Families and Services: New Research

One of the major goals of Help Me Grow is to provide support and connections for young children when developmental concerns are identified.  Alabama’s Early Intervention System (AEIS) provides services to children birth to three who are eligible.  Alabama has one of the broadest eligibility definitions in the country – serving children with a 25% delay in any developmental area or a diagnosed condition likely to lead to delay.  Help Me Grow is designed for those who will not qualify for EI services but are identified as “at risk” of a delay.  Alabama’s EI system does not serve the “at risk” population, therefore there are children who need support and services but who do not quality for EI services in our state. 

There may be times when health care and early childhood professionals assess children and feel that they need services but do not qualify for AEIS OR a family decides they do not want EI services. EI is completely voluntary and a parent may choose not to participate even if a child is determined eligible. 

Recently a national research foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, implemented a study that revealed some staggering information about what hampers children that have “fallen through the cracks”. Five barriers the study found may surprise you. The barriers were identified based on interviews with parents of children who had been through an EI evaluation, parents of children who hadn't, and EI staff. The researchers also make recommendations for improving the referral process. Follow this link to see the barriers and recommendations.

Alabama HMG stakeholders continue to collaborate in an effort to identify all children who need help as early as possible and to coordinate with the services they need. Anyone concerned about a child's development can refer that child for an EI evaluation. If you'd like to know more about Alabama's Early Intervention System, click here.  To fill out the fax-back form to refer a child for EI services, download this PDF.

Did you know you could refer a child in your life for evaluation if you were concerned about his or her development? Find out more about developmental delays here and together, we can all make a difference for Alabama's children!