Early intervention is the term used to describe a range of services for young children experiencing a delay in some area of their development. Services may include home visits, speech therapy, physical therapy, or other specialized services based on the needs of the child and family. Getting access to early intervention as soon as possible can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn new skills and overcome challenges.
Helpful Resources:
This website is a great source of verified health information for parents on a wide range of health topics, such as healthy living, family life, immunizations, child development, and medical conditions. They offer articles with topics including safety, disaster preparedness, fitness, school issues, dating, substance abuse, emotional wellness, psychiatric medications, grief and more. You can also use the website to find a pediatrician in your zip code.
healthychildren.org
Anyone with young children in their life can use this website to learn about Ohio’s early childhood programs and agencies. There is helpful information about developmental milestones, screenings, emotional wellness tips, healthy pregnancy and more. Use the Child Care Search tool to find a quality program near you.
boldbeginning.org
Child Care Search: childcaresearch.ohio.gov
Ohio Department of Children and Youth: childrenandyouth.ohio.gov
Sends free parenting tips and resources right to your cell phone. Messages are targeted to your child’s age and include information on child development, language, early literacy, health, safety, behavioral tips and more.
Text BRIGHT to 274448 to Sign Up
Text STOP to 274448 to Stop
General Questions: (303) 433-6200
brightbytext.org
Download the free Milestone Tracker App on your mobile device to track your child’s development from age 2 months to 5 years old. Get tips from the CDC on encouraging your child’s development and what to do if you are concerned about how your child is developing.
cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones-app.html
Delivers Head Start and Early Head Start educational services to infants and children ages 6 weeks-5 years. They operate childcare centers and provide home-based services. Programs include developmental screenings, nutrition services, onsite medical screenings, kindergarten readiness preparation, speech, vision, and hearing screenings, and family case management. Children in kinship care, foster care, families that are homeless and children with disabilities have priority for enrollment. Visit the website for Head Start locations and Child Care partner agencies.
(614) 271-4056
cdcheadstart.org
Provides important information, insights, and practical tips on kids’ mental health for families and professionals. The Family Resource Center has tons of information and resources on topics including ADHD, autism, anxiety, behavior problems, depression, OCD, gender identity, family issues, trauma, suicide, and more. The Symptom Checker analyzes your answers to give a list of psychiatric or learning disorders associated with those behaviors/symptoms (Note: this tool cannot diagnose your child, but it can help inform you of possible diagnoses to help you learn about them and facilitate a conversation with a professional). The website houses resources for teachers, pediatricians, and other professionals, and is also available in Spanish.
childmind.org
Serves: Families with children under the age of 6, children with autism or developmental delays
Early childhood educational services for children including toddler classes, preschool, and home visits. Their preschool program serves a 50:50 ratio of children both with and without developmental delays, a research-based approach aimed at creating inclusive communities. The PLAY Project is an evidence-based, parent-implemented autism intervention for young children. They offer home-based early intervention for children with delays from birth to age 3. The center also has educational resources for families, training opportunities for professionals, and community events. The school year program runs from September to May, but they accept referrals throughout the calendar year.
674 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 253-6933
childhoodleague.org
Program: Nonprofit providing occupational individual and group therapy, speech and hearing evaluations, audiology and hearing aid services, speech-language therapy sessions, community outreach programs, American Sign Language (ASL) classes for adults and youth ages 16 and older, and a Support Service Provider program.
Eligibility: Varies by program, serves young children (under the age of 6 years old) up to seniors (65 years old and older)
Cost: Varies by program; self pay and accept many insurances, including Caresource, Molina and Medicaid
Referral: Individuals may refer themselves or be referred by a physician or organization
(614) 263-5151
columbusspeech.org
Offers information about hearing and hearing loss. Use the Find a Clinic tool to find hearing checks and hearing care providers across the country. They also have a free, online hearing test. The website has information on topics including hearing loss in children, hearing conditions, consumer safety, assistive listening devices, and navigating insurance and financial help.
(800) 567-1692
healthyhearing.com
Help Me Grow is a system of free support services for pregnant parents, caregivers with young children, and families with young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Anyone can refer themselves or another family by completing the online form. Parents and pregnant people are encouraged to sign up for services as soon as possible. Services include:
Franklin County: (614) 656-3322
Ohio: (800) 755-4769
Online Referral Form: ochids.odh.ohio.gov/public/refer
Main Website: helpmegrow.org/Default.aspx
Provides developmental assessment and treatment services for children under the age of 21 with developmental, emotional, or behavioral concerns. Their team of certified Developmental Behavioral Pediatricians, Nurse Practitioners, and Psychologists can help coordinate services with families, schools, community organizations, and other healthcare providers to meet the individual needs of your child. Developmental evaluations are offered at the Livingston Ambulatory Clinic in downtown Columbus. Additional specialty services such as the Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Autism, and Behavioral Health clinics may be offered at their locations downtown or at the Child Development Center in Westerville, Ohio.
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic: 380 Butterfly Gardens Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 722-4050
Child Development Center: 187 West Schrock Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081
nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/developmental-and-behavioral-pediatrics/our-clinics
Offers educational materials for parents and caregivers from pediatric experts. Helping Hands are easy-to-read articles on topics including health conditions, caring for medical equipment at home, behavior support, medical tests, and caring for newborns. Visit the Conditions We Treat page for even more information on health conditions A-Z and how to get treatment.
Helping Hands: nationwidechildrens.org/helping-hands
Conditions We Treat: nationwidechildrens.org/conditions
This website from Nemours Children’s Health offers tons of important health information for kids, teens, and their parents. Kids can find fun videos on how the body works and approachable answers to questions like, how do casts work? The Teen website covers topics like depression, sexual health, smoking, coping with cliques, binge drinking, body image and much more. Parents can find medically-reviewed articles on how vaccines work, how to choose a car seat, developmental milestones, supporting kids’ emotional wellbeing, healthy eating, and more. Educators can also find free health-related lesson plans for PreK-12.
Kids: kidshealth.org/en/kids
Teens: kidshealth.org/en/teens
Parents: kidshealth.org/en/parents
Provides expert-based information about early childhood development from preemie/NICU to 6 years old. Use the website or download the free Baby Milestones App for information on developmental milestones, parenting practices, early detection of developmental delays, and more.
Toll-free Parent-Answered National Hotline: (800) 955-2445
pathways.org
Created by Mount Sinai Parenting Center, Sparks is a video series for parents of children from birth through 5 years of age. Sparks provides information about safety, sleep, nutrition, parent-child bonding, development and growth. Visit the website to watch the videos, or sign up for texts to get automatic text updates with your next video link as your child grows. All resources are available in English and Spanish.
Text SPARKS to (844) 650-1210
sparksvideoseries.com/watch-now
Supports individuals and families experiencing violence, including; child abuse and neglect, teen dating abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse. Services include:
655 East Livingston Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43205
General: (614) 722-8200
familysafetyandhealing.org
Offers helpful information about behavior, development, care and education of infants in their first 3 years of life. Access free resources and articles to learn about prenatal care, what to expect as your child grows, how to deal with challenging behaviors, and evidence-based positive parenting practices.
(202) 638-1144
zerotothree.org