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What is Early Childhood Development? A Guide to Brain Development

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Healthy development in the early years (particularly birth to three) provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. What can we do during this incredibly important period to ensure that children have a strong foundation for future development?

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Learn more about early brain development and explore our resources for caregivers and early childhood professionals.

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This episode is particularly useful for teachers and parents because you are the ones who spend the most time with these children. In this episode, I will introduce you to Autism Spectrum disorder in general and then we will discuss the early signs and how they appear in children.

It is my hope that you will discover what to think about, what to look out for and what to do if you are concerned.

If you have a question you want me to address in future episodes, please email eim@drtakon.com

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Early Intervention Matters - How Parents and Teachers can Identify Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder

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This episode is particularly useful for teachers and parents because you are the ones who spend the most time with these children. In this episode, I will introduce you to Autism Spectrum disorder in general and then we will discuss the early signs and how they appear in children.

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One of the factors that prevents children from being diagnosed early is when parents are in Denial.

This can cause unnecessary problems, suffering and difficulties for the child - now and in the future.

This episodes tackles this issue as well as sheds some light on this condition to help parents understand the benefit of seeking and getting help if your child needs it.

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Early Intervention Matters - Parents! Are you in Denial?

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One of the factors that prevents children from being diagnosed early is when parents are in Denial. This can cause unnecessary problems, suffering and difficulties for the child - now and in the future. This episodes tackles this issue as well as sheds some light on this condition to help parents understand the benefit of seeking and getting help if your child needs it.

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Every child learns differently. It's our jobs as educators to find out what helps them learn.

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Explain why?

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Write your first reaction when reading this quote?

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Equal opportunities for every child

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Naturalistic intervention takes place throughout the day in the context of daily routines and activities. Being intentional about implementing interventions within the context of a toddler's regular routines and activities is critical for successfully implementing naturalistic intervention.

a) Determine the toddler's schedule of typical routines and activities

This includes activities in home, center, and other community settings. The schedule is often done on a weekly basis. Consider that all families have activities, but they may or may not occur in the same order or sequence each day or week. Therefore, it is important to use the schedule to guide planning for a naturalistic intervention, and to recognize that schedules may change as child and family circumstances change.

b) Identify activities that are of interest and highly reinforcing for the toddler

An important part of discovering the context for a toddler is to learn about a toddler's interests and the activities that are highly reinforcing. There are several useful tools and strategies for obtaining this information.

The Int erest-Based Everyday Activity Checklists includes the Early Preschool Interest-Based Everyday Activity Checklist for infants and toddlers functioning below 15-18 months of age and the Middle Preschool Interest-Based Everyday Activity Checklists for use with children functioning between 15 - 36 months of age. Both checklists help identify a toddler's interests and potential learning opportunities within everyday routines and activities. (Swanson, Raab, Roper & Dunst, 2006)

Another tool is Getting to Know Your Child, from the Family-Guided Routines-Based Intervention Model (Woods, 2013). This tool provides open-ended space for writing in a toddler's favorite and least favorite activities in a number of categories to help identify interests and opportunities for working on a target behavior. These resources are applicable to both home and center-based settings.

c) EI team members and the family identify contexts in which to embed naturalistic

intervention

Toddler-directed Activities

In these activities, toddlers select what they want to do within a specific environment. These preferred activities are then used to elicit the target behavior. Knowing these activities ahead of time by completing one of the strategies or tools described in Step 1.2 contributes to a toddler-directed intervention.

Home-based Example: Tom's family wants him to engage in more interactions with Tom. They developed a target behavior related to turn taking. Tom's mom, Norah is finishing up lunch dishes. Tom opens the cabinet and pulls out pots and pans. He starts to bang on one with a wooden spoon. Tom's mom crouches down with him and extends a hand, nonverbally asking for a turn with the spoon. They trade the spoon back and forth.

Center-based Example: Betsy has a target behavior of labeling animals. Different animal toys are offered during free-choice time, and Betsy decides that she wants to work on an animal puzzle after math center time. To support Betsy's use of the target behavior, the team member may encourage Betsy to request each piece that represents a different animal.

