Hello!
Early Intervention Programs provide services to infants and
toddlers, from birth up to 3 years old, who have established or suspected
developmental delays. Children are
usually referred by a pediatrician who identifies the child as being in need of
services, or perhaps by concerned parents or caregivers who think their child
may have a developmental delay.
We have
interdisciplinary teams of incredible clinicians on our staff, and they come
out to the family home, or to a community-based center or day care center, to
work with the child and to connect with the families. Our philosophy includes working with the family
in the natural environments of the child! We start with our initial intake and
assessment process, during which a team will determine if the child is eligible
for services. This team will engage the
parent or caregiver to help them understand what kinds of delays the clinicians
are seeing, and what the recommended treatment will be. The team might be composed of a Developmental
Specialist, a Speech and Language Pathologist, a Physical Therapist, an
Occupational Therapist, a Social Worker, or even a Registered Nurse. We only bring onto the team the clinicians
who can be of help to the child.
Services are provided free of charge to families, and are covered by
most forms of health insurance, including Mass Health, and are supported by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH).
Our goal is to assist
the child in their development, be it physical, cognitive, social-emotional,
language and speech, or other areas, so that they can become a happy and developing
family member and community member. We are especially excited to meet children and
families for the first time, and understand what families, parents and caregivers, want for their children. We work in partnership with family members,
viewing parents and caregivers as a team member working with us. Semi-annual and annual assessments help us to
know how we are progressing toward our goals.
If a child is still in the REACH program as he or she approaches 3 years
old, we will work with the family to transition the child to the local school
district for any ongoing services.
Most people do not
know that Early Intervention is a public health program, mandated by the Federal
government and managed in each state by a state-designed entity. Those of us providing Early Intervention
services follow many state regulations and guidelines in order to provide the
best services to the children and families we serve. All our clinicians have advanced degrees in
their areas of expertise, and Massachusetts DPH reviews and approves all our
clinicians. All our clinicians also receive
training to become a Certified Early Intervention Specialist.
I come to Early Intervention following a 35+ year career as
a mental health clinician, a graduate school professor, a philanthropy officer,
and a healthcare consultant. My Masters and PH.D degrees are in Psychology. I have worked with many clients over the
years, and in many different systems in mental health, social services, and
philanthropy. From what I have seen,
REACH is an excellent program with dedicated and caring staff, and it is part
of a larger organization, ServiceNet, that offers a variety of mental health
and social service programs throughout the Pioneer Valley and into the
Berkshires. I am excited to join REACH
Early Intervention at this time, and look forward to sharing my thoughts and
impressions over the next weeks, months, and years to come.
-
Michael Hutton-Woodland, Ph.D.
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