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What are the Goals for Early Intervention?
The first 8 years of a child’s life are full of learning and growth. This is the time when children’s brains are developing and soaking up information like a sponge. That’s why the earlier you notice developmental delays or disabilities, the easier it is to help your child successfully achieve milestones as they grow. That is what early intervention (EI) is all about, and why it’s so important.
The purpose of EI is to help your child learn and grow at their own rate, with extra support from specialists in child development. Here, we’ll take a look at the goals of EI, as well as the benefits and ways in which you can spot, support, and celebrate your child’s progress.
Early Intervention Goals
EI strives to ultimately improve outcomes for children with developmental delays and disabilities, enabling them to reach their highest potential and succeed in life. To achieve this, the goals of an EI program are two-fold: there are goals for children as well as goals for families.
EI Goals for Children
An early interventionist will develop a tailor-made “game” plan for your child, using play to help your child learn. The goal is to provide the added support and nurturing children with developmental delays need to reach milestones, gain confidence, and succeed in school and social settings.
EI Goals for Families
Because primary caregivers are such an influential and important part of a young child’s life, EI programs also have a goal of providing families with the resources and tools to help their child thrive cognitively, socially, and emotionally.
How Are Early Intervention Goals Achieved?
The benefits of EI go beyond helping your child advance cognitively. EI also aids in the social and emotional development of your child. Additionally, it provides help to overcome obstacles through a multi-faceted approach that includes a variety of services, from speech and physical therapies to family training. At its core, though, EI is all about learning through play.
Playing, after all, is how children learn about the world around them and how they fit into that world. It helps them learn how to process emotions and develop social skills, and also promotes creativity, problem-solving, and imagination. Play makes learning fun! That said, how do you know EI is achieving its goals, and that all that fun is helping your child progress?
How to Know if Early Intervention Goals Are Being Met
Just how do you spot early intervention success? Well, the most obvious signs your child is responding to EI are the milestones that are reached along the way, but there are plenty of other signs EI is achieving its goals (and yours!). Namely, you will notice improvements in:
- Social behavior
- Emotional responses
- Physical abilities
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Understanding
How to Support Early Intervention Goals
Every EI program knows that engaged parents are a key factor in achieving goals and helping children succeed. Spotting early warning signs and reaching out for help is the first step in getting the extra support your child needs. Taking advantage of EI family training programs, as well as the resources and tools provided, will enable you to offer additional support at home and provide a nurturing environment, helping your child even more.
If you think that early intervention might be helpful for your child, we encourage you to give About Play a call or contact us online today. We will assess your child, create a personalized plan, and start the process of helping your child learn through play in the comforts of home. We are passionate about what we do and can’t wait to celebrate your child’s success. Let the playing and learning begin!
If you live in South Carolina and think your infant or child is experiencing developmental delays, we can help.
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