Routines and Activities

Routines and activities that take place on a regular basis (e.g., bath time, getting into the car seat, breakfast, snack and playtime, going to the grocery store) offer natural opportunities for learning and practicing target behaviors. Choice making should be built into these routines and activities, thus allowing toddlers to direct the interactions.

Home-based Example: Deone has a target behavior of pointing to request. During bathtime, his mother periodically holds up two different bath toys so that Deone can point to the toy he wants to play with.

Center-based Example: Devin has a target behavior of using words to request, "more." Each day during snack, his teacher presents several tasty options (pretzels, apple slices, cheese cubes, and pudding). She keeps these out of reach and gives very small portions to the students upon their request. These small portions provide the children, including Devin, with numerous opportunities to request, "more." Having multiple snack options allows Devin to make choices and direct the interaction.

Strategies for conducting routines-based assessments with families are available from the following national resources. These sites include resources and strategies for identifying home and center-based routines and activities as well as a guidance for mapping community resources to inform opportunities for addressing target behaviors.

Many of the Siskin Institute resources are published in this book: McWilliam, R.A (2010). Routines-based Early Intervention: Supporting Young Children and Their Families. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company

Planned Activities

Planned activities are set-up in advance to provide opportunities for individual toddlers to practice target behaviors such as choice-making, labeling objects, or initiating a verbal communication.

View Examples of Learning Opportunities Within Daily Routines and Activities to Practice Targeted Behaviors

Naturalistic interventions can be embedded within learning opportunities that may occur throughout a toddler's day at home. The examples illustrate the range and diversity of naturally occurring learning opportunities that occur within daily routines and activities for increasing achievement of target behaviors.

The learning opportunities create the learning context for arranging the environment to elicit the target behavior(s) and establishing how the adult responds to the toddler's response or uses intentional evidence-base strategies to expand upon the toddler's responses. See Step 2 for a description of these processes.

Visit the Autism Internet Modules (AIM) website on the Naturalistic Intervention module for a similar example for a toddler who spends the majority of his time in an early childhood classroom.

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Step 1.3 Identify the contexts for intervention | Toddler ASD

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Naturalistic intervention takes place throughout the day in the context of daily routines and activities. Being intentional about implementing interventions within the context of a toddler's regular routines and activities is critical for successfully implementing naturalistic intervention. This includes activities in home, center, and other community settings.

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370 Early Intervention ideas | early intervention, intervention, early childhood special education

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Nov 19, 2017 - Explore Maureen Casey’s board “Early Intervention ideas”, followed by 652 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about early intervention, intervention, early childhood special education.

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Early Intervention: Activities at Home to Support Development | Education in Motion | Sunrise Medical

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This quick guide will provide early developmental activity ideas to help promote physical, social, perceptual, and cognitive development in a variety of positions.

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Toddler Assessments | Early Intervention Speech Therapy

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Know the Effectiveness of Early Intervention | Early Intervention Method | About Early Intervention

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What is Early Intervention (EI) in Pennsylvania?
Early intervention in Pennsylvania consists of services and supports designed to help families with children who have developmental delays or disabilities. Early intervention builds upon the natural learning occurring in those first few years. It is a process that promotes collaboration among parents, service providers, and others significantly involved with your child.

Early intervention:
* Helps children with disabilities develop and learn to their fullest potential
* Enhances each family's capacity to meet the developmental needs of their child in the settings where children would be if they did not have a disability
* Respects the family's strengths, values, diversity and competencies and answers families' questions about their child's development
* Supports communities to become more aware of the gifts and abilities of all its children
* Helps prevent the need for more and costly intervention in the future

What are Early Intervention supports and services?
Early intervention supports and services are provided at no cost to families. Early intervention services can include: information about how children develop, parent or caregiver education, family supports, and developmental and instructional therapies that assist in child development.

Early intervention is individualized and provides supports to the child and family in the home and community. Early intervention can also assist families to link to a variety of community services and supports.

You are the expert about your child. The recommendations or suggestions that you have for your child and family are uniquely yours. Sharing them with other members on your early intervention team allows others to know what is important to your family. This information will help your early intervention team to create meaningful individualized services and supports.

