LCBDD will continue to support children birth to 3 under a new name: Early Intervention.

The Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities (LCBDD) has been serving children and their families in various ways throughout its 50 year history. Services for the youngest of these children — from birth until they turn 3 — have been referred to by a variety of names over time. In the past, you may have heard these services referred to as Help Me Grow. Those services will now simply be known as Early Intervention.

We want you to know that although there is a new name, the services LCBDD provides will remain the same.

Early Intervention (sometimes shortened to E.I.) is required in every state as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Infants and toddlers who have a delay or a medical diagnosis that puts them at a risk for developing a delay are eligible for services.

In Licking County, each family with an eligible child is assigned a service coordinator through LCBDD who will assist them through the process. Services are individualized for each family depending on their self-identified goals and outcomes. Services are provided at no cost to the family in their home or other community sites where their children learn and grow. LCBDD has certified developmental specialists as well as physical, occupational and speech therapists on their team of service providers. Specialized services, including the Autism Diagnosis Education Project (ADEP) and the PLAY Project Autism Intervention, are also available for children in E.I.

Early Intervention services are one part of the larger Early Childhood component of LCBDD. Children who demonstrate a delay in two developmental areas upon turning 3 are eligible to continue with services with a developmental specialist until their sixth birthday.

For more information on these or any of the services provided to children through LCBDD please visit lcountydd.org/parentsupport.

Although there is a name change, our dedicated team will continue to proudly provide consistent Early Intervention services to our county’s youngest residents.