HOPE and Early Intervention

Early Intervention for children from birth to age three and their families is a joint effort of the Henry County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Help Me Grow. The purpose of Early Intervention is to support care providers in developing the competence and confidence to help their child learn.

Once a child is determined eligible for services, a team of early intervention professionals support the child and family. Members of the team include developmental specialists, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a speech-language pathologist and Help Me Grow service coordinators. The role of the developmental specialist (or any team member) is to support child participation in everyday activities that are important and interesting to the child and family using coaching as the method of interaction between the parent and practitioner. The coaching role redefines who supports are intended for, thus broadening the concept of serving a child with a disability to support key people involved with the child across a variety of activities.

One of these team members serves as the primary service provider. This professional visits the parents and child in their home or other places where they regularly spend time; the natural environment could include the daycare center, grandparents’ house or a combination. At each visit, the family and the primary service provider work together to support the child’s development during everyday activities and schedules. The primary service provider consults with other team members as needed, and those other team members may join in the visits with the child and family.

The service coordinator and primary service provider helps guide parents through services. They learn about the family, their daily activities as well as hopes and priorities for the child. They listen to the parents’ goals for their child, help to put needed services in place and monitor the child’s progress on the individualized family service plan (IFSP). They also help the family through the eligibility process, schedules evaluations and assessments of the child and works with other team members to ensure a smooth delivery of services.

The family…

• Talks with the primary service provider (and other team members, as needed) about its interests, priorities, needs and questions so together they can identify practical solutions to the challenges that impact day-to-day lives.
• Determines success based on how the child’s progress fits with what is important to the parents.
• Benefits from the knowledge and expertise of the entire team through a coaching approach. (The professionals on the team support parents in their role as the child’s most important teacher rather than playing that role themselves.)
• Is an equal partner in the team, and plays the most important role in the child’s learning and development.

The team…

• Respects that parents know their child better than anyone and that a child learns best from the parents and other familiar people in places where he or she naturally spends time.
• Welcomes the participation of family, friends and other people who regularly support the child’s learning and development.
• Meets to discuss how to best serve the family. Parents can choose to participate in person or by phone, if they prefer.
• Learns from the expertise of each member to help meet outcomes that leads to meaningful improvements in the family’s life.