Two babies are born within minutes of each other in a woman’s hospital in Mississippi that specializes in labor and delivery. One infant was born without any difficulties and received a clean bill of health minutes after their birth. The other baby was born without any difficulties, but was quickly diagnosed with Down syndrome which happens when there is an extra copy of genetic material on all or part of the 21st chromosome. The genetic abnormality results in children who often have cognitive development profiles that suggest mild to moderate intellectual disability . According to the National Institutes of Health, research indicates that early intervention improves outcomes for children with Down syndrome. This assistance should begin shortly after birth and continue until a child reaches age 3. At age 3, most children should receive interventions and treatment through their local school district.
In another part of the state in a rural hospital a baby was born 2.5 months early and had difficulty breathing. He was rushed to a neonatal intensive care unit in a large hospital hundreds of miles away. After 6 weeks in intensive care, the baby and mother were reunited and sent home with instructions to contact a First Steps Early Intervention specialist to start early intervention services.
According to the March of Dimes, babies who spend several weeks or months in intensive care are likely to need early intervention services to address delays in speech and language, thinking, learning and reasoning skills and motor skills. The earlier these delays are identified and treated, the more likely the child will be able to reach his potential later in life.
The scenarios of various types of problems displayed at the birth of many children in the country pointed to the need for early intervention services. The realization of the need was addressed through a national program, appropriately named Early Intervention. Established by Congress in 1986, the intent of the program was to establish a system of services to provide early intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities in recognition of “an urgent and substantial need” to: (1) enhance the development of handicapped infants and toddlers and to minimize their potential for developmental delay, (2) reduce the educational costs to our society, including our Nation’s schools, by minimizing the need for special education and related services after handicapped infants and toddlers reach school age, (3) minimize the likelihood of institutionalization of handicapped individuals and maximize the potential for their independent living in society, and (4) enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers with handicaps.
According to Northeast MS Daily Journal, young children born in Mississippi needing early intervention services are often doomed. We have allowed the requirements set by the federal government to be barely met, and in doing so created a non-system that often harms, rather than helps the most vulnerable children in the state. State leaders are so busy saving money through tax cuts, the real impact of those cuts on the lives of the future generations is dismissed. Empathic concern exhibited by state leadership for children with special needs such as autism, cerebral palsy, hearing or vision impairments is useless. Rather than pity, our children need action in the form of more funding. Our children need leaders who are committed to acknowledging and solving this unacceptable situation instead of passing this to “others” to solve. The “others” are here, waiting on funds to solve this mess. Where are the leaders?
Cathy Grace, Ed.D.