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EARLY ON IS A SUPPORT FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN
WHO ARE EXPERIENCING DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS
OR AN ESTABLISHED CONDITION.
AND THAT WE ARE THERE TO SUPPORT
THAT CHILD'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
AND TO HELP THE FAMILY TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILD.
THE LAW THAT PROVIDES FOR EARLY ON IS A FEDERAL LAW.
IT'S THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT,
AND IT'S A PART OF THE LAW CALLED PART "C."
SO WHEN, IF YOU'RE A PARENT, FOR EXAMPLE,
AND YOU HEAR PROFESSIONALS OR OTHER PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT PART "C,"
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT EARLY ON OR EARLY INTERVENTION.
FIRST THING WE DO IS HAVE THE CHILD EVALUATED
WITH THE PARENTS' CONSENT.
BUT I EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT MY PLANS ARE,
THAT THE CHILD MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ANY DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS.
WE DEVELOP WHAT WE CALL AN INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SERVICE PLAN,
AND THAT'S DESIGNED
AFTER A FULL EVALUATION IS DONE ON THE CHILD.
AND THE MEETING HAPPENS IN THE HOME WITH THE FAMILY,
AND WE LOOK AT, WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY
TO WORK WITH THIS FAMILY?
WE TALK WITH A TEAM OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE --
EARLY INTERVENTIONISTS,
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, SPEECH THERAPISTS.
WE ALL COME TOGETHER ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY,
AND WE LET THE FAMILY DECIDE ON WHAT THEY WANT FOR THEIR CHILD.
EARLY ON IS DESIGNED AS A FAMILY SUPPORT KIND OF PROGRAM,
SO YOU'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE CHILD'S NEEDS
OR THE NEEDS OF THE INFANT OR THE TODDLER.
YOU'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE FAMILY'S NEEDS.
SO THERE ARE LOTS OF FAMILY SUPPORTS THAT ARE PROVIDED
AS PART OF EARLY ON.
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE A HOME VISITOR,
WHICH IS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL-EDUCATION TEACHER
THAT IS ASSIGNED TO EACH CHILD AND FAMILY.
THEY COME TO THE HOME TO PROVIDE
MORE PARENT TRAINING FOR THE PARENT,
TEACHING THEM WAYS AND STRATEGIES
THEY CAN HELP THEIR CHILD THROUGHOUT THEIR DAILY ROUTINES.
WE ALSO HAVE CONSULTATIVE SERVICES
OF A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, A SCHOOL NURSE,
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, PHYSICAL THERAPIST,
AND SPEECH-AND-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST,
AND A SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER
THAT ARE ALL AVAILABLE AS NEEDED,
DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS OF THE CHILD AND THE FAMILY.
SERVICE COORDINATOR, TO ME, IS A LIFELINE.
THEY'RE THE PERSON WHO GOES INTO THAT HOME.
THEY'RE THE PERSON WHO KNOWS THE FAMILY.
THEY ESTABLISH THE RELATIONSHIP
THAT ALLOWS THE FAMILY TO BELIEVE IN THIS PROGRAM.
THE SERVICE COORDINATOR IS THE PERSON
WHO IS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
AND WHERE THOSE RESOURCES ARE,
CONNECTING THE CHILD, THE FAMILY TO THE RESOURCES.
SO WHEN I GO INTO A HOME, I CAN IDENTIFY, SOMETIMES,
THINGS THAT A FAMILY MAY NEED
OTHER THAN JUST WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE CHILD,
THINGS THAT WOULD DEFINITELY SUPPORT
THE GROWTH AND LEARNING OF THAT CHILD.
YOU MAY GET IN AND FIND
THAT THE FAMILY HAS NO RESOURCES FOR FOOD,
SO YOU CAN CONNECT THEM WITH THE WIC OFFICE.
WE CAN LOOK FOR DENTAL HYGIENE
AND SEE IF THERE'S A NEED FOR THAT CHILD
FOR DENTAL SERVICES.
WE OFTEN HAVE CHILDREN THAT HAVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES,
AND THE FAMILY IS THEN HOOKED UP
WITH AN ADDITIONAL INSURANCE,
WHICH IS CHILDREN'S SPECIAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES.
OFTEN DO LEAD TESTING IN THE HOME,
HEARING AND VISION TESTING --
IF IT'S A NEWBORN INFANT, MATERNAL INFANT HEALTH PROGRAM.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS JOURNEY.
AND THAT EARLY ON IS HERE
TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD AND YOUR FAMILY
AND TO MAKE THINGS EASIER IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE LIFE FOR YOU.
AND THAT IT'S OUR ROLE TOGETHER
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NEEDS ARE FOR THE CHILD AND THE FAMILY
AND TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST SUPPORT THOSE PARTICULAR NEEDS.
