The Early Intervention Service is a free, family-centred support service provided by the National School Support Services (NSSS), Wellbeing Services Directorate under the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation, for babies and young children aged 0 to 5 who are experiencing developmental delays or have been diagnosed with a condition likely to result in developmental difficulties. The service operates on an open referral system, meaning parents and legal guardians can refer their child directly without needing to go through a doctor or other professional first.
The goal of early intervention is to identify and provide effective support as early as possible — ideally in the first three years of life — to minimise the impact of developmental delays and maximise each child's chances of reaching their developmental milestones. Support is delivered in the child's natural learning environment: for children aged 0 to 3, this means in the family home or the childcare centre they attend. For children aged 3 to 5 in Kindergarten, an Early Intervention practitioner is assigned to the school and works alongside the kindergarten team.
A multidisciplinary Early Intervention team including Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, and Early Intervention Educators works with the child and family to:
Children are eligible for the Early Intervention service if they are between 0 and 5 years of age and there is a
• developmental delay in two or more areas of development (cognitive, communication, social emotional, self help, motor skills)
• atypical development (demonstrate patterns of development that are different from their peers, e.g. Autism, specific language impairment)
• medically diagnosed conditions that have a high probability of resulting in developmental delays (e.g. Spina Bifida, Down syndrome, etc…)
The Early Intervention Service has an open referral system. For children up to three years of age, a referral form can be filled by parents, legal guardians or professionals, provided they meet the above criteria. Service is given at the child’s home or at the childcare. Once children start attending Kindergarten in a state school, a whole school approach is adopted and a formal referral is no longer required. Children attending a private or church school still require a referral form. Service is then provided in the kindergarten setting they attend.
Not Applicable
