If you have a young child who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, you have probably heard the term “Early Intervention” countless times by now. Every provider you’ve interacted with has probably talked to you about the importance of getting your child into Early Intervention. You may have even started your child in some Early Intervention services by now, such as ABA therapy.
But why is it so important? At Ready, Set, Connect provide plenty of Early Intervention services and are happy to tell you why.
What is Early Intervention?
Early Intervention is defined as the services and supports provided to a family for a child who has a developmental delay or diagnosed condition (such as autism spectrum disorder) before preschool age.
Early Intervention can be speech therapy, occupational therapy, or, most commonly with children who are on the autism spectrum, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
Why is Early Intervention Important?
Early intervention is important because the younger the child, the less developed their brain is. This means that their brains are more “plastic”, and therefore more malleable. Because of this plasticity, early interventions have a greater chance of leading to long term success.
Early intervention not only gives a child the best start possible, but also the best chance of growing to their full potential. The sooner a child gets help, the greater the chance for learning and progress. In fact, some guidelines suggest starting an intervention as soon as autism is diagnosed or even seriously suspected.
For toddlers, autism spectrum disorder often shows itself with some form of regression: maybe your child has stopped talking, or maybe they’ve stopped showing interest in playing with their siblings.
We know that they are capable of those skills, so by working with them right away we are more likely to be able to bring back those abilities they once had. In fact, studies have found that for children diagnosed with autism, early intervention typically leads to gains in IQ, communication, and social interaction.
Starting Early Intervention
When you are looking for services for your young child, it can be intimidating. You want what’s best for your child, but it’s also difficult to manage bringing your child in for services for hours at a time, especially when the child has never needed to separate from a parent.
At Ready Set Connect, our goal through Early Intervention ABA services is to not only support the development of your child, but to help you understand how best to help your child at home. We provide parent education including monthly meetings, training sessions, encourage you to schedule observations, and invite you to take part in some of our sessions so that you can continue to help your child grow at home.