As someone working in the health care field, I have become all too familiar with the need for early intervention and how important it can be for a child’s overall progress.
There are parents who travel to larger states in search of better medical care and services, of which early intervention is a significant one. One particular case comes to mind, where Spanish-speaking parents sought early intervention for their daughter, but she was placed on a waitlist for months. She was only two years old when they received a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis, which also led to intellectual delays. Overwhelmed and distrustful due to language barriers and the numerous referrals that led to their daughter being indefinitely waitlisted for services, they struggled to navigate the health care system and felt neglected in accessing available services.
Children between the ages of one and three require intensive care for their developmental needs. Early intervention involves identifying and addressing challenges or developmental delays in children as early as possible to maximize their potential. In education, it helps support students who may be struggling academically or socially, offering tailored resources and strategies to help them succeed. In health care, it involves timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment to prevent conditions from worsening and to promote better long-term health. Socially, early intervention programs provide support to families and individuals facing socio-economic difficulties, aiming to reduce challenges before they progress. Early intervention recognizes the importance of proactive measures to promote growth, resilience, and a better quality of life.
We often focus so much on the early development of motor and coordination skills that it is easy to miss how children are socially interacting. If you are not specifically looking for social-communication skills, you may easily overlook them. For immigrant families, another layer of difficulty is the language barrier, as they find it challenging to express the behaviors and skills their child is exhibiting, even if they do notice them.
Navigating language barriers can be difficult, fraught with challenges and misunderstandings. Conveying medical terminology or treatment needs to someone whose language is unfamiliar presents a formidable challenge. Each interaction becomes filled with gestures and fragmented words in attempts to bridge the gap. Yet, once an understanding is formed, we can begin addressing the child’s needs together. This initial difficult step can be avoided with bilingual staff to help these patients feel more at home and comfortable enough to express their needs.
In my conversations with parents of patients, using an interpreter, they expressed feeling abandoned by the system, echoing the sentiments of many parents in similar situations to theirs. These cases highlight a broader issue faced by social and medical programs, which are unable to meet the need while being short-staffed. When these young children are not provided appropriate services at an early age, they will need twice as many services when they enter school, making the experience even more daunting for them and their caregivers.
While professionals find this work challenging, it is also profoundly impactful. Agencies and hospitals continue to advocate for the funding of early intervention programs while also wanting to train staff on updated methods and not stick to outdated practices. Hiring bilingual staff would greatly enhance communication and care for migrant populations, whose trauma levels often surpass those of local patients. This results in these children needing additional care through early intervention when their families migrate during the children’s early years.
Despite the commendable efforts of early interventionists, significant change can only occur when programs are sufficiently funded and resources are appropriately allocated to help the bilingual population. With the influx of immigrants moving to the United States, especially seeking better medical care than they were able to get back home, we urgently need to address this gap by advocating for increased funding and support from the government. By addressing early intervention needs head-on, we can ease children’s global development, reducing the necessity for services and interventions as they age.
Stephanie Dominic Berchmans is a social worker.
