take into account the child’s strengths, challenges, and family needs. One of the guiding principles is that the family is the child’s greatest resource and should be a major contributor to the plan. During the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan, or IFSP, the parent will work closely with the team members to develop a plan that is unique to the child and their family.
The therapist will conduct an examination of the child to look at how they move, their muscle strength and tone, how well they sleep and eat, what pain or other symptoms they have, and any limitations caused by the medical condition or disability. They will then work with the child to create a treatment plan that addresses these problems and helps them reach their goals. This may include exercise or other therapies to increase movement, reduce pain, prevent future injury, and promote health and wellness.
In addition to implementing a treatment plan, the therapist will educate the child and their family about their condition and how to care for it. They will also teach them skills that they can practice at home to reinforce the lessons learned in the clinic and help them apply them to daily living situations. This is done in a way that respects the family’s cultural and racial values, beliefs, lifestyle, and family structure.
Speech-Language Therapy
Children whose communication skills are delayed need speech therapy. Speech-language therapy is one of the most well established early intervention strategies for improving articulation, phonology and language disorders in young children. Often, these disorders are the result of a developmental delay or prematurity. In the states, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all children who have delays in speech, hearing or language receive services. These services can help them catch up to their peers and achieve better outcomes in school.
Earlier studies on speech/language therapies were primarily clinical in nature, with children being pulled out of their home or childcare setting and brought into a clinic for treatment. Now, more interventions are delivered within a natural environment by therapists who work with families at their homes, daycare settings and school.
Therapists typically employ a range of behavioural techniques to teach speech and language skills. These include imitation, modelling, prompting and repetition. Therapists also often encourage parents or caregivers to use the child’s natural environment and routines as an opportunity for learning. Often, this includes reading books with the child and discussing the daily activities that they participate in together such as mealtimes and bath time.
Many parents are concerned when their child fails to reach certain speech/language milestones. For example, they may expect their child to say their first word around 9 months old. But this milestone varies widely and it is not unusual for children to say their first word between 8 and 11 months. For this reason, if your child has not yet said their first word, you should contact your pediatrician for an evaluation and early intervention services.
If you are interested in becoming an early intervention speech-language pathologist, consider pursuing an accredited SLP degree program. Then, after graduating with an MS or MA in SLP, you can complete a clinical fellowship with experienced SLPs to gain hands-on experience. Once you are licensed, you can begin making a positive difference in the lives of your patients. The sooner you start, the better! Click the link to find an accredited program.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy is an essential part of early intervention for mental health concerns. It helps individuals understand how their thoughts and feelings can impact behaviors. It also teaches healthy coping techniques to manage and change negative behaviors. It can be used alone or in combination with other forms of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, to provide the most comprehensive treatment possible.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a form of behavioral therapy that is commonly used in autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Its principles are based on learning theory, which is the idea that people can learn through experience and that behavior can be shaped by rewarding or punishing stimuli. ABA is a widely used and researched form of behavioral therapy, and it has been shown to improve communication skills, reduce tantrums, and increase the use of functional vocabulary.
Other behavioral therapies include classical conditioning, which is the process of pairing an aversive stimulus with a desired behavior. This technique was famously used by Ivan Pavlov to train his dogs to salivate in response to the ringing of a bell before being fed. Behavioral therapists often use this technique to help people overcome fear and anxiety.
Another form of behavioral therapy is called exposure therapy. This involves gradually exposing people to the object or situation that triggers their anxiety, and teaching them to practice relaxation strategies. This is a powerful treatment for phobias and other anxiety disorders, and it can be paired with other therapeutic approaches to create the most comprehensive treatment possible.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of behavioral therapy that focuses on changing negative thoughts and emotions. It can be effective for a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders. It is most often used with adolescents and children, and it can include parents to support the child’s progress.
Behavioral psychotherapy can also teach people how to set goals for themselves and reward positive behaviors. For example, Bill can reward himself with a new fishing rod for meeting his goal of watching less TV. This helps him stay motivated to keep working on his behavior modification contract.
