Concerned About Baby? Early Screening Can Help

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This editorial series, Hot Topics, is brought to you by the Fort Worth Moms Blog and iCare Emergency Room & Urgent Care. Our friends from My Health My Resources of Tarrant County sponsored and crafted this blog post for the Hot Topics editorial series, and provided information on early screening in child development. All 15 original articles from the Hot Topics series can be found on our website.

Parenting is hard. It is for every parent — for every child. But it can be especially hard if you have a concern about your baby’s development. 

early screeningQuestions and Concerns

It’s only natural to compare your baby to other people’s babies. Is my baby reaching milestones at the same time? Is there a delay? Am I overthinking it? I may need help.

If you have these questions, Early Childhood Services can help. Its team provides support and in-home services for families with children ages zero to six who may need some extra help. The parent agency, My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, boasts values like “We CARE,” because they do. It may sound daunting to pick up the phone to ask for help. But know that this agency helps nearly 4,000 families every day.

An average three percent of babies have a developmental delay or have a medical condition that may result in a delay. That means you’re not alone. You’re not alone in your worry, your concern, or on your journey to help your baby.

Early Screening and Other Services

Family coaches will be by your side, in your home, helping you and your baby succeed. You can start by doing a free online screening at www.EarlyIsBestNorthTexas.org. This screening tool can help service providers know your concerns and your child’s development.

Once you call or your screening is received, an in-home visit will be scheduled to talk with you about your baby and family’s concerns and needs. Family coaches will connect you to resources in the community, provide support, and provide in-home services. They can help you with:

  • Audiology/hearing 
  • Assistive technology 
  • Behavioral intervention 
  • Case management 
  • Counseling 
  • Family education 
  • Health services 
  • Infant massage 
  • Nursing 
  • Nutrition and feeding 
  • Occupational therapy 
  • Physical therapy 
  • Social work 
  • