Georgia's Babies Can't Wait program: early intervention for infants with disabilities

Birth to Three Special Needs Brochure

Early Intervention and Early Detection

Georgia's Babies Can't Wait Program

The Babies Can't Wait (BCW) program in the State of Georgia is the service delivery system for children between birth and three years of age who have developmental delays or a disability (GDPH, 2012). Once a child has been referred to the BCW program, either by a family member or physician, the parents are contacted within a few days to schedule an initial interview (GDHR, 2005). During the interview parents are given information about BCW services, are asked to sign consent forms, and if the child is determined to be eligible an evaluation is scheduled. The evaluation is conducted by a team of at least two multidisciplinary professionals with training and experience in early childhood education, early childhood special education, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, and/or nutrition (GDHR, 2005).

Examples of Services Provided

BCW-eligible services include assistive devices (e.g., hearing aids), nursing care, family counseling, medical diagnostic services, nutrition counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological counseling, and vision services (GDPH, n.d.). A few examples are provided here:

(1) The overall goal is to create a natural environment of inclusion, such that the eligible child becomes integrated into family, school, and neighborhood as much as possible (GDPH, n.d.).. Outreach programs like FACETS and TaCTICS provide training and tools that can help service providers adapt interventions to daily routines and activities.

(2) Pediatric speech-language pathologists can help mothers address feeding difficulties encountered with children born with cleft lip or palate by designing an effective feeding strategy (Miller, 2011).

(3) Occupational therapists approach special needs children from the perspective of life transitions, which the child will experience repeatedly as they develop (Myers, 2008). The roles the child is expected to play between birth and three years of age will change when they transition to pre-school and occupational therapists can help evaluate the transition and make recommendation on how best to prepare the child.

Teaching Strategies

Service providers will utilize a number of different strategies to turn normal, everyday moments into opportunities for interventions (Life Span Institute, n.d.). Open-ended questions with no correct answer can promote dialogue and engagement. Frequent encouragements can help a child of any age develop a greater sense of competence and confidence. Out loud summaries can help a child complete a complex task by listing what has been done and asking what comes next. Pairing a child with a peer can help promote learning through observation and even collaboration.

Suggested Activities

The power of the ordinary utilizes everyday experiences as opportunities for assessment and intervention (OHPI, 2009). Spending time at a park can allow a child to experiment with their physical limits or see nature up close. Interactions with parents and peers help children develop the social skills needed to navigate a sometimes complex world. Allowing children to play with bathroom fixtures or investigate the laundry room fosters curiosity about how the physical world works. Expand on this by repetitively showing and eliciting demonstrations of the physical limits of toys.