According to the Centers For Disease Control, or CDC, early intervention is an important piece in shaping the outcome for children with developmental delays. For specific information about developmental milestones or what a baby and/or child should be able to do by a certain age, please refer to: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html.
In general, the school of thought is that the earlier the intervention, the better. The window between ages birth through 3 years old are commonly thought of as a rare time for assisting a child with developmental delays because so much learning takes place during that period in a child's life. If you are a concerned parent, the first step in gathering the appropriate resources is to talk with your pediatrician. Depending on which milestones have or haven't been reached, further testing will be done to evaluate your child and determine which, if any issues may present themselves as needing further attention.
In some cases, a pediatrician may refer a child to a specialist, such as a play therapist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, occupational therapist or social worker. These professionals all use assessments to measure a child's reactions to stimulii, their responsiveness to certain social situations, their physical capabilities and their psychological profile.
Another resource to access early on in the process of gathering information is an "800" number for parents or caregivers who have concerns about their child's development. Provided by a group called: "Birth To Three" the number is a sort of hotline for people to ask questions and receive helpful information on what steps to take. The number is: 800-505-7000.
This website is an important resource for those looking for answers and help in where to turn next in helping their child. Following this link http://www.birth23.org/ will bring you to their home page.
In a written response regarding early intervention, Anne Barbour, Family Support Services Director writes: "The earlier a disability or delay is identified the better, so that intervention services will be as effective as possible for the child." Getting the right help at the right time can mean the difference between a mild to moderate or a more severe delay. http://www.wested.org/cs/cpei/print/docs/230 and http://www.nichcy.org/Pages/Home.aspx are two of the leading websites for obtaining information regarding education, health and social services for children with disabilities. Valerie Herskowitz, a writer and autism expert as well as a speech pathologist for over thirty years, is also the parent of a child with autism. She has a column in which she answers questions about developmental delays from parents and others. In response to one woman's worried query about her 2-year-old son's speech delay, Valerie writes:
1. "Call your local school department and see what they have available for testing two year olds
2. Go see a neurologist or developmental pediatrician"
While many people prefer to see their own pediatrician before taking other steps, it is sometimes useful to go immediately to a neurologist or a specialist like a developmental pediatrician first. Depending on the type of health insurance, it may be in everyone's best interest to get a referral to a specialist from the child's regular pediatrician.
Some things to consider before letting panic or its alter-ego, denial, set in are:
1. Have I consulted with my child's pediatrician?
2. Have I talked with my child's teachers, caregivers, instructors?
3. Do their opinions match my own or are they telling me information that seems to resonate with me?
4. Have I learned what the appropriate milestones are and determined for myself whether or not I feel my child is meeting them?
5. Have I gotten a second opinion if I feel I need to? Am I advocating for my child?
7. Have I identified the specific delay(s) my child has and am I aware of what interventions would be most beneficial?
Taking yourself through these steps and then through them again as many times as necessary will help you feel you have done what you need to in order to ensure that you are covering every angle of gathering appropriate resources for your child.
Another consideration is that under law, each and every child has a right to a "free and appropriate public education" which means that if your child is of school age, they must be allowed to have a free public education and that the school system in which you live must go through the necessary steps to determine eligibility and then provide your child with necessary resources and services.
In a public school special education program these services and resources can include, but are not limited to: special education hours with a special education teacher either in the classroom (inclusion) or in a resource room, occupational therapy, speech therapy, tutoring, organizational assistance and special transportation. By considering how you will advocate for your child and knowing your child's rights and your rights as a parent, you can be certain to obtain the undeniably necessary resources for your child in a public school setting.
On the upside, the benefits of obtaining early intervention and utilizing all available resources for children with developmental delays are many. There are many children who make incredible strides in their development after working in speech therapy, occupational therapy and even in a social group for a few hours each week. The learning that children are capable of is remarkable and the support offered to parents, caregivers and teachers can reinforce these new skills so that children really have a chance at improving their abilities. Children are evaluated and assessed on a regular basis and parents can stand up to make sure this is happening. With regular evaluations, a determination that a child no longer requires a certain service can be made and, in many cases, the service or resource will naturally fall away as a pair of crutches gets stored when a leg becomes strong. Keeping close tabs on all services your child receives and trusting your own instincts about how things are progressing, maintaining vigilant communication with service providers and school districts will help you help your child in achieving progress.
The potential in each and every one of us is far beyond what we normally imagine, whether or not we are challenged with developmental delays. The promise of good services and resources is that the potential of such a child will not go underground, that those capabilities which may need a bit of coaxing or teaching to emerge will shine through and that the hope and possibility of bigger and better things to come is alive and expanding, every day.