{"id":387,"date":"2019-04-18T11:41:31","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T18:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/humanservices\/?p=387"},"modified":"2019-04-18T11:41:31","modified_gmt":"2019-04-18T18:41:31","slug":"early-intervention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.piercecountywa.gov\/humanservices\/2019\/04\/18\/early-intervention\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Intervention"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was 2016 when Taylor first noticed that her 12-month old baby, Kael, may be experiencing some delays in his development. From the beginning, Kael was upset by loud noises and did not like being around crowds. When he wasn\u2019t babbling or making some of the expected noises babies make, Taylor brought him to the pediatrician\u2019s office for an evaluation. Kael was referred to a speech therapist who thought that he would benefit from seeing specialized providers in the Early Intervention Program. The family was referred to A Step Ahead Pierce County (ASAPC)<\/a>, an Early Intervention provider that serves children ages birth to three who have one or more developmental delays or a diagnosis with high probability of developmental delay.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first meeting with ASAPC was at my home,\u201d Taylor explains. \u201cTwo staff came over and explained the process, then evaluated Kael. A week or so later they came back over, and we created an Individualized Family Specialized Plan, or IFSP, that detailed Kael\u2019s strengthens and weaknesses, as well as what goals we would work on.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Step Ahead Pierce County is one of the agencies the Human Services Department<\/a> funds to provide early intervention services. In general, early intervention services are for families with children under the age of three who are experiencing delays in development. These services include but are not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and specialized instruction to assist in development across many areas.<\/p>\n

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Two young kiddos play at the Children’s Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early intervention services are provided in family homes and other community locations such as child care because infants and toddlers learn best through everyday experiences and interactions with familiar people in familiar settings. Teachers and therapists work closely with caregivers to find fun and meaningful activities which capitalize on natural learning opportunities throughout the day. When interventions are provided at home, children have multiple opportunities to practice functional skills such as walking around furniture at home; requesting food at mealtimes; or sharing toys with friends at childcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so helpful to have someone be able to come in and give a new perspective and to be honest to give us hope and understanding. Once you realize your child has special needs, there is a true mourning process. To have their staff come in and say \u2018yes, this can be hard, but we can do this,\u2019 has helped our family better adjust and handle what comes our way.\u201d
\n– Taylor<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Every year since 2014\u00a0\u00a0, A Step Ahead has partnered with the Tacoma Children\u2019s Museum to host interactive events called Story Alive. The most recent one was held in February and was based on the story The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. During the event, kids can play with various sensory toys, games, and activities that are all related to the story.<\/p>\n

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Children play with the water feature at the Children’s Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marti Cates, Early Intervention Teacher at A Step Ahead, started hosting Story Alive when she saw how positively the children were impacted. \u201cEvents like Story Alive bridge kids with special needs with communities. Often during reading, kids are not paying attention to the story but when you use puppets and other interactive elements, they love it!\u201d The interactive element at Story Alive is provided by Tacoma School of the Arts students, who put on a song\/dance routine for the children.<\/p>\n