1. Early intervention and Child Development
Mindy DeGeer
ECSE Teacher
Minnewaska Area Schools

2. Learning Objectives Increase your understanding of early intervention
Review developmental milestones
Learn about “red flags” in development
Prepare you to communicate with caregivers

3. Early Intervention
System of services that helps babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Early intervention focuses on helping eligible babies and toddlers learn the basic and brand-new skills that typically develop during the first three years of life, such as:
physical (reaching, rolling, crawling, and walking);
cognitive (thinking, learning, solving problems);
communication (talking, listening, understanding);
social/emotional (playing, feeling secure and happy); and
self-help (eating, dressing).

4. early intervention services
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
Often is the service coordinator
Assistive technology (devices a child might need)
Audiology or hearing services
Counseling and training for a family
Medical services
Nursing services
Nutrition services
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Psychological services
Speech and language services

5. Typical Development; by 3 months
Motor Skills
lift head when held at your shoulder
lift head and chest when lying on his stomach
turn head from side to side when lying on his stomach
follow a moving object or person with his eyes
grasp rattle when given to her
wiggle and kick with arms and legs

6. Typical Development; 3 months
Sensory and Thinking Skills
turn head toward bright colors and lights
turn toward the sound of a human voice
recognize bottle or breast
respond to your shaking a rattle or bell

7. Typical Development; 3 months
Language and Social Skills
make cooing, gurgling sounds
smile when smiled at
communicate hunger, fear, discomfort (through crying or facial expression)
usually quiet down at the sound of a soothing voice or when held

8. Typical Development; 6 months
Motor Skills
hold head steady when sitting with your help
reach for and grasp objects
play with his toes
help hold the bottle during feeding
explore by mouthing and banging objects
move toys from one hand to another
pull up to a sitting position on her own if you grasp her hands
sit with only a little support
roll over
bounce when held in a standing position

9. Typical Development; by 6 months
Sensory and Thinking Skills
open his mouth for the spoon
imitate familiar actions you perform

10. Typical Development; by 6 months
Language and Social Skills
babble, making almost sing-song sounds
know familiar faces
laugh and squeal with delight
scream if annoyed
smile at herself in a mirror

11. Typical development; by 12 months
Motor Skills
drink from a cup with help
feed herself finger food like raisins
grasp small objects by using her thumb and index or forefinger
use his first finger to poke or point
put small blocks in and take them out of a container
knock two blocks together
sit well without support
crawl on hands and knees
pull himself to stand or take steps holding onto furniture
stand alone momentarily
walk with one hand held

12. Typical development; by12 months
Sensory and Thinking Skills
copy sounds and actions you make
respond to music with body motion
try to accomplish simple goals (seeing and then crawling to a toy)
look for an object she watched fall out of sight (such as a spoon that falls under the table)

13. Typical development; 12 months
Language and Social Skills
babble, but it sometimes “sounds like” talking
say his first word
recognize family members’ names
try to “talk” with you
respond to another’s distress by showing distress or crying
show affection to familiar adults
show apprehension about strangers
raise her arms when she wants to be picked up
understand simple commands

14. Typical Development ages 1-2 yrs.
Motor Skills
walks alone
pulls toys behind when walking
begins to run
squats to floor and returns to stand
throw a ball forward
removes simple clothing
can pick up small objects with finger tips
build a 6 block tower
washes and dries hands independently

15. Typical Development ages 1-2 yrs.
Sensory and thinking skills
finds hidden objects
sorts by shape and color
plays make-believe
complete 5 piece knob puzzle
initate social games and maintain interaction
show pride in accomplishments

16. Typical Development ages 1-2 yrs.
Language and Social Skills
imitates behavior of others
aware of herself as separate from others
enthusiastic about company of other children
parallel play
points to 3 body parts
understands 50 words
follow 1-2 step commands
2 word phrases- “up daddy”, “go bye-bye”
uses words to express needs

17. Red Flags at 1 year Does not crawl or drags one side while crawling.
Says no single words.
No or little eye contact
Sensory issues
Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or head shaking

18. Red Flags at months
Does not walk by 18 months or walks exclusively on the toes.
Does not speak at least 15 words
Does not seem to know the function of common household objects like telephones and eating utensils.
Does not imitate actions or words or follow simple instructions.
Cannot push a wheeled toy

19. Typical Development; 3-4 yrs.
Motor Skills
climbs well
walks up and down stairs, alternating feet
kicks ball
runs easily
pedals tricycle
bends over without falling

20. Typical Development; 3-4 yrs.
Sensory and Thinking Skills
matches an object in hand to picture in book
sorts objects by shape and color
completes piece interlocking puzzles
understands concept of “two”
can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts
plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
copies a circle with pencil or crayon
turns book pages one at a time
builds towers of more than 6 blocks
screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

21. Typical Development; 3-4 yrs.
Language and Social Skills
imitates adults and playmates
show affection for familiar playmates
can take turns in games
understands “mine” and “his / hers”
Follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps
Can name most familiar things
Understands words like “in,” “on,” and “under”
Says first name, age, and sex
Names a friend
Says words like “I,” “me,” “we,” and “you” and some plurals (cars, dogs, cats)
Talks well enough for strangers to understand most of the time
Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences

22. Red Flags at 3 years Falls frequently or has difficulty using stairs.
Difficulty manipulating small objects
Is unable to communicate in short phrases or understand simple instructions.
No interested in “pretend” play
Separation anxieties.

23. Red Flags at 4 years Does not respond to people outside the family.
Unable to communicate appropriately.
Shows no interest in interactive games or fantasy play.
Resists dressing, sleeping, or using the toilet.
No self-control when angry or upset

24. Red Flags at any age
Slipping backwards in any area is of major concern.
Loss of language skills and/or social skills at any age is a significant red flag.
Children who are no longer able to communicate or interact socially at levels they once could.

25. RED FLAGS: Cause for Action, Not Alarm
Developmental milestones.
Each child develops in his/her own particular manner.
Signs can be related to physical development or motor skills, vision and hearing, emotional reactions, behavioral and other issues

26. Behavior Problems
“ A rule of thumb for social and behavior problems is that a child’s social and emotional development correlates with language development.”
Raymond Tervo, MD, (Tervo, R. (2009), “Red
Flags and Rules of Thumb: Sorting Out
Developmental Delay”. A Pediatric Perspective,
Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Vol 18,
No. 2. Aggressi

27. Aggressive behaviors
May demonstrate developmental sequence as a younger typical child
May have reduced language during play
More isolated play
Less associative and cooperative play
Lack of problem solving skills during play
Lack of curiosity in play
Lack of social rules through peer confrontation

28. If there is a concern…
For any child age 0-5 years connect with Help Me Grow on their website: call GROW, or contact your local school district:
Minnewaska Area Schools Early Intervention
Starbuck Early Childhood Center

29. Working effectively and building partnerships with caregivers
Begin discussion by expressing concern for the child.
Let parents know that your goal is to help the child and you want to work together.
Ask parent have s/he noticed similar situations

30. References
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
Center for Disease Control
Raymond Tervo, MD, (Tervo, R. (2009), “Red
Flags and Rules of Thumb: Sorting Out
Developmental Delay”. A Pediatric Perspective,
Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Vol 18,
No. 2.