Jane and ADMH

Jane Duer is the Early Intervention (EI) Coordinator for the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH), one of many state partners with Help Me Grow. Jane joined ADMH in November 2012 after working at Children’s of Alabama for 21 years. In January 2013, Jane attended a Help Me Grow meeting of southeastern state leaders. We’re excited to have Jane as part of our team and wanted to share her perspective on HMG in Alabama…

Through my work at Children’s and now at ADMH, I know firsthand that many families of young children face difficulties in finding the resources, supports and services to help their children. While there are great resources available in Alabama, children and families still get lost and don’t know how to find their way. I’m passionate about Help Me Grow and ADMH EI because they have similar missions - to identify and connect developmentally delayed children and their families to services and other resources, provide outreach to physicians, and increase awareness regarding the importance of early screening and intervention to improve a child’s developmental outcomes. 

ADMH EI participates in Alabama’s Early Intervention System (AEIS) by contracting with 27 local community agencies across the state to provide direct EI services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families. An infant or toddler in Alabama under the age of three may be eligible for EI services if they are experiencing at least a 25% delay in any of the five areas of development: cognitive, communication, physical (includes motor, hearing, and/or vision), adaptive/self-help, or social/emotional, or have a medical diagnosis that has a likelihood of leading to developmental delay during early childhood.

I am proud to coordinate ADMH’s EI service providers and to deliver much-needed services to children and families across the state. While Help Me Grow is still in its own “early childhood,” it has the potential to make incredible improvements in the lives of Alabama’s youngest children and families. HMG is something we as Alabama residents and stakeholders can be proud of and should help support in any way possible.

To find out more about Early Intervention in Alabama or to refer a child for screening and evaluation, click here.