Understanding Early Intervention

What is Early Intervention? 

Early intervention is defined as services that are available to children ages 0-3 who may present with delayed developmental milestones in terms of speech/communication, fine and gross motor movements, and feeding skills. The goal of these services is to fill gaps in their development while they are young to take advantage of the brain’s neuroplasticity, or its ability to change based on what it learns is important. Early intervention is different for each family and client to best fit their unique needs and goals.

What does early intervention look like in a private speech therapy clinic?

At Grow with Words, early intervention services are in-clinic and play-based. Our team will be on the floor with your child playing with blocks and bubbles and cars. While playing with your child and eliciting language, your therapist(s) will provide you with strategies and materials for your home environment to ensure that the skills learned in therapy transfer to all settings. 

How do I know if my child would benefit from early intervention?

If you, the parent, suspects that your child may benefit from some extra help and specialized intervention to get on track with developmental milestones, you might look into getting services. Services are available privately and possibly through your local government, should your child qualify.

What happens if my child does not qualify for services through the state?

Sometimes children who could benefit from specialized services don’t qualify for state-facilitated early intervention based on strict evaluation criteria. Meanwhile, they experience frustration at home due to less than strong communication skills. This frustration is not ideal nor is it necessary, and we would be happy to provide therapy to enhance your communication with your child should we see signs of a language delay or disorder during our comprehensive evaluation process.

How do I go about getting services for my child?

At Grow with Words, we typically start with a free 15-minute phone consultation. This allows us to answer any questions you may have and determine whether or not your child could benefit from speech therapy services. If we (our SLP/your family unit) decide that some therapeutic intervention may benefit your child, we will suggest starting with a comprehensive evaluation providing the team with a plan of care and goals for making progress. 

Call us at (602) 345-1785 for more information, or click here to schedule a free 15 minute consultation with our Speech-Language Pathologist, Courtney Sistak, M.S., CCC-SLP. 

Growing with you, 

Grow With Words Team