What to Expect - LCOUNTYDD

What to expect in Early Intervention (age 0-3)

An LCBDD staff member who is trained in early childhood development will assess your child’s strengths and needs. They will ask you questions about your child’s interests, your daily routines and your priorities for your child.
Together with the members of the Early Intervention team, you will develop goals that you want your child to achieve. These goals will be written into an Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP).
One person called a Primary Service Provider (PSP) will be your primary contact. You will also have access to a team of professionals. The team consists of a service coordinator, a developmental specialist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist and a physical therapist. The PSP will keep the other team members informed about the progress your child is making.
Visits will be made at a time and place convenient for you and your family.
Your PSP will help you to discover what your child is interested in and likes to do. Together with the PSP you will explore activities that you can incorporate into everyday routines that will help to promote your child’s development. Learning opportunities can occur during routines such as bath time, meal time, indoors or outdoors, at grandma’s house, at the park or at the grocery store.
At the end of each visit, you will develop a plan of what to focus on during the coming weeks.

An LCBDD Developmental Specialist (DS) will ask you questions about your child’s interests, your daily routines and your priorities for your child.
Together with the DS, you will develop goals that you want your child to achieve. These goals will be written into an Early Childhood Family Services Plan.
Visits will be made at a time and place convenient for you and your family.
Your DS will help you to discover what your child is interested in and likes to do. Together with the DS you will explore activities that you can incorporate into everyday routines that will help to promote your child’s development. Learning opportunities can occur during routines such as bath time, meal time, indoors or outdoors, at grandma’s house, at the park or at the grocery store.
At the end of each visit, you will develop a plan of what to focus on during the coming weeks.
The Early Childhood Family Services Plan will be updated every six months.

Services must be flexible, accessible and responsive to family needs.
We believe that each family wants to provide an optimal learning environment for their child.
We see the parent as the child’s primary nurturer, teacher, and caregiver. Parents know their child’s strengths and needs best and therefore, are the child’s best source of encouragement and learning.
Team members empower parents by helping them to focus on their child’s interests and learning opportunities within the context of everyday routines.
Team members may also provide support to parents by sharing information about early child development, health, nutrition and available community resources. Parents and families have a right to this information so that they can actively share in planning and meaningful decision-making.
We view parents and the early childhood team members as partners who recognize and value the knowledge, skills, and feelings of each another.
Services are provided in such a way that each family’s unique culture, attitudes, values, feelings and priorities are respected.
We believe that children learn when they are actively engaged in playing with the people and materials; exploring, manipulating, practicing and experimenting with the people and things around them.

Parents/caregivers know their child best and have the biggest influence on their child’s development. Children learn best from those with whom they have a relationship. Because of this, your active participation during home visits is essential to your child’s progress.
Other family members also have a very important role in the partnership with the professionals who are involved with your child. Children learn every day all day long, during any of the interactions you have with your child. Having opportunities to practice and play with people who love him/her, is the best kind of learning situation there is.
You know your child better than anyone else. We will rely on you to teach us about your child, and you can rely on us to pass on our knowledge about child development so that you can optimize your interactions with your child. Remember – you are the expert when it comes to your child and your family.
Open communication between parents and team members is of the utmost importance. We want parents to share information about their child and to feel free to ask questions and express concerns. Early childhood team members build on the parents’ ideas and what they are already doing. They may also provide parents with information and activities aimed at promoting the child’s development.
Children’s play is their “work”. Parents encourage this play by following the child’s lead and activity level and providing activities that the child enjoys and is interested in.