All current research shows that when developmental services are provided early, outcomes are better. Take advantage of opportunities to aid your child in his/her development! Here are some resources for parents which include steps to take if you are concerned about your child’s development and/or if you just want to provide language-rich activities for your child in their daily routine:
- Early On of Michigan (0-3 year olds)
- If you think your child may have language or developmental delays and is under 3 years old, contact Early On. Early On is organized by counties (ie., Macomb County, Wayne County, Oakland County, etc.) and an evaluation is free. Depending on the county and how they distribute their funds, someone will come out and evaluate your child to determine if he/she has a developmental delay. If they do, they will provide some services for the child (ie., some speech and language, occupational therapy, physical therapy, play groups, feeding therapy, etc.) If your child is is more than 50% delayed (ie., he/she is two years old and functioning at the 12 month level) your child may be put into the counties Early Intervention Progam (see below more more information on Early Intervention.)
- Early On Referral Form or 1-800-EARLY-ON
- A Service Coordinator will come out and evaluate your child. He/she will determine your child’s eligibility for services and potentially create an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) to plan and delegate the specific services your child needs.
- If your child is determined eligible for Early On services, take advantage of local play groups in your area
- Wayne County: Great Parents, Great Starts (daily play groups)
- Macomb County
- Oakland County
- Washtenaw County
- Early Intervention (0-3 year olds)
- Early Intervention is also organized by county. As previously mentioned, if your child is more than 50% delayed (ie., he/she is two years old and functioning at the 12 month level), your Service Coordinator from your Early On Evaluation will refer you to your local school district/counties Early Intervention program.
- Early Intervention services vary greatly by county, but usually consists of a weekly preschool-ish class with home-visits provided by a speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist and/or a special education teacher
- An IFSP will be created (as mentioned in the Early On section) if your child is deemed eligible for Early Intervention.
- Preschool Programs for Children with Special Needs (36 mos-5 years)
- If you believe your child has delays in any developmental area (speech, language, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, learning) and he/she is over 3, contact your local school system. Once a child turns 3, the school district is responsible for evaluating and providing intervention for children.
- The school district will most likely send someone to your house to evaluate your child and determine if he/she is eligible for services through the district. If they are, they will develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) which is similar to the IFSP mentioned previously, but for all children over the age of 3.
- Similar to the IFSP, the IEP is a legal document. Fight for more services. Take advantage of the money your school district has delegated for special needs kids!
- Bridges 4 Kids
- Bridges 4 Kids is a website to help parents of children with special needs navigate “the system”
- Materials Exchange @ SpeakingOfSpeech
- SpeakingOfSpeech was a website all of my graduate school colleagues and I frequented for materials when planning therapy. It has TONS of picture cards, activities and ideas to help stimulate language in young kids
…this page is a work in progress. If you have any suggestions/good resources for parents with little kids, please comment and share — I’ll add the information to this page 