![]() You may choose to add additional private therapy depending on your child’s needs. Children ages 3-21 with suspected delays are entitled to free evaluations and services through the school system. My child is over 3 years old, it’s too late: For children who have not received EI by 3 years old, contact the Child Find program through your local public school system (google “Child Find“ and your state). You don’t need to wait for a referral from your doctor for an evaluation with EI- go ahead and call today! EI can be provided in-home or in an outpatient center, depending on your location. Here is a list of early intervention providers by state. Therapy is too expensive: From birth to three years old, your child qualifies for free early intervention evaluations and services, in every state in the U.S. Here are a few myths associated with Early Intervention (EI): The bottom line is, always air on the side of caution and ask for a referral, regardless of the opinion of others… even your pediatrician. ![]() Missed signs between 12 and 24 months equates to 1 whole year (excluding any potential wait lists,) without early intervention services, which over 40 years of research has shown to be crucial to short and long term gains. Neural circuits in the brain, which create the foundation for learning, behavior and health, are most flexible (or able to be molded,) during the first 3 years of life. The study also indicated that physicians had a greater difficulty identifying delays at 12 months compared to 24 months. This means that without parent input, 53 of 78 referrals would not have been made by the pediatrician’s observations alone. One study from the University of Oregon found that a simple 15-minute parent questionnaire submitted before or after a doctor's appointment resulted in a 224-percent increase in referrals of one-year-old and two-year-old children with mild developmental delays in a yearlong study. ![]() Know the signs, and push for a referral from your pediatrician, even if your concerns are being dismissed. Parents are often comforted by well-intentioned friends, family and (unfortunately,) healthcare professionals to “wait and see if they grow out of it.” There will always be a story, intended to ease parental nerves, of a neighbor’s cousin’s friend’s son who didn’t speak a word “until they were 4” and now is totally fine! He never needed speech therapy or anything special, so I’m sure your child won’t either.Īs a parent, trust your gut. Missing early language milestones is one of the first observable signs leading to parent concern about their child’s development.
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