Early Intervention is the Key

Last month I wrote about the history and overall services offered by the Ashland County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The next question to answer is "How does the relationship with Dale Roy begin?"

You are in Ashland County. How do you respond when a baby is born and early on something is not quite right? Perhaps mom or dad notice a delayed response to sounds or light, maybe movement seems to be a struggle, or the baby's cry is not as expected. Curiosity turns into controlled anxiety as parents wonder what is wrong and what to do.

This scenario has played out for many Ashland County parents and they may first turn to their pediatrician for help. However, most do not know that they can also contact Help Me Grow, a state supported organization that assists families of all newborns and infants through three years of age who are at risk or may have a disability or developmental delay.

Another unknown story about the Ashland County Board of MRDD (Dale Roy) is that it collaborates with Help Me Grow to serve as a provider of critical Early Intervention programs for parents and the newborn. If an initial visit with Help Me Grow professionals raises concerns, the parents and baby may meet with the Early Intervention staff at Dale Roy to assess the child's development.

Early recognition and intervention is one of the most important factors in reducing the impact of disabilities and developmental delays. Causes for these challenges are many, but the results of Dale Roy's Early Intervention program give hope and encouragement at a most challenging time.

Currently over sixty families benefit from the work of two Intervention Specialist and Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapists. Parents or guardians bring their infant or toddler for an assessment to determine needs. It is a gut-wrenching contrast between the innocence and energy of the infant and the fear, pain, and hope expressed in the faces of many parents.

If never a parent of a special needs child, one can not fathom the multitude of feelings that parents of children with disabilities experience. The Help Me Grow and Early Intervention staffs are often the first support mechanisms for parents during this difficult time. This is where the Dale Roy program shines and separates itself from other counties' MRDD services. After the initial assessment, if eligible an Individual Family Service Plan is written. Not another pile of meaningless paperwork required by distant state agencies, rather a source of ideas, and some light in the tunnel that gives hope and direction for the family.

We can all be very proud that the plan offered to Ashland County families is carried out both at Dale Roy and in the family home. Many counties have ceased providing services in both locations, moving toward only home settings. Dale Roy truly is a comprehensive school in every way. The Early Intervention program offers what is technically known as consultative therapy, more jargon to say that really the parents and guardians are taught how they can help their loved one consistently in the security of their own home.

Support and instruction is supplemented by the intervention teachers conducting weekly classes and periodic home visits. However it is much more than Dale Roy sessions, home visits or service plans. At the most vulnerable, difficult time for many lives, supportive relationships are forged through the art of teaching and the heart of caring. Through hard work, perseverance and love, many of the infants "catch up" from their developmental delays. Those with more challenging disabilities have begun their life time relationship with Dale Roy.

I wish I could tell you that with all the known benefits of Early Intervention programs, funding is prevalent and wisely allocated. However, the State of Ohio provides no financial support. Your local tax dollars cover the costs. This is a wise expenditure as studies have shown that early intervention eliminates or reduces future costs. The taxpayers of Ashland County, parents, guardians, Intervention Specialists, and therapists add to the list of stars in the "Dale Roy Story."

Fast forward three years. Your child with a diagnosed disability is now three years old. Kindergarten is in the near future and the topic of discussion for your peers. Where do you go now? Next month we will look at another chapter in the "Dale Roy Story."