Who is eligible for Early Intervention services?
If your child is:
Birth to 3 Years Old:
Infants and Toddlers who have:
* A 25 percent delay in one or more areas of development
OR
* A specialist's determination that there is a delay even though it doesn't show up on the assessments (called informed clinical opinion)
OR
* A known physical or mental condition that has a high probability for developmental delays (such as Down syndrome)
AGE 3 to age of entrance to first grade:
* A 25 percent delay in one or more areas of development
OR
* Any of the following physical or mental disabilities: autism/pervasive developmental disorder: serious emotional disturbance: neurological impairment; deafness/hearing loss; specific learning disability; intellectual disability; multiple disabilities; other health impairment; physical disability; speech impairment or blindness/visual impairment;
AND
* Are in need of special education services.

Through a unique collaboration between the Pennsylvania Departments of Education (PDE) and the Department of Human Services, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) administers the commonwealth's early intervention program for eligible infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

At a local level, the infant/toddler early intervention programs administer the services for children from birth to three years of age.

OCDEL contracts services through intermediate units (IUs), school districts, and private agencies for local services to preschoolers from three years of age to the age of beginners (age of entrance into first grade).

Where do I start?
Screening
A screening is a quick and way process, usually just a few questions about your child's development. The screening helps to determine if an evaluation is needed. You may request a multidisciplinary evaluation at any point during the screening process.

Planning for an evaluation begins with a team; you and your service coordinator or representative from the early intervention program. Other team members may participate as appropriate for your child's and family's needs. You are the expert on your child and your participation as a member of the team is very important.

How do I prepare for the evaluation?
* Inform the service coordinator or your early intervention contact person if you need an interpreter or other assistance.
* Be ready to share information that you think is important: current health appraisal, medical records, a baby book, growth chart, or other evaluations or reports.
* Think about your child and any questions or concerns you might have related to his or her development.
* Be prepared to share information about activities that are challenging for your child and family to participate in at home, in the community, and at child care or preschool, as well as what your child and family enjoy doing together.
* Think about where your current support comes from, for example, your extended family, a faith community, your neighborhood, a parent group, etc.

The evaluation will look at all areas of your child's development. During the evaluation, you and members of the team will talk about the good things your child is doing as well as identify any concerns. The evaluation will also determine the strengths and needs of your child and family.
If your child is determined eligible, the information from the evaluation will help the team know what is important to your family and will help create meaningful individualized services.

Your IFSP/IEP team will meet together and discuss the information gathered from the evaluation about your child's strengths and needs. The plan meeting is your opportunity to share ideas for your child and family with other members of the team. It is also your opportunity to share information about your daily routines, preferred activities, and activities that are challenging for your family. This information will provide your team with ideas about how to target early intervention supports and services to meet your child's and family's needs.

An IFSP or IEP must include:
* A statement of your child's level of development
* With your consent, a statement of the family's strengths, priorities, and concerns as they relate to your child's development
* Information or assistance to help you access community resources
* Special considerations that relate to vision, hearing, challenging behaviors, communication, and needs related to assistive technology or transitions
* The measurable goals or outcomes expected for your child and family, as well as how and when it is hoped they will be achieved
* A description of early intervention services that are to be provided, as well as in what setting they will occur
* A statement of when services are expected to begin and how long they will continue
* The name of your service coordinator or early intervention contact person
* A written plan for transitions as your child's needs change
* The date when the IFSP or IEP will be reviewed

You may request an IFSP or IEP meeting to discuss the potential need for changes at any time by getting in touch with your service coordinator or contact person.

How to prepare for the IFSP or IEP:
* Identify your child's unique qualities and strengths.
* Think about what you and your family want for your child now, and in one, two, or five years from now or even as an adult.
* Identify the questions you have regarding your child. All questions are important. For example: Why is she so fussy? Why is he so quiet? Is that ok? Is that a concern?
* List what you and your child really enjoy doing such as: playing with water or sand, watching TV, or going for walks. This will help you and the teams identify how you can use these routines to help your child develop and grow.
* Consider the special needs your child has. Think about what your child might need to reach his or her full potential: adaptive equipment, feeding or self-help skills, help to move around, or help to communicate.
* Consider issues for which you would like help in finding the solution. For example, do you as a family like to go to the beach, but you're concerned about how to take your child?

