Early intervention services support young children in meeting developmental milestones and making progress in important life skills. Targets of early intervention services focus on goals within the following areas: physical development, communication, social and emotional wellbeing, adaptive living, and cognitive skills. These goals can be targeted in a variety of settings including the home, center, or classroom. Early Intervention services help support families and their children’s needs from an early age through collaboration between necessary service providers (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.) and are individualized to target appropriate goals to support your child’s growth. 

Numerous studies show that an early diagnosis is the key to expediting the potential recovery from autism and other disorders. We encourage parents to participate in the early intervention program as early as possible. 

References 

Maine Administrators of Services for Children with Disabilities (MADSEC) (2000). Report of the MADSEC Autism Task Force.

Myers, S. M., & Plauché Johnson, C. (2007). Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120, 1162-1182.

Popp, T. K., & You, H. (2016). Family involvement in early intervention service planning: Links to parental satisfaction and self-efficacy. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 14(3), 333-346. 

Sulzer-Azaroff, B. & Mayer, R. (1991). Behavior analysis for lasting change. Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Reinhart & Winston, Inc.

Woods, J. J., & Wetherby, A. M. (2003). Early identification of and intervention for infants and toddlers who are at risk for autism spectrum disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 34, 180–193.