News

My journey to an Early Intervention evaluation


Dora and her child who recently started receiving supports for his development

Recently, my 9-month-old was referred for an Early Intervention evaluation. My rational brain is grateful for the opportunity to include an early interventionist on his support team alongside his teachers, my partner, and me, and as someone working in the early childhood system, I know that this is what he needs to be successful. My “mom” brain, not surprisingly, is struggling to get there, but talking to his teacher and my child development colleagues is helping me to get grounded and focus on what is best for my child. 

How did we get here? 

Since I started with Building Bright Futures four years ago, our team, alongside Help Me Grow Vermont, has been promoting awareness of the CDC’s “Learn the Signs, Act Early” campaign, including access to developmental screenings, and connection to Early Intervention when a concern is identified. Needless to say, I downloaded the Milestones Tracker app during my pregnancy. 

For the first few months of using the app, it was super fun to check off the milestones. Yes! He can hold his head up. Yes! He has started to babble. Yes! He likes to look at himself in the mirror. When we completed his 4-month Age and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) at his child care center, we checked off almost everything in each of the categories of the developmental screening tool. 

When we got to the 6-month milestone checklist, there were a few things that he wasn’t doing. Is he rocking back and forth on his hands and knees? Not yet, but I wasn’t too concerned. All children are different, he is the oldest in his class, he doesn’t have a sibling to copy, etc., so I let it go. 

In the 9-month checklist, there were more milestones he wasn’t meeting. I spent a lot of time going back and forth. Was I overreacting? Am I someone who has just enough information to cause more worry?

I finally decided to reach out to his child care center. They were already planning to use the ASQ developmental screening prior to the spring parent conferences, but they were more than willing to jump ahead and complete a screening in his classroom as well as sending one home for us to complete. As we were completing the screening at home, it became clear to me that he was indeed behind in both communication and gross motor development. So when we talked with his teacher after the classroom screening was completed, we were not at all surprised that a referral was the next step to be able to support our child. 

What’s next?

I am lucky to know many of the early interventionists from Children’s Integrated Services at The Winston Prouty Center, so I’m not going into this blind. Even so, I’m still not sure what this process and intervention will include—especially during a pandemic. 

How impressive is it that, in our Vermont communities, every child and family has a variety of opportunities and settings in which to complete these screenings? These screenings have become the norm rather than the exception—reducing stigma, increasing the opportunities for early identification and intervention, and supporting each and every child. 

I’ve been sharing this message for four years as part of my work, but a theoretical understanding is different from a personal experience. You can be sure that our family’s journey will inform my approach to this work. 

All in all, both my rational brain and my “mom” brain are glad that he will be able to get the services, resources, and supports that he needs.

Download the Milestones Tracker app

Complete an online Ages and Stages developmental screening

Similar Blog

News

November 8, 2023

RSVP for Statewide Regional Council Summit on Dec. 12

Registration is open for our 4th Annual Statewide Regional Council Summit on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon, via Zoom or in person at Counseling Services of Addison County, 109 Catamount Park, Middlebury, VT. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Joshua Sparrow (pictured), child, adolescent, and general psychiatrist, and Executive Director of […]

Read More

Blog

Cover of BBF Policy Playbook Cover 2023
October 30, 2023

State Advisory Council Endorses 2024 Policy Recommendations

On Oct. 23, the State Advisory Council (SAC) formally endorsed the Policy Recommendations of the Vermont Early Childhood State Advisory Council Network for 2024! These recommendations represent the most pressing and actionable priorities for early childhood stakeholders throughout the Building Bright Futures Network. We also released a new Policy Playbook explaining what the recommendations mean, […]

Read More

Blog

Students listen during a BDCC ECE course
September 29, 2023

VECF Spotlight: Early Childhood Workforce Development for New Vermonters in Brattleboro

“The feel-good is great, but the real feel-good is doing something that lasts longer than the duration of this grant funding.”  That is what Alex Beck, Welcoming Communities Manager for the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), told me toward the end of our conversation about BDCC’s successful 2023 pilot program to train New Vermonters in […]

Read More

Stay up to date on news + events.

Please check your inbox for a confirmation email.