Helping Kids With Disabilities With Our Care Plan
Early Intervention (EI) Helps Children and Toddlers
Birth to age 3, with disabilities or delays, or is at risk for delays, in their learning and development. It supports families through education and family services to help their children and families reach their potential. LifeROOTS early intervention support and services are designed to meet the full range of developmental needs of each child according to their strengths and needs.
Our early intervention program builds upon the natural learning opportunities that occur within the daily routines of a child and their family. Early intervention services are free for the family and funded by the State of New Mexico. At LifeROOTS, families and staff work as a team to develop a plan outlining services for the child and family. Most services are provided in the home or community to help children learn the basic skills that are a part of their family’s daily routines.
LifeROOTS Support and Services for Children Include:
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Screenings and assessments, including hearing, vision, and M-CHAT-R/F autism screen
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Developmental evaluations
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Developmental services
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Physical, occupational, speech, and language therapy
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Activities to develop learning skills
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Activities to help social and emotional development
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Transition into school or other services as needed at age 3 or when graduating from the program
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Nutritional services
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Supporting child care or preschool teachers of enrolled children
LifeROOTS Expanded PT/OT/Speech Therapy and Services for Children From Birth Through Age 18:
LifeROOTS offers comprehensive services and highly skilled speech therapists who work with children who have language, communication, oral-motor/articulation, and feeding difficulties. We begin with a full assessment of each child to evaluate a number of factors—including his/her oral motor function, ability to articulate, language processing, comprehension, and the ability for a child to express himself/herself, working to identify the possible underlying cause of a child’s communication problem. Our therapists then use a variety of techniques and interventions that are targeted specifically for each child’s unique needs in order to enhance communication and feeding issues, including oral motor exercises, tongue placements, articulation therapy, modeling, and sensory input, among other strategies. At LifeROOTS, our speech therapists are experienced in working with children facing communication issues due to a variety of challenges related to autism, ADHD, apraxia, and auditory processing disorders, and provide the individualized compassionate services that can help each child reach his/her goals when it comes to speech and language.
At LifeROOTS, our children’s services physical therapists evaluate and treat infants and children who have developmental delays and problems with gross motor development, muscular imbalances, and function. Our physical therapists work closely to provide a personalized treatment plan to help improve strength, coordination, and balance through specific exercises, as well as work on special endurance activities to help each child reach their highest potential. With the goal of enhancing mobility and function, we work one-on-one with each child in individualized therapy sessions that may include strengthening/stretching activities to build muscle strength and joint stability, in addition to other activities to help build balance and coordination, helping to improve overall function.
LifeROOTS provides important occupational therapy services to help infants, children, and adolescents work on and enhance their daily living skills, including fine motor activities, dressing, feeding, and other everyday activities. Our occupational therapists work closely with each child and their family to first evaluate a child’s specific needs, and then develop a specifically targeted treatment program comprised of various methods that can help improve functional abilities. Our occupational therapists often use fun and engaging activities that emphasize repetition, helping kids work on fine motor skills, addressing hand-eye coordination, working with kids who have sensory issues to improve focus and skills, and helping children with a wide range of developmental delays learn and improve their functioning on everyday tasks.
LifeROOTS Services for Families Include:
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Education and family counseling
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Coordination of needed social and health services
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Access to support groups
LifeROOTS Early Intervention Promotes a Philosophy That Supports:
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Services and resources for children that enhance daily opportunities for learning provided in the child's natural environment
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Families’ independence and competencies
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Respect for families’ strengths, values, and diversity
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Collaboration among parents, service providers, and other important people in the child’s life to enhance the child’s development and support the needs of the family
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Therapies and education in everyday routines, activities, and places relevant to real-world family lives
Family Service Coordination
These specialists assist your family in creating an individual plan tailored to your child’s and family’s needs. They also can connect you with a wide range of family-centered services, resources, and support in the local community. Our family service coordinators assist families with the transition into preschool programs.
Evaluations and Assessments
Our experts will complete an evaluation to identify strengths and needs for each child, covering social, cognitive, speech/language, motor, sensory, and adaptive development. Recommendations will be made for the implementation of services.
Program Benefits
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A team-oriented staff that is experienced, caring, family-focused, and dedicated
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Options based on individual family needs
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Therapy is integrated into daily routines for the child’s benefit
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Support in child transition to other programs
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State-of-the-art hearing screening equipment
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Collaboration with other community early childhood programs
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Special therapeutic equipment is available for loan to families
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Sensory integration therapy on-site
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Hands-on assistance for families in applying for social services