Blog Post #5: Early Intervention. What Services Hold Promise? --Corey Creamer

               As an educator, I am a firm believer in the use of early intervention programs for children. Children who are in pre-kindergarten range can greatly benefit from an early intervention program. Early intervention programs can help children with and without disabilities. One major benefits; is the social aspect that can occur from early intervention.  Children at a young age can learn to deal with a variety of emotions, learn socially acceptable behaviors, and learn to interact with adults, older children, and their peers.

                Another huge benefit of early intervention is the ability to get help to children who need it. Many of the students that I teach did not receive early intervention services, and the lasting effects have continued to stay with them throughout their educational career. If a student receives early intervention services early on, the student could be provided with OT, PT, or ST, which could help alleviate the need for special educational services down the road.  As stated in the YouTube video, “Providence”, 25% of the children who received early intervention services met 80% of their treatment and academic goals. These students would no longer require special education services by the time the student was in the first grade.

                Lastly, another huge benefit is the future cost reduction that early intervention education can provide.  The video  “Providence” stated that for every dollar spent on early intervention of a special education student,  economically we save seven dollars in the long run/future,  for the healthcare system,  social system, educational system, and the justice system.  WISE INVESTMENT IF YOU ASK ME, WE ARE INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE, WHICH ARE OUR CHILDREN!!! Plus schools such as the Providence school, provide free early intervention programs that are paid for by private programs, private donors, and fundraisers.

                As a teacher I cannot argue with those results stated above. Although not every early intervention program is as successful, it certainly seems to be worth the investment. As a parent you want the best for your child, as teachers we want the best for our children, and early intervention services are an extremely popular and successful option.