Early Intervention is a program through the Illinois State Department of Human Services that provides supports and services for families to help their children ages 0-3 years old to meet their developmental milestones and participate within their family and community. This program serves children with developmental delays, and is helpful for children with Autism, Speech Delays, Torticollis, and other conditions. First, you will need to get connected with a Service Coordinator through the Illinois Department of Human Services. Use the DHS Office Locator or call 1-800-843-6154 to find an Early Intervention Child and Family Connections office in your local area. Learn more about how your child can access publicly funded therapy at https://eyaslanding.com/early-intervention-accessing-publicly-funded-therapies/
Early Intervention utilizes various methodologies to support your child’s growth and development to help them participate in their family, community, and with peers with the most independence possible. Below are some of the methodologies utilized in Early Intervention:
- Family Therapy: Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling that aims to help families improve communication and resolve conflicts. In early intervention, family therapy can be used to help parents and other family members learn how to better understand and support their child with developmental delays or disabilities. By involving the family in the therapy process, it can help create a supportive and nurturing environment for the child.
- DIR (Developmental, Individual-Differences, Relationship-Based Model): DIR is a developmental framework that focuses on helping children with developmental delays or disabilities improve their social, emotional, and cognitive abilities. DIR emphasizes the importance of building relationships with children and creating an individualized approach to intervention that takes into account each child’s unique strengths and challenges.
- Floor time: Floor time is a specific technique within the DIR framework that involves getting down on the floor with a child and engaging in interactive play. Floor time is designed to help children with developmental delays or disabilities to improve their communication, social skills, and emotional regulation.
- The Hanen Approach: The Hanen Approach is a communication-focused intervention program that aims to help young children with developmental delays or disabilities improve their communication skills. The program focuses on teaching parents and caregivers how to support and encourage their child’s communication development through everyday interactions.
- Sensory Integration: Sensory integration is a type of therapy that focuses on improving a child’s ability to process and respond to sensory input from their environment. Sensory integration can be helpful for children with developmental delays or disabilities who have difficulties with sensory processing, such as hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to certain stimuli.
Overall, each of these methodologies can be beneficial in early intervention by providing individualized, family-centered approaches to support a child’s development and improve their overall quality of life.
At Eyas Landing, our multidisciplinary team of Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Developmental Therapists, and Social Workers seamlessly collaborate to design an individualized treatment plan for your child to set them up for success in their growth, development, and learning. Contact us to learn more about how Early Intervention can support your child and to schedule services today.
Learn More About My Programs
Blue Bird Day is a rotational therapy program structured like a preschool or kindergarten, but instead of teachers all our staff are therapists! This program is designed to foster socialization, sensory regulation, and learning for children ages 2-7 and helps provide children the tools they need to succeed in a traditional classroom.
Eyas Landing is an outpatient therapy clinic that provides services for children ages 0-21. Our multidisciplinary team of therapists provide ABA, developmental, occupational, physical, speech, nutrition and feeding therapy along with early intervention, social work, counseling, and neuropsychological testing at our West Loop clinic, in-home, at school, and virtually.
Merlin Day Academy is a therapeutic day school for children ages 6-14. Our proprietary model utilizes daily therapeutic and educational rotations to support children’s growth, learning, and their transition into the least restrictive environment possible.
