First three years of life crucial for a child’s development
This post is also available in: Portuguese (Portugal)
Fall River — While the first three years of a child’s life are critically important for the physical, intellectual, language, social and emotional development; the real challenge lies on a parent’s ability to identify the child’s strengths and needs during those initial years.
“This time frame [0-3 years] is critical because these skills form the child’s foundation,” explained Angela Silveira, clinical supervisor for South Bay Early Intervention, located in Fall River.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from birth to three years, a child should reach certain milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks and acts. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem, even autism. The good news is, the earlier it is recognized the more a parent can do to help their child reach full potential.
South Bay Early Intervention program aim at identifying a child’s strong points and weaknesses to ensure infants, toddlers and families reach their full potential. These home-based programs provide a variety of children and family-focused activities to help address concerns a parent may have regarding a child’s development and goals. It targets children and families who are experiencing a variety of needs arising from a child’s premature birth, feeding, vision, or hearing problems, behavior or attention difficulties, disability, health condition, developmental and environmental issues.
Fall River has two organizations that provide Early Intervention (EI) programs – the South Bay Early Intervention and People Inc.
“No family and no baby comes equipped with a manual,” stated Silveira, who added that many parents fear the term “Intervention.”
According to Silveira, South Bay EI’s full assessment is play based and the child’s behavior is assessed during a “play date” at a location chosen by the family.
All children up to age three in Massachusetts are eligible to receive a free developmental assessment through Early Intervention. A child, from birth to three years old, according to Silveira, falls under the Department of Public Health but on the child’s third birthday, he or she falls under the Department of Education.
“The eligibility is very different,” stated Silveira, regarding the eligibility requirements once a child reaches the age of three.
“We see frequently Portuguese families bringing in children at two and a half years old,” stated Silveira, who also added that the program is important even if the parent brings the child in the day before he or she turns three.
“Until the last day it is important… if they can not teach the child, they can teach the parent,” stated Silveira, who added that at South Bay the staff speaks English and Portuguese.
Silveira believes that parents in some cases fear the program for lack of understanding it and in other cases they believe there is nothing wrong with their kids.
According to the CDC, when a developmental delay is not recognized early, a child must wait to get the help needed. This can make it hard for them to learn when they start school.
The CDC indicates that in the United States, 17 percent of children have a developmental or behavioral disability such as autism, intellectual disability or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Many children also have delays in language or other areas and less than half of the children with problems are identified before starting school. During this time, the child could have received help for these problems and may even have entered school more ready to learn.
“We all want the best for our children and sometimes there are those that need a little ‘extra’ help to get started,” said South Bay Early Intervention.
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