Early Intervention
What is Early Intervention?
While all children grow and develop in unique ways, some children experience delays in their development. Children with developmental delays and disabilities benefit from The Pennsylvania Early Intervention program, a state supported network of parents, service practitioners, and others which builds upon the natural learning opportunities that occur within the daily routines of a child and their family.
Early Intervention
- Provides support and services to families with children birth to age five, who have developmental delays and disabilities
- Supports services and resources for children that enhance daily opportunities for learning provided in settings where a child would be if he/she did not have a developmental delay and disability.
- Provides families’ independence and competencies.
- Respects families’ strengths, values and diversity.
- Physical development, including vision and hearing
- Cognitive development
- Communication development
- Social or emotional development
- Adaptive development
Parents who have questions about their child’s development may contact the CONNECT Helpline at 1-800-692-7288. The CONNECT Helpline assists families in locating resources and providing information regarding child development for children ages birth to age 5. In addition, CONNECT can assist parents by making a direct link to their county early intervention program or local preschool early intervention program. To make a referral for early intervention, please call the CONNECT Helpline at 1-800-692-7288 www.connectpa.net.
Links to Publications:
Resources from the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention:
The Backpack Connection Series is a group of handouts produced by the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention. They provide tips for parents and teachers to help children with their social emotional development. Please click the thumbnail pictures below to view each Backpack series handout.
The images below show just a few of the Backpack Connection Series titles. The pamphlets and many other resources are available from the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention at this address: http://www.challengingbehavior.org
Early Intervention Supports and Services: There are many effective, research-based approaches to the delivery of Early Intervention services; all with different names and definitions. Regardless of the names, these approaches have common core principles that are the foundation of Early Intervention supports and services in Pennsylvania.
The Importance of Early Intervention for Infants and for Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families: Discusses enhancing the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, minimizing potential developmental delay, and reducing educational costs to our society by minimizing the need for special education services prior to school age.
Early Intervention Tips for Early Education Providers: Describes how the early intervention system works and how early education providers can help your children and their families get the help they need.
Using Data to Select Interventions for Struggling Readers: A Focus on Learning to Read: Addresses the basics of using assessment data to select research-based interventions for struggling, elementary-grade readers in the areas of phonological awareness, decoding, and fluency.
A Family’s Introduction to Early Intervention in Pennsylvania: Explains how to request early intervention services; eligibility criteria; rights and responsibilities; individualized family service planning for ages birth to three; and individualized education planning for ages three to school age.
Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions: Early childhood intervention programs are designed to mitigate the factors that place children at risk of poor outcomes. Such programs provide supports for the parents, the children, or the family as a whole.
Problem Solving in Early Intervention: Intended to help parents of children receiving early intervention understood their procedural safeguards, parents rights and how to problem solve when they have concerns about their families child’s early intervention program.
Early Intervention Program Guidance for Developing a Behavior Support Policy: Provides guidance for writing a positive behavior support policy which is required for all Early Intervention programs to give program-wide guidance on developing individual support strategies, goals, and plans.
The Transition Process from Early Intervention to School-Age Programs: Explains what parents/guardians can expect to experience when their child approaches the transition from preschool early intervention to a school-age program.
Screening in Early Intervention: Facts for Family: Screening is one of the first steps in Early Intervention (EI). It is a quick look at your child in areas such as seeing and hearing; babbling, talking and understanding; playing alone and with others; eating, learning; and how your child moves his body or uses her muscles.
Outcomes of Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers and their Families: The program helps many children develop skills at a level equal to their peers by age 3. For severe cases, progress may be slower and children with degenerative conditions may even lose skills, but the program can help to slow or reduce the impact of their disabilities.