What does it mean when I am told we must transition?
Transition in early intervention services means movement from one program to another, such as:
* From the hospital to your home
* From an infant/toddler early intervention service to a preschool early intervention service
* From early intervention services to other early care and education settings such as
* Head Start or child care programs
* From preschool early intervention services to kindergarten or first grade

How does my family/team plan for a successful transition?
As a very important part of the team, you need to know all the options-ask questions:
* What is needed for my child?
* What is available?
* Who is involved?
* Where are they?
* When is this transition going to occur?
* How will the transition occur?
* What activities will help my child adjust to the transition?
* How can my family and child be supported through this change?

If your child is in the preschool early intervention program, during the year before your child is eligible for kindergarten or first grade, the early intervention program will invite you to a transition meeting to discuss options for your child. This transition meeting must occur before the end of February. If your child is kindergarten/school age, the funding for services is the responsibility of the local school district.

What does individualized supports and services mean?
Early Intervention supports and services are individualized for each child and family.
* This means that: The plan developed for each child and family will reflect their unique activities, values, and community participation. Services and supports should match the family's priorities and concerns, and will vary from family to family, and should change as priorities and concerns change. There are many ways for families to receive services and supports. Location, frequency, or type of service or support is not based on the child's age or type of disability. The outcomes identified by the family and the child's team will guide the choices of services and supports necessary to accomplish them. Friends, neighbors, early education practitioners, playgroups, churches, libraries, and other community supports enhance the quality of every family's life. Services using natural routines and activities support and encourage families to find and strengthen natural supports outside the Early Intervention system. These supports, established when the child is young, are likely to remain throughout the child's school years and into adulthood.
* Early Intervention can be provided at home, in childcare, in private or public preschools, Early Head Start and Head Start, or combinations of these that the family and the team determine are the most appropriate for the child's progress. Services and supports also change as needed.

What protections does the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) provide for Early Intervention?

In Pennsylvania, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Early Intervention
Services, administers both Part C and Part B of the federal law IDEA.

Part B
(Section 619 is the Preschool Section) Provides services for eligible young children and their families from age three to the age of beginners (start of first grade). Services are developed by a team and written into an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Services are delivered in the least restrictive environment.

Part C
Provides services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families from birth until the child's third birthday. Services are developed by a team and written into an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).Services are delivered in a natural environment for the child and family.

Part B
(Section 619 is the Preschool Section) Provides services for eligible young children and their families from age three to the age of beginners (start of first grade). Services are developed by a team and written into an Individualized Education Program (IEP).Services are delivered in the least restrictive environment.

What is the Pennsylvania Act 212: Early Intervention Services System Act of 1990?
PA-Act 212, the state statute for early intervention services, requires the Departments of Education and Public Welfare to ensure that:
* Eligible young children (birth until the age of beginners) and their families receive early intervention services and programs
* Appropriate services under public supervision that are designed to meet the developmental needs of eligible children are available
* Services specifically designed to address the needs of the family to enhance their child's development are provided

What is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)? What are my rights and privileges?
The following information summarizes your rights and privileges under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974(FERPA). This is a federal law which protects the confidentiality of a child's educational records by limiting their disclosure. FERPA guarantees parents certain rights which are described below.
* Access to records: You have the right to inspect and review your child's records and to receive a copy of the records.
* Amend information in records: You have the right to request that your child's early intervention records be changed if they are inaccurate or misleading and to have a hearing if that request is refused.
* Disclosure of personally identifiable information: Generally, the early intervention program must have written permission from the parent in order to release any information from a child's educational record. However, FERPA allows early intervention programs to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:
o Early intervention officials with legitimate educational interest
o Dissemination of directory information (e.g., child's name, DOB, and parent contact information)
o Other early intervention programs to which a child is transferring
o Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes
o Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the early intervention program
o To the courts to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
o Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies
* Complaints: If you believe that the early intervention program is not complying with FERPA or not guaranteeing you your rights outlined above, you may file a letter of complaint with the federal office in charge of enforcing the Act at the address below:
Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue
Washington, DC 20202-8520 202-260-3887
* Policy: A complete copy of the FERPA legislation is available at your request. You may receive a copy by contacting your early intervention program or http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

What is Parental Consent and Notice (PCN)? What does it meant to me?
* Prior written notice: You have the right to prior written notice before the early intervention program proposes, or refuses, to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or placement of your child or the provision of early intervention services.
* Parental consent: You must provide consent before any screening, evaluation or assessment; before early intervention services are provided; before public benefits or insurance or private insurance is accessed; and prior to the disclosure of personal identification information.

