Early Intervention
The Early Intervention (formerly known as Help Me Grow) program’s goal is to identify and serve children under the age of 3 with developmental delays and disabilities as early as possible. Parents with concerns regarding their child’s development can have their infant or toddler evaluated by an interdisciplinary team at no cost to the family. Children are evaluated for delays in the areas of adaptive, cognitive, communicative, physical, and social-emotional development, using appropriate diagnostic tools.
If a child is determined eligible and has an established unmet need, the child and family will be connected with a Core Team of professionals. The Early Intervention team, comprised of a Service Coordinator, a Developmental Specialist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Speech Language Pathologist will assist the family in creating an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). An IFSP is a family-driven document that is meant to be used as a road map for each individual family’s services and identifies the outcomes that a family wants their child to meet. Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities strives to assist families in providing services in the child’s natural environment, such as the home, day care, or other places where the family spends time.
How Do I Get Started?
If you are concerned that your child is not meeting developmental milestones, Help Me Grow offers the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) Online screening for Ohio families to help parents understand how their child is developing and whether there are any concerns. This developmental screening is free, short, and easy to complete.
Families and professionals seeking general information should call Ohio Early Intervention at 800.755.4769 or complete their Referral for Services form.
2026 EI Family Questionnaire
If your family is currently receiving Early Intervention services, the Ohio Department of Children & Youth wants to hear about your experience! All families who were receiving EI services on March 1, 2026 are asked to complete the EI Family Questionnaire.
Receiving input directly from families served in EI allows DCY and local programs to understand how Early Intervention is working and where improvements can be made. Responses from families are used to determine what changes are needed, as well as what should stay the same in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and families participating in EI services.
To respond to the survey, you will need your child’s ETID number (the 10 digit code located on the top right corner of your child’s IFSP). Please take a few minutes to complete to the survey here:
Feel free to leave any items you do not want to answer blank. All answers are kept confidential. If you have questions or need assistance with completing the survey, contact your EI Service Coordinator.
Please be sure to respond by July 3. Thank you for completing the survey!