The Challenges We Face with Early Intervention Services

By Groundwork Ohio Early Childhood Fellows:

Courtney Nerad

Michelle Shelton

Chris Acock

Introduction

Across the state of Ohio, in the classrooms teaching our youngest children, teachers are noticing things. It can be as simple as a child not saying “mommy” or “daddy” by the time they turn 1. It could be that a child has difficulty playing with their peers or a hard time emotionally regulating when they get upset. The teacher meets with the family and tells them their child might need services. But providers cannot diagnose. So, the state has built systems- partnering with school districts and children’s hospitals to get children the support they need at an early age. We call these services “early intervention.” 

The central question facing this brief is how well are these early intervention systems working? How responsive are they to the needs of parents and providers alike? And how can the state of Ohio continue to fine tune these systems to make sure that every child is given every chance. To conclude, we surveyed providers to obtain a holistic understanding of the early intervention systems and how the teachers teaching children birth through five experience the early intervention system. 

Overview 

In 2024, 34,748 children were referred to early intervention services in the state of Ohio according to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. The process sounds easy on the surface; providers and parents make a referral for services. Service coordinators call back to set up an evaluation, after the evaluation, the family is referred to the services that should most help their child. However, a study from the National Institute for Early Education Research found Ohio served only 2.6% of children eligible for early intervention and early childhood special education. Well below the national average of 3.7%. Our survey demonstrated three key gaps that hinder service delivery: services have long wait lines, there is poor communication with parents, and providers need for a better understanding of other service options available to them. 

Wait Times

One of the underlying assumptions of this survey was that there would be long wait times at every step of the early intervention process. However, we were surprised to see that this is not the case. Many respondents told us it takes only a couple weeks to receive a referral. From the referral, another two weeks or so to get an evaluation. Respondents seemed to notice that the bottle neck seems to form when it comes to the delivery of services. One provider told us that when it comes to the child receiving services, “it could be a while.”

We asked respondents what resources might be helpful to them to better engage with early intervention services and 75% responded that they wanted to see some sort of resource guide developed so they could better understand who to call for services and how to avoid long queues for service. Across respondents we saw, “personal contact information for anyone at these agencies” and “some sort of tool that has all the numbers I need for services.” 

Parent Communication

Last year, 1,042 children were left without services, not because they didn’t need them but because there were challenges in contacting families. Our survey backed up this claim with one respondent saying: “I’ve done it on the parent end, but it was a little frustrating. There would be phone calls and messages at times where I was unavailable (working), and I was playing phone tag to be able to get ahold of someone to make contact. Then once we scheduled the evaluation, something happened, and it had to be rescheduled. And then the day of, the time changed”. 

Parents also seem hesitant to refer their child for services. Consistently, responding providers asked for literature that better explains what early intervention services are and how these services can help the child and family better prepare that child for the k-12 learning environment. 

An All or Nothing System

Four of our respondents told us the same story: they would go through the referral and evaluation processes and the service coordinators would return deeming that the delays were not significant enough for that child to qualify for services. This leaves providers caring for children who are exhibiting a delay, some of which are disruptive to their classrooms, without the tools necessary to help that child. This was especially true for providers who referred parents to their local school districts where the child must exhibit severe delays to qualify for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This was the other reason providers consistently asked for some sort of resource guide, so that if they were turned down, they could pursue other options for the children in their classrooms.

Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

Ohio’s early childhood intervention system is failing its most vulnerable children. Despite clear signs of developmental delays, children are being denied timely support due to bureaucratic delays, a reluctance to diagnose, and systematic inefficiencies. These failures undermine the promise of early intervention, places undue burdens on educators, and deprives the child at the best chance to succeed in the classroom. 

Ohio’s children deserve better. Early intervention is not just a service, it’s a lifeline. By addressing the systemic failures in the current system, we can ensure that every child can thrive.

Our recommendations are: 

1. Mandate Timely Evaluations: Enforce a strict 60-day timeline for evaluations from the date of referral, as outlined in federal IDEA regulations.

2. Early Identification Training: Provide training for school district staff on the importance of early diagnosis and intervention.

3. Accountability Measures: Implement state-level oversight and reporting requirements for early intervention timelines and outcomes and ensure regulations are consistently applied within school districts across the state. 

4. Family Advocacy Support: Fund programs that help families navigate the intervention system and advocate for their children.

5. Expand Access to Services: Increase funding for early childhood programs and specialists to reduce bottlenecks in service delivery and ensure that children receive services year-round.