Toddlers with developmental delays are missing out on help they need. It can hurt them long term
American babies and toddlers with disabilities are entitled to publicly funded therapies known as Early Intervention, since all U.S. states and territories accept federal funding for this program CHICAGO -- Alexander watches Paw Patrol with fervor, bowls his baby brother over with hugs and does everything with gusto. What the 3-year-old West Chicago toddler can’t do yet is speak more than a few words. His balance is wobbly and he isn’t able to tell his preschool teachers when he’s hurt or scared. Alexander qualified for five therapies through Early Intervention, a federal program dedicated to treating developmental delay s in babies and toddlers and helping them develop the tools they need to thrive. But his mother, Hilda Garcia, said securing that help felt “like another job.” Even after repeatedly calling, researching for hours and pushing herself to the limit with work and childcare, Garcia had to wait more than a year for an in-person appointment with an Early Intervention provid...