Hello Families,

In the Special Education field and at CASEadvocates we are big proponents  for early intervention. Early intervention is the intervention given to children from 0-3 years old. These services are called Part C services under IDEA and depending on your state can be the responsibility of  agencies other than your local district. Although we are aware that a lot of our kiddo’s special needs are not caught until they reach the school systems. If you believe your child has a developmental delay it is worth it to have them assessed.

What are the benefits of early intervention?

Research shows a child’s development is at its highest during their preschool years. By being able to provide a child with needs the intervention at an early stage we are enhancing their development at a time in their lives where their brains are growing fastest. Early intervention does the best it at can keep children on track with their developmental milestones.

Early intervention is not important just for the kids. Early intervention provides support and help for the families of those children from an early age.

Personal Story

I am going to share a personal example. My name is Karen, I have been under Dr. Burnett’s wing for close to 5 years now. When my now two year old was eighteen months I began to suspect she could have a speech delay. Part of it was just a feeling I got as her mother and the other was training and experience in the field. I decided to listen to my concerns and before she turned two I called my local Regional Center to request an assessment. (In California, Regional Centers are responsible for services from 0-3).

Within the 45 days allotted she was assessed and found to have a speech delay of about 9 months and sensory processing issues as well. We developed goals to help her various areas of need and found a placement for her outside the home to maximize the time we had…because early intervention if done right can do wonders.

Fast forward to today, here we are 4 months into our Special Education journey and we have seen improvement that we could have only dreamed of. Her Occupational Therapist has worked on her sensory issues as well as self-regulation issues which have made her less of ticking time bomb for my husband and I to parent. Speech therapy is done once a week and focuses on our day to day routines. We went from having a child who would not even attempt repeat a word to having a child who asks what everything is.

I cannot sit here and promise the amount of growth you will see. But I can stand behind the idea that it’s best to have them assessed and have services provided from as early as possible. If your parent intuition is telling you something is “off”, it probably is.  If you need any help beginning your child’s special education journey please contact our office!