Does Your Child Need Early Intervention

What is early intervention?

Early intervention is the youngest possible age you can get services for your child. You can get them early. Young. As young as possible.

Services can be provided for a child as young as twelve months old.

Our child began his services for developmental delays (no autism diagnosis until he was age three) at fifteen months old.

How do you know if your child might need early intervention?

Below is a short list of questions you could ask yourself if you are considering an autism evaluation for your child.

This list is called the “Early Intervention Procedures.” (Autism Speaks)

Does your toddler show any of the following signs?

1. Little or no babbling by 12 months
2. No back and forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
3. The child has no response to name by 12 months
4. Or, the child has no words by 24 months
5. Does the child have any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age
6. Any preoccupation with parts of objects or toys
7. The child repeats unusual movements or actions

I have seen lists with more questions, but these are a fair way to begin your thought process.

If you answered “yes” to some or all of these questions, then what should you do?

Does your child need early intervention?

Here is some advice:

1. Don’t wait. Talk to a healthcare professional

2. Fill out an autism screener (find one online)

3. Start the evaluation and intervention process right away

4. Reach out for help

Did we ask those questions with our child?

In 2004, we found a list like the one above.

We read the list and it scared us.

We didn’t know what any of it meant. The worst thing we read was something that said, “Your child will never be able to hug you.” What?

Did we wait?

We did not wait.

We had a friend that pestered us to seek help from a regional center and another friend that called us and explained some things about autism (like the hugging thing that may or MAY NOT happen). What those friend did for us, we will never be able to pay back.

Did we fill out an autism screener?

They did not have autism screeners back in 2004. Or, if they did, we were unaware of them.

Did we start the evaluation and/or intervention process right away?

It took about three weeks for us to call the regional center.

We got in for an evaluation about a month later. My son got a “provisional“ diagnosis after that evaluation. He began services during the next month.

He was fifteen months old.

Did we reach out for help?

We received help from the regional center.

However, we did not seek out support groups of any kind at that time. We focused on our child and learning about autism on our own.

I did not attend a walk until I was a volunteer. By that time, my son was four years old and I was fairly “schooled” in autism.

Any regrets?

I regret not reaching out for support earlier.

I have learned since that time that the autism community is a very giving community.

My suggestion

I suggest you reach out to an autism-related group or a regional center. We are all connected via autism.

We all want what’s best for a child, any child.

For more on early intervention, read here:

http://www.autism-community.com/education/early-intervention/