Choosing to get your child evaluated for Early Intervention can be incredibly daunting, emotionally charged, and scary. As mom, I know. Parents can feel so guilty if a child shows signs they could use some extra help.

Instead, Early Intervention of any kind is a huge benefit to children who need it – and getting your child tested early is the best thing you can do as a parent to prepare your child for success.

Early Intervention Programs in MA are free up until age 3, and offer a variety of schedules, playgroups, and in-home opportunities that best fit your family. Specialists address concerns including speech development, physical therapy, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, occupational therapy, feeding challenges, and more.

If your child is not reaching developmentally appropriate milestones don’t hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician or directly contact early intervention, including Arc South Shore and the Kennedy-Donovan Center.

If you opt for testing for your child and they don’t meet the requirements, you’ve still gained a better understanding of how your child is developing. You can then make decisions from there if you’d like to pursue other options.

“Early” is the key word in Early Intervention. The sooner a professional can start working on a developmental delay, the sooner your child can start benefitting from the program. The testing process is specifically designed to playful, soothing, and supportive for children, while still obtaining accurate results. The testing process will not be hard on your child – and instead can be the first step in vastly improving their development.

I know firsthand how beneficial Early Intervention can be. One of my children showed a few signs they would benefit from speech therapy – and I am incredibly glad I had them tested. We worked with the Kenendy-Donovan Center and it was a fabulous experience. Not only did my child benefit, but I also learned better ways to help them at home.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here is a great St. Patrick’s Day craft for your little leprechaun. It’s super cute, and also builds color sorting and fine motor skills! How lucky! 😉

You’ll need: yellow play dough, fruit loops, and pipe cleaners

Directions for your child:

1.  Roll two donut-hole-sized balls of playdough. 
2.  Poke a pipe cleaner firmly into one ball of play dougn. 
3. Sort about 30-50 fruit loops by color. 
4. String the fruit loops onto the pipe cleaner by color; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple. 
5. Bend the pipe cleaner in an upside-down  “U” shape and poke it firmly into the other playdough. 

Happy St.Patrick’s Day!

Playing with slime is great for toddlers and preschoolers – and not just because it is ooey-gooey fun! It invites your child to practice mindfulness, builds focus and independence, assists with fine motor skills, and allows them to explore with their senses.

Valentine’s Day is a great day for slime. Follow one of our favorite recipes, below!

Have fun! Happy Valentine’s Day!