About Early Intervention

Early Intervention (EI) is a system of services that supports infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities. The goal of EI is to facilitate the developmental progress of children ages birth to five years. Children who are eligible for EI may have developmental delays, certain diagnosed conditions, or be experiencing circumstances which are likely to result in significant developmental problems without intervention. Early Intervention includes developmental assessments, treatment planning, home visits, special instruction for families and caregivers, and specialized strategies and interventions to enhance the child's development and support families. These interventions and services promote the competency and confidence of the family and designated caregiver(s) to respond to the child's developmental needs. 

Early intervention focuses on helping eligible infants, toddlers and very young children (ages 0-6) learn the basic and brand-new skills that typically develop during the first three years of life. Some of these skills include:

• physical (reaching, rolling, crawling, and walking);
• cognitive (thinking, learning, solving problems);
• communication (talking, listening, understanding);
• social/emotional (playing, feeling secure and happy, behavior);
• adaptive (self-help, eating, dressing, etc).

Early Intervention can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn new skills and overcome challenges, EI has been proven to increase success in school and in the later years of life. If you, a family member, your child care provider, your child’s doctor, or another caring adult is concerned about your child’s development, please contact Pediatric Early Intervention & Developmental Services (PEIDS) at (843) 225-0093 to begin the process of determining if your child is eligible for services. A doctor referral is not necessary, and if your child is eligible for early intervention, there is no cost to you regardless of your family's income.

If an infant or toddler has a developmental delay, disability, or a diagnosis that will likely result in a disability or a delay in development, s/he will likely be eligible for early intervention services. EI will be tailored to meet the child’s individual needs. 

Services may include:

• Service coordination
• Family training or counseling
• Special instruction
• Speech and language services
• Physical therapy
• Psychological services 
• Audiology or hearing services
• Medical services
• Nursing services
• Nutrition services
• Occupational therapy
• Assistive technology (devices a child might need for everyday functioning)

An early interventionist (EI) is an experienced professional who specializes in working with children ages 0-5 who have developmental delays or disabilities and their families or caregivers. Through relationship focused, strengths based prevention, intervention, and treatment, early interventionists plan and implement specialized strategies, supports, and interventions based on each child's individual needs. At PEIDS, our early interventionists' goal is to help families gain competence and confidence in supporting their children's growth and development. 

Assessments

Early Interventionists first assess young children for developmental delays or disabilities that could impede their learning or cause them to develop more slowly than typically developing same-age peers. The core developmental areas that the EI will assess include: 

• Physical/motor (e.g. crawling, walking, rolling over, etc.)
• Cognitive (e.g. learning & problem solving)
• Communication (language, listening, understanding)
• Social and Emotional (emotions, behavior, interactions)
• Adaptive (self-help skills, dressing, eating, toileting)

After the assessment, the EI will plan individualized interventions and strategies that support each child with growing and developing in the areas of need. The EI will speak with the child's family to determine goals, and then develop age and developmentally appropriate strategies and supports that are aligned with the family's goals as well as the skills and developmental domains where the chid is delayed. 

Then, based on the child's service plan (IFSP), the EI will make frequent visits to the child's natural environment (e.g. home, child care center, park, etc.) to work on building developmental skills using strategies, supports and interventions that are specific to. the child's needs. The EI will teach and work with the family or caregiver on incorporating developmental support strategies between the EI's visits. These strategies may often seem like "just playing", but your EI will show and explain to you how children learn through strategies that often appear to be "just play" to adults. 

In addition to implementing hands on strategies, your EI is familiar with local resources and supports and will also assess your ongoing needs and help to coordinate other services as needed. These services might include respite care, obtaining assistive technology, occupational or physical therapy, audiology and others. 

In conclusion, the early interventionists at PEIDS are caring, compassionate, experienced and skilled practitioners who understand that caring for a child with a developmental delay or disability can be challenging. No matter the need, we're ready to support you. Our team has the knowledge, experience and expertise to help you help your little one reach their greatest potential. We look forward to partnering with you.