EmpowerND Podcast
Your guide to navigating North Dakota’s community resources and discovering the support available to you. Each episode explores local programs, services, and tips to empower individuals and families, with inspiring stories and insights from community leaders. And this is just the beginning, so much more is on the way!
EmpowerND Podcast
Eps. 12 | Starting Sooner, Supporting Stronger: The Power of Early Intervention
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Early intervention is one of the most important, and often misunderstood, parts of supporting children’s development.
In this episode, we are joined by Jessica Zuroff, an early intervention professional, and Sarah Carlson, an experienced parent, both representing the Kids Program. This conversation brings together both the clinical perspective and the lived experience of navigating early intervention services, offering a well rounded look at what support can and should look like for children and families.
We discuss the purpose and value of developmental screenings, how delays are identified, and what steps follow when concerns arise. Jessica provides insight into how early intervention services are structured, what providers are looking for, and how individualized support plans are developed. Sarah shares her experience as a parent, including the decision making process, the emotional side of seeking support, and what it actually looks like to engage with services over time.
The episode also addresses common barriers that prevent families from accessing early intervention, including uncertainty about eligibility, fear of labeling, stigma, and confusion about where to begin. Together, they highlight the importance of normalizing support and making systems easier to navigate so families can access resources earlier and with greater confidence.
In addition, we walk through what the Kids Program offers, how families can get connected, and what they can expect throughout the process. This includes timelines, communication with providers, and the types of services that may be available depending on a child’s needs.
This episode is intended for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone working with young children who wants a clearer understanding of early intervention and the role it plays in long term developmental outcomes.
Early intervention is not about rushing development. It is about recognizing needs early and providing the right support at the right time.
https://hitinc.org/services/kidsprogram/
https://www.facebook.com/KIDSPROGRAMHITINC/
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The EmpowerND Podcast is hosted by Women Empowering Women, a membership based non-profit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women. Through community, events, and resources, Women Empowering Women helps women grow, build confidence, and explore their potential, supporting them every step of the way as they become the best version of themselves. To learn more about Women Empowering Women’s projects or how to become a member, visit wewnetwork.org.
Welcome back to Empower Indie Podcast. This podcast creates a space for honest conversations about health, well-being, and community resources to help people in southwestern North Dakota live healthy, health lives. The Empower Indie Podcast is produced by Women Empowering Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women to help them become the best versions of themselves. To become a member or learn more, visit WEW Network.org. Today's conversation is for parents, caregivers, and anyone who has ever wondered is my child developing the way they should be, or felt that it's a quiet instinct that something might need a closer look. The early years of a child's life can feel exciting, overwhelming, and sometimes uncertain. And while we hear those first few years are important, many families are left wondering what that really means, what to look for, and where to turn if they have questions. Let's get started. So joining us today are Sarah and Jessica from the Kids Program, who work directly with families to support development, build confidence in parents, and meet children right where they are in their everyday routines. Thank you guys for being here.
SPEAKER_01Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_02Okay, to start off, can you tell us about the kids program and the families that you serve?
SPEAKER_00Sure. So um the kids program is an early intervention program that is free to families. Um my my families you want to know about well, they're everyday families like you and I. I think um I enjoy them most because they are ready to learn. They're eager to learn, they have lots of questions. Um they I just love being able to be in their environment where they're at and help them through things that they decide are important to them. Um I I just love watching kids grow and you know, being able to be where their toys are, where their, you know, kitchen is, where their other things, and then helping the parents kind of use what they have around the house to encourage that development in their kids. Um we have young parents, old parents, first-time parents, um, parents who have five and six kids, um just really doesn't discriminate, I think, you know.
SPEAKER_01So early intervention is a service that's provided. So our federal government wants to make sure that if there are kiddos that need a little bit of extra support, that there are services that are designed and held and monitored by our state and and the feds to make sure that they're getting good service. And so that's what early intervention is is serving birth to three. Um and our federal government has even wanted us to take a look at um prenatal diagnoses and supporting those mamas that might have some knowledge about um something that their child might need after birth. Um, but maybe they get that diagnosis still when they're pregnant. And so setting up all of those families for the most success with intervention and support.
SPEAKER_02Okay. So why are the first three years of child's life that zero to three window so important so important for development?
SPEAKER_01So I'll take this. Um the so I the role that I serve um for the kids program is as an experienced parent. So I don't hold any special professional hat or um have special letters after my name that qualify me to be able to intervene and support a family. Um, but what I do know is the in those first three years, it's like a critical time for that brain development. Um, that's when the most like brain connections happen in a human's life. Um, and so the earliest intervention also produces the best outcome. Now that doesn't mean that if there's a kiddo with profound needs, that intervention isn't um needed. Um, there still can be some impact in that development too. It's not just the kids that are like barely maybe not meeting those developmental milestones. It's it's really all kids that might have some extra support needs.
SPEAKER_02Okay. How does your program support development within a child's everyday routines?
SPEAKER_00Um, I think that's the greatest part about our program is that it's home-based or even environment-based, right? Like so oftentimes we're in your living room on the ground with you. We're we're with you in the bathroom when you're trying to give your child a bath. We're, you know, at the supper table where you're feeding them. Um, but also we do some daycare visits so we can see, you know, maybe daycare is struggling with different things that you're struggling with at home. So we can kind of help daycare provide um, you know, help in different routines. Um, I think the other thing that's important is knowing people come from all over the place. So people's routines are different. You know, what you do on a daily basis for a bedtime routine is different than what Sarah might do with her kids. And so um, you know, that to me is a big advantage that you're not coming to us in an office. We get to jump into your life and what you're doing and help you with what you need help with or want help with, not what we think you need help with. Um, so that that to me is a big advantage of in-home early intervention.
SPEAKER_01A plan is also set. Yes. And so goals are determined by the family. And something that you said earlier that I love is that it really is the family that's helping determine what those goals are or what is important to them. So it might be a worry that they have about an upcoming medical procedure, or it also might be: I want to learn about advocating with my child's physician about um a goal or um a target that they want to be at. And so then the early interventionist um helps provide that support to get there with that whole team of service. So if there's a family who part of their routine is to gather eggs, then um maybe it's figuring out how this two-year-old is involved in that with maybe holding an egg without breaking it or something. Yes. Um, where it might be something that happens just naturally as part of the day. We all have routines in our day. It might not be like, oh, at eight o'clock I'm waking, right? Or five or four o'clock, right? My my morning routine sometimes surprises me. But it also might, so it might just be like, well, when I wake up, well, I go make coffee. It's not necessarily like Sarah has to do this, but sometimes we just develop natural patterns. Um, and so then the early interventionists and the other support staff just go and try to meet the needs of those times of where the family might want that child to be involved or engaged in that activity.
SPEAKER_02So, how do you think that building that parent confidence uh changes the outcomes for those kiddos?
SPEAKER_00I think the biggest thing, like I like to think of the interventionists, I think we become professional listeners. Um, we have the time, you know, when you go to the doctor's office, you have an allotted time. When you go to your outpatient therapy, you have an allotted time. We also have an allotted time, but it's an hour usually, which is a long time. And so I think we have time to sit and listen to what the parent is asking, and also just to kind of ask them more questions, just to dig more um deeply into, you know, what is the difficulty you're having in these routines, or um, also the teaching part I think is really important. Like I had four kids raise them all to be adults. And when I joined intervention, I learned all the things that I wish I would have known when I was a mom. I was like, well, that one needed OT and this one needed PT. And man, I missed the vote on that. So I think it's just like having extra eyes too. And I like to just think of early intervention as a tool in your toolbox as a parent, um, combined with, I think we become really good communicators as far as we're like a great liaison between the doctor, you know, and the outpatient. And so often I talk to outpatient therapists about the children that I'm dealing with, you know, what's going on there? What are you working on there? What can I do at home? They don't have a lot of time sometimes to talk to mom about how she could implement the ideas. So I think we're kind of um helpful in that way too. It's just, I like to think of us as someone that who's in your side pocket, like you're out, we're always there for you when you need to, you know, ask a question. And I think the more you can give parents information, the more power they feel, the more confidence they have, right? Um, the other thing I really want to reiterate because I do think people worry about someone's coming into my home. We don't um criticize your cleaning skills, we don't look at your home that way. We're not criticizing your parents' skills. Like, I think that might be one of the biggest worries that parents have, like you're coming into my house, right? Um, we just want to help you have the confidence because you already know you're the pot parent, right? You're the one who knows that child better than anybody. So we just want to give you a little bit of tools and advice to help you feel that confidence and to know that you are the best person to teach that little one.
SPEAKER_01I uh joked around with our interventionist. Um, so I was told ahead of time, and my kiddo was hospitalized for about five months before he first came home, um, that we were getting a PT and that was going to be our interventionist. And so I was all prepared for this like muscular strapping young man. And this, like, I don't know, she was like in her late 50s lady shows up with gray hair, and I was like, well, I guess the coffee's always on and beer's always in the fridge. This is our home, right? Because you're welcoming them into your home environment, which shares the beauty of what happens in that home and remembering, I think that reminder that this is a home, it's not a clinic setting. And so we're gonna embrace the place that this kiddo is at and help out this family. But also, I think one of the beautiful things that happens is the relationship that's formed with the interventionist because you are with that family potentially for three years, and so you get to celebrate the growth and the milestones that happen, but they're also with that relationship becomes this trust where a mama that might be feeling insecure about a decision or that she just might want um another person to bounce ideas from. I think that happens because we have this person in our home every week where we're working on similar goals. We've identified those together. And so there also is that trust to say, like, you know what, I'm really worried about something. Can I talk to you about that? All right. Um, and sometimes that happens while we're doing dishes together because that's the need, or maybe it's helping help a kiddo learn how to sit up or something like that.
SPEAKER_02So, what are some early signs or subtle indicators that a child may benefit from extra extra support?
SPEAKER_01It could be a whole host of things. It might be something that a physician identifies with a checklist, right? When you go and you fill out that form of if your child is doing all of these activities. Or it might it might be something that would automatically qualify a child for early intervention that the parent might learn of a diagnosis or something, or have um a watchful eye because of a heart condition or something like that, or maybe that's a premi baby. Um, and so there might be really obvious signs, but there also just might be like, we're not quite talking, or we're not quite moving around in the typical pattern.
SPEAKER_02What kind of advice would you have for a parent if they just have a gut feeling or or they're just feel like things aren't quite where they should be and they're not sure what the next step would be?
SPEAKER_00I am a firm believer in a parent gut. I think if you feel like something might be off, get it checked out. There's, I mean, the screenings are free. Um, I love that a lot of times a parent may have one concern and we'll do a screening and that wasn't, but they found something that you didn't even look at. I think oftentimes as parents, we're so busy in our day, our own life. And you know, most people have more than just this is my one child and this is what I all I do all day, right? So most people are super busy. So there's little things that they could miss either because life is busy or because they don't know. You know, I had one mom say, well, he doesn't have a pincer grasp. Why is that a big deal? So it's kind of neat, right? Because there are things that you will find. And it's not necessarily, I think one of the biggest misconceptions of early intervention is that is that it's for severe disabilities only. And yes, like you said before, severe disabilities, absolutely, but also just delays. And I I think oftentimes people think um my child has a delay because of something that I did, which is another misconception and a thing that I really want parents to understand is most kids, a lot of kids have a delay in some area, and it's not because of you as a parent in by any means. We just know with lots of research now, like if we catch it early on, the earlier the better, the faster we can get them caught up again.
SPEAKER_01Right. So there might be those kiddos that need lifelong support that are deserving of the intervention, but there also might be some kiddos that with the right intervention, they get right on track with all of their peers. And so that's the a wonderful thing about early intervention is that it encompasses both.
SPEAKER_02So a lot of times the fear of not knowing how the process goes is a deterrent. So kind of walk us through like once the referral is made by, you know, a parent or a provider, what does that look like for that family after that?
SPEAKER_01So typically the the referral goes to our human service center, or it might go to our right track providers. And so that's a program that does those screenings that can check to see on the on a checklist where that child is at. And if there's a lot of areas that need support, then they might make the referral to that human service center to say, I think this kiddo is going to qualify for early intervention. Um, through North Dakota, we have developmental disability program managers because if the kiddo qualifies for the early intervention services, which is determined through evaluation with professionals from the kids program and that DDPM, then they get a whole host of services, which includes some health insurance to help pay for some of those medical costs that might just be incurred because of that child's development. And it's really just a phone call that then sets up the evaluation for somebody to come into your home and and see where that kiddo is or baby is at.
SPEAKER_00And oftentimes they will, you know, look at the referral form and they'll call you right away and then they'll give you the option of right track if you want to start there, or you can go straight to early intervention, either way. Right track's a great service too, because they will come in um, you know, once a month and just like right track, make sure that your child is on the right track. And if they like she said, if they do find something, then they can refer you. Um, but if you've already been, you know, told by a physician or told by an outpatient that, hey, you know, we see this little red flag here, even an orange flag, and you're want to be screened, you can just get a screening and just have an assessment done. Um it's pretty painless, I feel like.
SPEAKER_02I think it works really well for catching things early because even with um, you know, as a provider, you know, like I get 30 minutes with them. Yeah. And to go over a checklist and have mom remember everything that she might have noticed or that gut feeling she had two months ago that now she forgot about and doesn't mention it, having someone come more frequently often catches things that like the right track or the kids program will message or or send a referral, you know, or a report saying this is what we found, and it's like, yeah, they didn't mention anything like that, and we didn't see anything like that on their exam. So making sure that there's more eyes on that kid is and on all of the kids really is really important, and I think it's helpful.
SPEAKER_01I think the fear behind all of that is that nobody wants to fall into a world where they think something's wrong, right? And I think that even for those kiddos that because like when a baby is born, the first thing that is asked is like, how's mama doing? Is everybody happy and healthy? Right. Well, what if that path is not health? Right what if there's like really big medical intervention needed? Or even if it's just a mild delay, um, that feeling of like, well, is it something I've done? Is it something that I've missed, right? Right. But that feeling of like, well, what's wrong with my child? I think that that's really a misnomer, but because it's really we all need support in our life, every single human being. And so for these kiddos, they just they just need it a little bit earlier on. And so why not wrap that family with a whole bunch of services and support to offer that help without saying, well, this is what's wrong with your kiddo? Because that's really not what the language is. Um, but I think that's what the fear behind it is.
SPEAKER_02Okay, what happens uh when patients or families do find these uh challenges? Is it worse in rural communities than than it is in other places? And then how does this program kind of bridge that gap?
SPEAKER_00So I think we are we're so prevalent in rural areas.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um obviously that's where I'm at right now. You know, a lot of us log a lot of miles because get some windshield. We do, yes, yes. Great podcasts to listen to. Plug, plug. Um, no, I think it is more difficult in rural areas. I think a lot of like where we're at in Hazen and Beulow, we don't have a PT, a place, a pediatric PT. I should say we don't have that. Um, so a lot of people are having to drive to Bismarck, which is an hour and a half, um, to get that PT therapy. So we don't provide therapy, but we do have PTs. So I think the greatest part is, you know, as the parent, when you are writing up your child's plan, you get to decide, you know, what disciplines do I need? Do I want some OT? Do I want PT? Do I want some speech? You know, can I get a nursing consult? There, there's so many different consults that you can have or you can have the PT come into your home with your peep, with your home visitor, um, so that they can say, you know, I my PT asked me to do these exercises, I'm a little uncomfortable. Can you show me a little bit about, you know, to make me feel better? Or do you have another idea or this really isn't working? We don't go back for two more weeks. Or I just think having again that person be able to come to you instead of, you know, for our our families to go to Bismarck for an appointment, they basically have to take a full day off of work by the time you know they're getting down there. And so this way it's, you know, an hour in there where it fits for them because they're picking their time that we're coming. And you know, it's not another visit, the other disciplines come together with the home visitor. So, you know, you you have that comfortability of meeting a new person too. Um, I just think the rural areas benefit from this in so many ways.
