But sometimes as a parent, especially during infancy, we worry about their development - when they should say their first word, when they should start crawling or walking - and their behavior like what happens when a timeout doesn't work.
That's why I'd like to highlight Lebanon County Early Invention, which is part of the Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention office. To let you know that there is a place you can go for help or answers to those questions.
Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide program that works with children up to age three (see IU info at bottom for kids 3 and up), but each county has its own office who coordinates services for families residing in that county. Families can be referred to EI by a doctor or a parent can call directly and request an evaluation for concerns relating to their child.
Evaluation and Services
Once the call is made, the EI Supervisor assigns a Service Coordinator to handle that case and schedule an intake appointment when parents learn more about the EI program and sign consent forms for an evaluation and release of medical records.
Then, an evaulation is scheduled where an evaluation team will assess all aspects of your child's development, regardless of the concern identified. Results will be provided to you that day and those results will determine if your child is eligible to receive services that are provided free of charge.
It is at this point, where Kerri is quick to remind families though that they are not medical doctors or a medical model of treatment. Each Service Coordinator in their office has a bachelor's degree in a social service field, experience working with children and all of their clearances. They are also required to attend a minimum of 24 hours of training annually, in addition to mandated training programs.
The EI program is designed as a family training model where services are provided in your home or maybe at a local park and a parent/guardian must actively participate so they can continue to implement the strategy on a consistent basis.
EI has 25 different agencies that can provide services to eligible children and each provider is required to meet state and federal regulations.
How to Contact Them
For more information on Lebanon County Early Intervention, you can visit their website at http://www.lebcounty.org/MHIDEI/Pages/home.aspx or call them at 717-274-3415.
This brochure also provides more information about Early Invention, while this brochure offers a look at developmental milestones by age.
For children age 3 and older, please contact the Lancaster-Lebanon IU-13 office at 717-606-1601 for more information on scheduling an evaluation and services available.
