An estimated 15 percent of children in the U.S. have at least one developmental delay, but less than half (6.9%) of those children receive early intervention before the age of three. Early intervention services are designed to address a diverse range of developmental needs. If you are concerned about your child’s cognitive skills, communication skills, personal social skills, adaptive skills, or motor skills, we can help.
What Is the Early Intervention Program?
The first three years of life are critical years for maximizing your child’s future potential. At Inspira Early Intervention, we provide the screening and resource tools families can use to better understand their child’s developmental health.
Inspira’s Early Intervention Program (EIP) has been a provider program under the New Jersey Department of Health’s NJ Early Intervention System (NJEIS) since 1989. Our EIP provides high-quality early intervention services for families and children from birth to three years of age who are eligible for NJEIS services.
Families who have concerns about their child’s development in one or more of the below areas should contact the NJ Early Intervention System for an evaluation:
- Social and emotional skills
- Language and communication skills
- Movement skills and physical development
- Adaptive skills such as feeding, sleeping and self-soothing
- Cognitive skills such as visual and auditory attending skills, learning, thinking, playing and problem-solving
Early intervention services for eligible children and families may include developmental intervention, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social worker support and family training.
How Early Intervention Works
The NJEIS, under the New Jersey Department of Health, provides early intervention evaluations at no cost to families, right in their own homes. An NJEIS service coordinator is assigned to children who are eligible. The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) team, which the parents and/or caregivers are an integral part of, develops an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) driven by family priorities and concerns. The IFSP is a written document that identifies child and family outcomes, services, and supports needed to support the child’s optimal developmental progress.
The NJEIS program model is a family and caregiver collaborative coaching model. IFSP team members work together to enhance the family or caregiver’s capacity to support the child’s optimal development. All NJEIS services are provided in a family’s preferred language and in the child’s natural environment within the context of daily routines. This evidence-based model provides opportunities for learning in a natural, relationship-based context.
If you suspect that your infant or toddler may be experiencing developmental delays, contact the NJEIS at (888) 653-4463 to request an evaluation. If you live in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester or Salem County, you can submit a request online.