BEFORE I STARTED RECEIVING SERVICES FROM EARLY ON,
I WAS VERY WORRIED
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT MOTHER INSTINCT, YOU KNOW --
"THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY BABY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT."
YOU KNOW HOW YOU JUST WANT TO --
"DOCTOR, WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY BABY?!"
BUT, YOU KNOW, I THANK GOD
THAT ONCE MY EARLY ON COORDINATOR CAME,
IT'S JUST LIKE, "PHEW!"
I WAS LIKE, "OH, HE'LL GROW OUT OF IT. IT'LL BE OKAY."
BUT I FELT I WAS IN DENIAL,
AND I DIDN'T WANT TO THINK
THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH MY CHILD,
'CAUSE YOU ALWAYS THINK "OKAY, MY CHILD IS PERFECT. HE'S MINE."
AFTER THEY CAME IN, I WAS REALLY RELIEVED.
I FELT I HAVE OPTIONS,
AND I WAS ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, HELP MY SON.
WE GOT STARTED WITH EARLY ON
PROBABLY TWO WEEKS AFTER MEGAN WAS BORN.
WE HEARD ABOUT EARLY ON RIGHT AWAY FROM SEVERAL SOURCES,
AND WE CONTACTED THEM, AND WE HAD PEOPLE AT OUR HOUSE
WITHIN JUST A FEW WEEKS AFTER SHE WAS BORN.
I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS
WAS SHE TALKED ABOUT WHAT OUR GOALS WERE
FOR MEGAN AND BECCA,
WHAT WE WANTED FOR THEM SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM,
AND KIND OF THE STEPS WE WOULD TAKE TO GET THERE.
THEY CAME UP TO THE HOUSE.
THEY MEET WITH US. THEY MEET WITH THE CHILD.
THEY DO, LIKE, A PHYSICAL EVALUATION ON THE CHILD
TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF DOING.
WE DISCUSSED DOCTORS --
WHICH DOCTORS THAT HE'D GO TO AND FOR WHAT
AND WHAT HIS DIAGNOSES ARE.
AND BASED ON ALL THAT, THEY COME UP WITH A WORKABLE PLAN.
AS SOON AS I GOT EARLY ON IN, IT WAS WITHIN NOT EVEN A MONTH
THAT I HAD OTHER PEOPLE COMING IN
AND DOING EVALUATIONS AND DOING DIFFERENT TESTS ON HIM.
I WASN'T HAVING TO BRING HIM TO THE HOSPITAL FOR THE TESTS.
THEY WERE COMING TO ME.
I WOULD SAY THAT HAVING EARLY ON
ACTUALLY COME INTO OUR HOME TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES
WAS A HUGE BENEFIT.
CERTAINLY, AGAIN, WITH ANY SMALL CHILD,
THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT GOING ON.
AND IN THE CASE OF MEGAN, AND EVENTUALLY BECCA, AS WELL,
THERE WAS A LOT OF ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES.
AND SO HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEM
ACTUALLY COME IN THE HOME TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES
IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS COMFORTABLE FOR US
AND CERTAINLY AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WAS COMFORTABLE
FOR BOTH GIRLS WAS A HUGE BENEFIT.
I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO KNOW
THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A REFERRAL
FROM A PHYSICIAN, PER SE, TO ACCESS EARLY ON SERVICES,
THAT IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT,
YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND ASK FOR AN EVALUATION TO BE DONE
JUST BASED ON YOUR OWN CONCERNS.
IN THAT EVALUATION, WE LOOK AT FIVE DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS.
WE LOOK AT THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT.
WE LOOK AT COGNITIVE, COMMUNICATION,
SELF-HELP, AND SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SKILLS.
NO, IT DID NOT COST US ANYTHING. [ laughs ]
ANOTHER THING THAT WAS SO SURPRISING
IS HERE SHE WAS GETTING PHYSICAL THERAPY,
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, SPEECH.
WE HAD A TEACHER, A COORDINATOR,
COMING IN AND KEEPING EVERYTHING ORGANIZED,
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALL FREE TO US.
AND IT WAS JUST -- YEAH, WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
IT WAS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE.
GO THROUGH THE EVALUATION PROCESS,
FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CHILD IS DEVELOPMENTALLY,
WHETHER OR NOT YOUR CHILD REALLY NEEDS EXTRA SUPPORT
TO TRY AND REACH THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
IN TERMS OF THAT'S EXPECTED FOR HIS OR HER AGE.
AND DON'T HOLD BACK.
DON'T WORRY. BUT DON'T WAIT.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU JUST CALL US,
AND WE'LL BE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU.