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U.S. NEWS Monday 9 october 2023

A workforce crisis is damaging families’ access to therapies for

babies with developmental delays

By Claire Savage “People are just done
Associated Press with it, and it has gotten
CHICAGO (AP) — Alexan- worse even in the last two
der watches Paw Patrol months,” Ziemba said in
with fervor, bowls his baby late July. “I really feel like
brother over with hugs and we’re kind of seeing the
does everything with gusto. implosion of the whole pro-
What the 3-year-old West gram.”
Chicago toddler can’t do As families lose access to
yet is speak more than a the free or reduced-cost
few words. His balance is therapies, pressure builds
wobbly and he isn’t able on schools to pick up the
to let his preschool teach- slack, but they’re short on
ers know when he’s hurt or special education teach-
scared. ers, too.
When his mother, Hilda “In the long term, we’re
Garcia, had him tested, seeing kids fall farther and
the youngster qualified for farther behind,” said Ziem-
five therapies through a ba, who has done this work
U.S. program dedicated for nearly 25 years.
to treating developmental Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
delays in babies and tod- signed a budget in June
dlers — treatment designed giving Early Intervention
to help Alexander develop Early Intervention speech pathologist Megan Sanders works with 2-year-old Aria Faulkner as providers a 10% raise. That
the tools he needs to thrive. parents Lindsey and Kendrick Faulkner look on during a therapy session at the Faulkner’s home helps, Ziemba said, but
in Peoria, Ill., Aug. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)
The relief she felt in identify- likely won’t make up for the
ing what he needed was funding for Early Interven- based early childhood ad- “In a way, Early Interven- impact of inflation and may
short-lived. tion, they are obligated vocacy organization Start tion is contributing to some not be enough to slow the
The federally mandated to provide services to kids Early. Waitlists — techni- social inequity,” she ex- steady exodus of workers.
Early Intervention program who qualify under the Indi- cally not allowed since all plained. She and another provider
is plagued by chronic staff- viduals with Disabilities Edu- eligible kids are entitled to Research supports her as- say wages were stagnant
ing shortages nationwide, cation Act. Early Intervention — have sessment. A report pub- for years.
leaving thousands of des- But providers are scarce in increased dramatically lished this year by the Na- In July, the administration
perate parents frustrated: almost all states. Some chil- and thousands of providers tional Institute for Early announced a retention
They know their children dren wait months or years have left the field, accord- Education Research found program designed to re-
need support, they’re for the care they need, ing to the Illinois Depart- that Asian, Hispanic and ward tenured Early Inter-
aware of proven therapies and many age out of the ment of Human Services. Black children are less likely vention providers, interpret-
that could make a differ- program before they ac- When children turn 3, the to receive Early Interven- ers and service coordina-
ence, but they have to cess any services at all. responsibility for providing tion and Early Childhood tors with payments of up to
wait for months to get the The COVID-19 pandemic special education services Special Education services $1,300 to stay in the field.
help they need. worsened chronic staffing shifts from Early Interven- than white non-Hispanic “We remain committed to
After 14 months of phone shortages, in part because tion to school districts. But children. giving our service providers
calls, hours of research and many providers didn’t want those systems are under- “For Black children, the the support and resources
pushing herself to the limit to risk infection by entering staffed and booked up, disparities in access to ser- they deserve for caring for
with work and childcare, families’ homes, even when too, according to speech- vices are especially large our state’s children,” said
Garcia finally landed an restrictions on in-person vis- language pathologist Sar- and cannot plausibly be Alex Gough, a spokesper-
in-person early intervention its were lifted, according to ah Ziemba, an Early Inter- explained by differences in son for the governor’s of-
appointment, but even Maureen Greer, the execu- vention provider in Peoria, need,” the report says. fice.
then she couldn’t get Al- tive director of the Infant Illinois. Income also plays a role, The impact therapy can
exander all the therapies and Toddler Coordinators Waiting means skipping said lead researcher Allison have is palpable. Lind-
he needed. She tears up Association, which supports precious months of devel- Friedman-Krauss. sey Faulkner, a mother of
as she recounts how over- the Early Intervention sys- opment, while acting early “Poorer states are serv- four living in Peoria, got
whelming the fight to se- tem nationwide. saves money on special ing a lower percentage of in-person speech therapy
cure access has been. For similar reasons, families education and other ser- children, so really suggest- sessions for her 2-year-old
“I didn’t have any support,” were also less likely to re- vices later in life. ing that there is a problem daughter, Aria, within a
she said. quest in-person help during “Research really supports there,” Friedman-Krauss month of her referral. She
‘The earlier, the better’ the pandemic. But now the that the earlier, the better. said. raves about the difference
Early Intervention was cre- number of children seeking And so when we miss those But there is no way to at- she has seen in her child af-
ated in 1986 to address de- services has rebounded, opportunities to help them tract more providers with- ter a year of working with
velopmental delays in chil- and states are struggling at those younger ages, out better wages, Ziemba therapist Megan Sanders.
dren like Alexander as soon to find the staff to meet sometimes we are limiting explained. Early Interven- “She was an entirely dif-
as possible. About one in six the needs of families with their potential into adult- tion providers in Illinois ferent kid a year ago,”
children in the U.S. has at young children with dis- hood,” said Ziemba. are government contrac- Faulkner said.
least one developmental abilities, according to Katy Families with private insur- tors, meaning they get no Early on in their sessions,
disability or other develop- Neas of the U.S. Depart- ance can opt to pay for health benefits or paid time Aria zoomed around the
mental delay, according to ment of Education. therapy appointments out- off, and they can effec- room. Now, Aria can sit and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Service delays in Illinois, side the Early Intervention tively double their salaries engage with Sanders for
Control and Prevention. where Alexander lives, program, but those without by working in other settings most of the session.q
Since all U.S. states and nearly doubled in 2022, the means can be left be- such as hospitals, schools or
territories accept federal according to Chicago- hind, according to Ziemba. nursing homes.