Who has access to a child's information?
Child information contained in the information management system is kept confidential and only persons authorized by federal and state confidentiality, privacy, and security laws have access to the records. Data in PELICAN ((Pennsylvania's Enterprise to Link Information for Children Across Networks; the name of OCDEL's information management system) is protected by security protocols, which require secure and encrypted servers, unique usernames with strong passwords and user roles that are assigned specific security roles and access. This means that:
* Only the staff directly involved with specific child has access to that child's information.
* State personnel have limited access to child information for the purposes of monitoring the delivery of early intervention services.
* Information about a child will not be shared outside a program, except as permitted by law with parental consent.

What are Pennsylvania's Parent Centers? How do I contact them?

These are federally-funded Parent Centers that are available to provide information, resources, and training opportunities to educate families about all aspects of Early Intervention and Special Education (from birth to age 21).

* Parent Education and Advocacy Leadership Center (PEAL) The PEAL Center helps parents with early intervention and education issues in western and central Pennsylvania. PEAL also helps families statewide with access to health care, health insurance, and access to services at home and in the community through the PEAL Family to Family Health Information Center (F2F). The PEAL Center provides individual information, technical assistance and training, including leadership training for families for children with disabilities and special health care needs (CSHCN). http://www.pealcenter.org/ 1-866-950-1040
* Hispanos Unidos para Niños Excepcionales (HUNE) HUNE serves, but is not limited to, Spanish-speaking families across the state. http://huneinc.org/ 215-425-6203

What is a Parent Guide?
GBYS Parent Guides are parents of children who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind who have received special training that prepares them to function in this important capacity. This training provides a strong foundation in supporting families without a bias towards communication modes or methods, as well as a functional understanding of formal systems and services available to families and their children. Parent Guides are able to bring their direct experience, specialized knowledge, and personal compassion to their role while making the family's needs their primary focus. They have been where you are and are willing to listen and share their experiences.

Who is eligible for the program?
Families of Pennsylvania infants and toddlers (ages birth to 3) who have a hearing loss.

What is Hands and Voices Guide by your Side™ of Pennsylvania? What can the GBYS program do for my family?
GBYS Parent Guides located throughout the state provide:
* Timely emotional support at the point of diagnosis of hearing loss
* Direct parent/peer support and networking
* Unbiased information and resource sharing specific to hearing loss, including insights on navigating the systems from a parent perspective
* Support to families throughout the Infant/
Toddler Early Intervention years by combining an experienced parent's insight with knowledge of Early Intervention and educational systems
* Information about other parent support opportunities

How much does the GBYS program cost?
The GBYS program is provided to families at no cost.

How do I request a GBYS Parent Guide?
* Complete the GBYS Referral Form on the families page onwww.paearlyhearing.org
* Or call the Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side™of PA Program Coordinator at 800-360-7282 x3908(in PA only) or 717-541-4960 x3908

Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side™ of PA is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Guide By Your Side has an office at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) and shares resources with Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA).

What is the Early Learning Network (ELN)?
The Early Learning Network (ELN) is an initiative of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). ELN is a comprehensive unified data system that allows authorized users to assess individual-level child outcomes across multiple programs. It links existing data systems by child identifier and will collect additional information on child and family services across program areas. When fully implemented, the data will be used to inform state policy decisions, investments and improvement efforts for early education programs from birth to third grade.

What is the Early Intervention Technical Assistance System (EITA)?
Early Intervention Technical Assistance system (EITA) provides statewide training and technical assistance on behalf of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Pennsylvania Departments of Public Welfare and Education. The primary recipients of EITA training and technical assistance are the local Infant/Toddler and Preschool Early Intervention agencies that provide supports and services to children birth to school age with developmental disabilities and their families. EITA is part of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN). EITA is administered through the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit.

