Early Intervention

What is early intervention?

Early intervention refers to services for babies and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities. A developmental delay means your child is slower to reach certain milestones (like smiling or speaking) compared to their peers. With support, they can catch up. A developmental disability, on the other hand, is typically a lifelong condition that affects how your child moves, learns, communicates and/or behaves. Common examples include autism and ADHD.

Early intervention services can help your child develop fundamental skills like:

• Rolling over
• Crawling
• Walking
• Reaching for objects
• Learning and solving problems
• Speaking and listening
• Understanding others
• Playing and socializing
• Taking care of themselves (like eating and getting dressed)

The key is getting such services as early as possible — ideally, as soon as you or a provider notices signs of a possible delay or disability. Doing so can help your child gain the skills they’ll need for every aspect of their life, from school to work to relationships.

What’s the earliest age for early intervention?

Early intervention services are designed for children from birth to age 3. Some U.S. states allow early intervention to continue until age 5.

These services can begin immediately after birth. This may happen if providers diagnose your child with a condition that affects development (like certain genetic disorders) at birth. They’ll refer you to your local early intervention program right away.

In other cases, the need for early intervention isn’t apparent at birth. Instead, your pediatrician may identify delays at a routine well-check. They’ll then refer you to early intervention services.

But don’t wait for a well-check if you feel something isn’t right. Trust your gut. If you think your child might have a developmental delay or disability, contact your pediatrician and tell them what you’re observing. They’ll guide you from there.

Who offers early intervention services?

All states and territories in the U.S. offer early intervention services for eligible children who live in that area. Certain services (like evaluations and assessments) are free. Other services may come with a fee.

To learn more about what’s available, you should contact the early intervention program in your specific state or territory. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keeps a current list of contact information. In different states, early intervention is called different things — like Bright Beginnings, First Steps or Help Me Grow. You can usually find information about early intervention services on your state’s education department website. 

If your child needs continued support after turning 3, they may be eligible for special education services. To find out more about special education, contact a public elementary school in your area.

What are some examples of early intervention?

Early intervention services might help your child with:

• Speaking and communicating (speech-language therapy).
• Hearing (audiology services).
• Doing daily tasks (occupational therapy).
• Moving around (physical therapy).

Other services are possible based on your child’s needs. Some services help you and other family members learn how best to support your child.

How does a child qualify for early intervention?

Your child will qualify for early intervention if experts determine they have a developmental delay or disability. Some children automatically qualify if they’ve been diagnosed with a condition that’s likely to result in developmental delay. Your pediatrician can tell you if this is the case with your child.

If your child doesn’t have such a diagnosis, they’ll go through an evaluation process. Here’s a breakdown of how this process works:

1. You call your local early intervention office. This is the first step — and you can do it with or without a doctor’s referral.
2. The office assigns you a service coordinator. This is your contact person throughout the early intervention process. Your service coordinator will tell you more about how early intervention works and what you need to do.
3. Your child receives an evaluation. Experts in different areas of child development — like speech and language, hearing, vision and movement — evaluate your child. This means they interact with your child and make note of how they engage or respond.
4. You learn the evaluation results. The experts who evaluated your child will share the results and what they mean. They’ll tell you if your child is eligible for early intervention services. If so, you’ll move on to the next step.
5. Your child receives an in-depth assessment. At this point, the focus isn’t on determining eligibility — it’s on identifying your child’s exact needs and which services can help them. Experts will observe your child and talk to you about your family’s preferences.
6. You and the team of experts develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This document serves as a roadmap for your child’s early intervention services. It describes, in detail, your child’s needs, the services they’ll receive and the intended goals.

Once the IFSP is created, it’s time for your child to begin the services outlined in the plan. Your service coordinator will guide you on what comes next and how to access necessary resources. You can reach out to them any time you have a question or concern. Your team will review the IFSP every six months and update it yearly (or more often) to make sure it’s still meeting your child’s needs.

Several months before your child turns 3, your team will create a transition plan. This is a plan for what happens after your child’s third birthday. Possibilities include:

• Your child qualifies for continued early education services up until age 5 (this is possible in some U.S. states)
• Your child qualifies for special education services through your local public school district
• Your child doesn’t need any further services

How can I support my child at home?

There’s a lot you can do at home to support your child’s development. Your child’s early intervention providers can give you targeted advice. But what if you can’t get in to see a specialist right away? If you need to wait weeks or more before your first appointment, you might feel anxious and helpless in the meantime.

It’s a good idea to talk to your pediatrician about things you can do to help your child. In general, you can engage with your child by:

• Reading books aloud to them
• Singing songs
• Letting your child hold and play with various toys
• Pointing to interesting things and showing them to your child
• Naming and describing objects
• Talking about what’s happening at a given moment

The more you can interact with your child, the better. Even if your child doesn’t seem interested, they’re taking in everything around them in ways that might not always be obvious. Your specialists can help you understand why these interactions are important and which specific activities are most useful for your child’s needs.