SPEAKER_01When there aren't the resources available, there these are just brought in and handed right to the family. But it also, I think, addresses exactly what you talked about earlier of like, well, in a clinic visit, you're not going to experience that gathering of the eggs, right? But you can do that with a PT to really practice some of those skills that are naturally happening within that family of doing that all together.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. How do you see um changes happen in the families that go through your program?
SPEAKER_01I think that um the growth that the the child makes, but also the goals of the whole family get accomplished. So when we set goals for our kiddo, it wasn't just about like identifying a literacy goal for him. We also identified how we all love reading and could do that together while still working on some of those. Literacy pieces that are important for development for our son. But it was about feeding the dog, and it was about other areas of growth and more than just mobility or fine motor or speech. It was also strengthening us as a family to learn how to help him learn and grow.
SPEAKER_00I love within our families. Um often I'll come for a visit and I'll show you know everybody what we're doing. And the next time I come, one of the older siblings will go, Miss Jess, come look what I taught her today. And they were working on what we were working on, right? I think the greatest like change that I see in families is often when we first start, it's often just mom that's at the visit. And as we continue to go through the visits, then dad might join, grandma might join, big sister is joining. Now pretty soon you have grandpa who's like, use a pincer, you know. And I think it's so great to watch it become like a whole family experience where it's not just mom or it's not just us and mom, but you know, the siblings want to get in on it. And you can, the greatest thing is you can be like, you know what, mom is really busy, so we're gonna work on catching. Do you think you can work on catching with your little brother? They think that's great, right? And plus, mom is like, yes, please work on catching because I'm doing the dishes or I have you know laundry. So my greatest like watching um families grow is just like watching everybody from the family take part in that little person's development. That's beautiful.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, what can happen uh if these delays are identified later instead of earlier?
SPEAKER_00The most prevalent one that I see is speech. So there's a lot of um delayed speech, you know, things. And if if you're not a speech therapist, you don't really know what I am supposed to be looking for. Well, you know, when you watch speech develop, it starts small from something like, you know, blowing raspberries and you know, sticking your tongue out like mom is, or copying, mimicking some of those gross motor things. Um, and you know, that happens around the 10, 11 months. And if if that isn't happening at 10, 11 months and we miss it, you know, and now they're 18, 19 months and they haven't done that, oftentimes it's hard for parents to help their child with speech because they're trying to make them say words, right? Instead of going back to where it has to go to, which nobody would know unless you were fluent in speech development. And so I think sometimes that might be the hardest piece is you know, we're a little farther behind. And to me, it's never a bit, it's not a we don't like freak out about it, right? It's just knowing where to start. And I think that's where earlier intervention really like can step in and be that help because regular moms like me, I didn't know, you know, what was the first step in speech. If you are a year and a half or two and a half, you're two and a half years old and you're not saying eight words, I'm like, say Paul, say, you know, because I don't know. So I think earlier intervention is great with helping you go meet the child where they're at and work with them from that spot forward.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so if a parent is watching this and has even a small concern, what is the best next step they can take?
SPEAKER_01Well, hi mom, hi dad. I think it's picking up the phone and calling either the human human service center or the kids program or the right track to say, could I get one of those free screenings? Right? It's pretty harmless in the end. And if it's determined that kiddo's meeting all of those needs, then you can cross it off. And if there is support that can be offered, then that's also free and um available to families.
SPEAKER_02So early intervention is not about something being wrong. It is about giving your child and your family the tools to thrive. It's starting early when it matters most. You do not have to figure it out alone. Support is out there and it can start with just one conversation. Thank you guys for your incredible work you do, and thank you to our listeners for being here. This episode was made possible by a small innovative grant through the North Dakota State Council of Developmental Disabilities. Until next time, stay informed, stay empowered, and we will see you on the next Empower Indie podcast.