EITA provides both statewide and regional training initiatives that are developed through the analysis of statewide data, including program monitoring results, state and federal requirements, relevant research, and planning with state department staff. Statewide professional development training is provided across the Commonwealth when it is necessary to ensure a consistent message from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. Family members are always welcome to attend. Examples of current statewide training initiatives include supporting children with complex needs including medically fragile, positive behavior supports, inclusion, assistive technology, literacy, autism, and parent leadership.

EITA also provides an individualized Technical Assistance Plan developed annually with each Infant/Toddler and Preschool Early Intervention program. The TA plan is based on findings from EI monitoring, self-assessments, OCDEL priorities, relevant research, and locally identified needs. The TA plan is linked to the state performance plan submitted to the United States Office of Special Education. Technical assistance planning is an ongoing process that is the result of conversations, data collection and review, research and clear identification of outcomes. The TA plan focuses on specific programmatic changes or outcomes and includes information on how the change will be measured. EITA TA plans focus on providing technical assistance and building local capacity through repeated contacts with the same persons/programs to assist with program-wide change. The TA plan is a flexible document that is updated as additional information or needs arise.

Acknowledgments:
A Family's Introduction to Early Intervention in Pennsylvania; Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL)

Early Intervention Supports and Services: Facts for Families; Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) and Pennsylvania Early Intervention

PaTTAN: http://www.pattan.net/

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Early Intervention in Pennsylvania - FAQ

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What is Early Intervention (EI) in Pennsylvania? Early intervention in Pennsylvania consists of services and supports designed to help families with children who have developmental delays or disabilities. Early intervention builds upon the natural learning occurring in those first few years. It is a process that promotes collaboration among parents, service providers, and others significantly involved with your child.

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how to start the progress?

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Infant Toddler Early Intervention During COVID-19 Tele-Intervention services are now available Services can be provided by phone or video. Early Interventions is a free, voluntary program that can help families who have concerns about a child's development, learning, and behavior.

After a referral is made, a virtual Multidisciplinary Evaluation will take place. If found eligible for services, the family will be part of a team that develops an individualized family service plan.

To get started email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 215-685-4646.

We are focused on quality care for all participants and ensuring organizational preparedness, including our employee's health and wellness. We are continuing to provide services to our clients and are ensuring extra preventive and precautionary measures are in place based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. If you have a specific question about CHILDLINK services, please contact 215.731.2100.

ChildLink coordinates services in Philadelphia to help children, from birth to age three who have special needs or who may have developmental delays, access early intervention services.

ChildLink staff work in partnership with parents and early intervention specialists to evaluate each child's needs, explore options and develop an individualized family service plan for the child and family.

Interpretation and Translation Services

At ChildLink, we speak your language. Literally.

ChildLink is committed to serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) families and households in their own language. All phone calls and in-person appointments will include an interpreter. All written correspondence and documents will be made available in the family's requested language. In addition, all translations are done by certified translators, not by online automatic translation programs. Our commitment is rooted in two federal laws: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for persons with Limited English Proficiency."

To date, ChildLink has provided interpreting and translation services to participating LEP families in more than 20 languages, including, but not limited to: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Cantonese, French, Hatian Creole, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukranian, Urdu and Vietnamese.

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ChildLink Philadelphia - Services for Children with Special Needs, Developmental and Intervention

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Infant Toddler Early Intervention During COVID-19 Tele-Intervention services are now available Services can be provided by phone or video. Early Interventions is a free, voluntary program that can help families who have concerns about a child's development, learning, and behavior. After a referral is made, a virtual Multidisciplinary Evaluation will take place.

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Many reasons why early detection makes a difference.

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Why Early Intervention Works: A Systems Perspective

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A systems perspective is put forward designed to place the many diverse conceptual and practice approaches and accomplishments in the early intervention field within a common framework. Complex reciprocal patterns of influence are described emphasizing risk and protective factors operating at 3 levels: child social and cognitive competence, family patterns of interaction, and family resources.