ACCESSING EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES
What does Early Intervention involve?
Early Intervention services can vary widely from state to state and region to region. However, all services should address your child’s unique needs and should not be limited to what is currently available or customary in your region.
Early Intervention services can vary widely from state to state and region to region. However, all services should address your child’s unique needs and should not be limited to what is currently available or customary in your region.
Early intensive behavioral intervention involves a child’s entire family working closely with a team of professionals. In some early intervention programs, therapists come into the home to deliver services. These services can include parent training with the parent leading therapy sessions under the supervision of the therapist. Other programs deliver therapy in a specialized center, classroom or preschool.
Depending on your child’s needs, his or her early intervention services may include, among others:
- Family training, counseling and home visits
- Speech, occupational and physical therapy
- Audiology services (hearing impairment services)
- Psychological and medical services
- Social work services
- Assistive technology devices and services
- Adaptive equipment
- Nutrition services
- Health services needed to benefit from other services
What Early Intervention services are currently available and do they help?
Scientific studies have demonstrated that early intensive behavioral intervention improves learning, communication and social skills in young children with autism. While the outcomes of early intervention vary, all children benefit.
Researchers have developed a number of effective early intervention models. They vary in details, but all good early intervention programs share certain features.
They include:
- Family training, counseling and home visits
- Structured therapeutic activities for at least 20 hours per week
- Highly trained therapists and/or teachers delivering the intervention
- Specific and well-defined learning objectives – and regular evaluation and recording of the child’s progress in meeting these objectives
- A focus on the core areas affected by autism, including social skills, language and communi- cation, imitation, play skills, daily living and motor skills
- Opportunities for your child to interact with typically developing peers
- Active engagement of parents, both in decision- making and the delivery of treatment
- Therapists’ respect for perspectives of your child and your family
- A multidisciplinary team that can include a physician, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and other professionals
Objective scientific studies have confirmed the benefits of two methods of comprehensive behavioral early intervention: the Lovaas Model based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and the Early Start Denver Model. Parents and therapists also report success with other commonly used behavioral therapies, including Floortime, Pivotal Response Therapy and Verbal Behavior Therapy.
Monitoring Progress
Develop a plan with your Early Intervention specialist focused on your child’s current level of skill and where you want your child to be in the next month to a year. Determine the best way to track whether or not he or she is moving in the right direction. Intervention for autism needs to be flexible and individualized. Each child with autism is unique and special and should not be treated the same. Some interventions are focused on particular skill sets like joint attention; others cover multiple developmental domains.
The important part of early intervention therapies is that they are evidence-based. You can learn more about the latest research on behavioral interventions on the Autism Speaks website.
What can I do when my child is not getting intervention services?
Some of the strategies or skills that are taught in the clinic by your child’s therapist may be able to be repeated at home. This time shouldn’t be used to replace what is happening by a trained behavioral therapist, speech or occupational therapist or other expert. However, it is important that skills be taught in natural environments and incorporated into daily activities. Talk to your therapist or Early Intervention specialist about ways you can work together with your child. Research has shown that this extra time will likely improve the outcome and definitely give you the opportunity to take part in your child’s therapy.
Based on researcher recommendations, the Association for Children and Families has put together a guide to help parents facilitate development every day. This guide can be found www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/child-health-development/asd. The major themes include:
- Engaging your child in play through joint attention
- Using your child’s interests in activities
- Using a shared agenda in daily routines
- Using visual cues
- Sharing objects and books
- Teaching your child to play with others
- Using predictable routines and predictable spaces for your child
