Being a parent is a full-time job that requires you to be experts on a million different things with absolutely no training. Not to mention all those other adult responsibilities you have. In your non-existent handfuls of free time, you might find yourself scrolling through social media, seeing various parents and influencers sharing their tips and tricks, or bragging about their child’s advanced development. It's hard to weed through all this information and figure out what is true, and what is really important.
So today, let's talk about one support that ALL parents should know about. Early Intervention.
EI stands for Early Intervention, which is a federally funded program that provides free developmental support to families of children ages zero to three across the country.
Ooh, free! Where do I sign up?!?
Sorry to disappoint you so early in this blog post, but there is one catch to EI services… your child needs to qualify for them.
The Qualification Process
Your child can qualify for services in one of the following ways:
An established delay is determined by an assessment through the early intervention agency.
In the state of MA, every family who wants EI services needs to have an evaluation, using the Battelle Developmental Inventory - 2nd edition. This assessment looks at the following areas of your child’s development:
To receive services, your child must have a score (within any ONE of the above assessment domains) that is 1.25 standard deviations below the average child for their age group. That equates to your child’s performance around the 10th percentile, in a given domain area on the assessment.
My child didn’t qualify for EI; that means their communication is fine, right?
Not necessarily!
Due to the qualifications for EI, your child needs to show a substantial delay in their communication skills.
In addition, standardized assessment for EI qualification groups both the child’s understanding (receptive language) and language use (expressive language) scores together. Thus, children who have strong receptive language, but struggle with using their language, tend to not qualify.
If your child does not qualify for EI services, this may mean that your child is not delayed enough to receive free services from the state.
Early Intervention Services
Oh, so if I get EI, does an SLP just come to my home?
Maybe!
Early Intervention provides families with a home visitor who has a background in early childhood education, often called a developmental specialist. The agencies also employ specialists such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and mental health clinicians. Each agency has its own methodology to determine what families are seen by which providers.
Most frequently, families initially receive services from a developmental specialist and then are able to receive consultation services from other professionals. Thus, there is no guarantee your child will receive services from a speech-language pathologist.
Families will get a home visit as frequently as 1x/week, or rarely as 1x/quarter, depending upon their needs. While the schedule of visits is determined by a collaboration between the family and the clinician, families frequently report scheduling difficulties, inconsistent visits, and frequent turnover between EI staff.
What Are My Options?
What if I’m still concerned about my child’s communication?
As a parent, your worries are always valid, because YOU are the ONLY ONE who knows your child best. As such, medical and other healthcare providers might not be able to share your concerns because they only see a “snapshot” of your child.
Early intervention is a great program because it provides developmental education support across all areas of development. If you are still concerned with communication, we recommend consulting a speech-language pathologist, as they are the only experts in language development.
Remember, other providers like pediatricians and teachers may be experts in their respective fields, but they are generalists when it comes to communication. And SLPs were not consulted on the most current CDC developmental milestones.
Speech-language pathologists are the ONLY experts in child language development.
Trust your gut, you are your child’s expert and biggest advocate.
So where do I go if I want my child to see an SLP, but they didn’t get one in EI?
Talk Time Boston, of course!
If your child is below the age of three, Talk Time or any other private speech therapy company would be able to provide you with services. After the age of three, families can request an evaluation through their local school district, to see if their child qualifies for special education services through the IEP process (check out our comprehensive blog post here for more on school-based services).
What’s the difference between EI and private speech?
Ok, I’m interested in EI, but how do I get started?
Despite being a national program, each state has its own system in terms of providing services to families. In the state of MA, the state government contracts out to separate agencies, who provide the EI services to families in a given area. Going on the MA state website’s early intervention page can help you find your local EI agency.
I think I'm ready for a private speech…
Great!
I want to know more about my child’s current level of communication…
Reach out to schedule a Speech & Language Evaluation! Through our assessment process, we will be able to take a dynamic look at your child and determine their areas of strength, and any areas of needed support.
I’m interested in learning more about my child’s skill level, but an evaluation might be too much for my family right now…
We offer complimentary screenings!
I want to know how I can better support my child right now.
Book a consultation or parent coaching session! Get your questions answered by a child language expert, in a way that fits into your schedule!
I’m concerned about pricing…
Let's chat about it! We offer all families a sliding scale to ensure equitable access to our services. As we are a private clinic, we can work with your family to find the best option!
We are so happy to have you in our community!
Otter you happy you read this blog post?!?
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