Early Intervention Services

WHAT IS
EI?

GETTING
STARTED

PARENT
RESOURCES

YOUR
TEAM

What is Early Intervention at The Arc Alliance?

The Arc Alliance Children’s Services provides Early Intervention and support services to children between the ages of birth and three years with developmental delays. We are excited to share with you the support and services we provide children from birth to three years of age.

In addition to services for your child, we also provide support for your family through groups and activities. We hope the information on our site provides you with the answers and steps to become part of our family. If you have questions do not hesitate to contact us! Early Intervention services are designed to allow your child the opportunity to actively participate in family and community life.

Our teachers and therapists work on the outcomes identified by you for your child and Early Intervention activities occur in the places you choose to meet those outcomes, at home, in a child care setting or in the community. It is not unusual to see Early Intervention Services taking place in the grocery store, the mall, at the doctor’s office, the library and on the playground.

Through the years we have found that families serve as an effective resource for each other. Families gather for support, to receive information or to have fun. We offer a variety of inclusive group activities throughout the year that make it easy and convenient for families to get together.

Early Intervention Services and Supports For Your Family

SPECIAL INSTRUCTION (SI)

Special Instruction – We are able to provide special instructors to work with you and your child providing important learning skills through play and social interactions. All of our special instructors meet the state requirements. Our special instructors will work with you and your child in a variety of home and community based settings coaching you and modeling play, social interactions and language for your child. Our special instructors all come with a variety of other trainings in their tool kits such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT)

Occupational Therapy – this therapy often focuses on sensory needs and fine motor skills, like those required for picking up and handling small objects, writing and drawing pictures. The benefits of Occupational Therapy are wide ranging, helping to address developmental delays caused by physical disability, autism. and sensory disorders.

SPEECH THERAPY (ST)

Speech Therapy – focusing on improving communication skills and the use of oral muscles, Speech Therapy is used to help address development delays caused by autism, hearing impairments, apraxia and a wide variety of other speech, voice and language problems and in addition includes Feeding Therapies for treating conditions relating to both feeding and swallowing.

PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT)

Physical Therapy – this type of therapy is used to develop general motor skills, improve balance and increase muscle strength and flexibility. Physical Therapy can greatly assist children with sitting, walking and crawling and will often form a key part of a rehabilitative development program.

SOCIAL WORK (SW)

Social Work Services – They provide support to the families through groups and individual sessions. They also provide support with linking families to necessary resources such as Medical Assistance or SSI and information about various doctors, the early intervention system and the transition process to the local Intermediate Units as well as coping strategies to navigate their new world of a life with special concerns.

NUTRITION SERVICES (NU)

Nutrition Services – We have nutritional support services provided by Registered Dietitians to help support children and families with appropriate weight gain and growth as well as support for healthy foods and snacks to ensure adequate growth for development.

Getting Started

For assistance with identifying services and support or if you need someone to listen to your situation please contact us at 610-265-4700 for Early Intervention or contact us today online and we will make contact with you as soon as possible.

As in all counties, Early Intervention is a free service. If interested, contact your county through the telephone numbers listed below and request The Arc Alliance as your provider:

Berks County SAM
(Service Access & Management)
610-236-0530
877-236-4600
610-236-0361 TTY

Chester County
610-344-5948

Montgomery County
610-278-6207

Learn How You Can Get Started

How to get your child started in Early Intervention

Reaching out to The Arc Alliance is your first step to help you through the maze of figuring out how to best help your child. We are here to help you find answers to your questions and put a plan together to get your child started on the path to success.

Let us help you through the process.

If you don’t have a medical diagnosis, click the purple checklist buttons bellow. They may help you identify concerns in Speech, Motor Skills or possible behaviors on the Autism spectrum. If you still have questions or concerns please call Nancy Stimson at 484-868-0436 (if by chance we are not available when you call, please leave your name and phone number and we will get back to you within 24 hours).

Check List Links:

AUTISM CHECKLIST

SPEECH CHECKLIST

MOTOR SKILLS CHECKLIST

One of the goals of The Arc Alliance is to help families navigate the Early Intervention system. We can assist you in making phone calls to the County to set up the evaluation, discuss any concerns that you may have and be available for questions during the entire evaluation process.

Parent Support

The Arc Alliance provides various support groups, programs and resources for individuals, parents, guardians, siblings and caregivers. If you are interested in participating in any of the mentioned groups please contact or call us at 610-265-4700 and we will connect you with the appropriate group lead. If you would like to see a group developed as an individual, parent or loved one please simply let us know through the contact us link at the top of this page.

Father’s Group – Come join the group for fathers of children with special needs. They meet the 1st and 3rd Saturday from September through June from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. When the fathers meet, they discuss issues affecting them and their families, offering support to those who need it. There is babysitting available so bring your children (all ages are welcome) and give the Moms a free morning to relax!!! Please contact us here to register.

Additional Resources

The Arc Alliance Children’s Services collects resources from a variety of sources. To assist you, we have links below to resources in effort to aid you and your family. These valuable aids are categorized in several ways to best guide you in your search.

Helpful Links and External Resources

Local Interagency Coordinating Councils

Transition Resources