My younger son was a late walker, and as a new mom I was in a panic. Thanks to advice from friends and our pediatrician, I had my son evaluated for free by Easter Seals' Early Childhood Intervention program. Early intervention services help young children with disabilities and developmental delays achieve their goals in cognitive, social/emotional, communicative, adaptive and physical development. If your child isn't meeting developmental milestones like babbling, crawling, feeding, talking and walking by certain ages, they may qualify for extra help.
Easter Seals ECI Infant Development program is parent-driven and focuses on enhancing the development of children ages birth to 36 months with developmental delays or disabilities. They provide families with certified or licensed professionals who come into the child's natural environment, as a part of the routine where the child learns, plays and lives, and use their skills to help in the progression of reaching the child's developmental milestones. At the same time the therapists are modeling and teaching the parent/caregiver the skills needed to work by themselves with the child.
Every child who qualifies for the program is assigned a service coordinator who coordinates all the individualized services for the child in addition to being the main point of contact for the family. Other services provided may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, developmental services, nutrition services, respite services, and assistive technology assistance. If there is a concern about vision or hearing, they make referrals to the appropriate location to see that your child's needs are being met. The cost to the family is based on each family's ability to pay as determined by the state.
If you have concerns or questions about your child's development, call 713-838-9050, ext. 385 and request a free developmental assessment or visit the Easter Seals website for more details.
If you have concerns or questions about your child's development, call 713-838-9050, ext. 385 and request a free developmental assessment or visit the Easter Seals website for more details.
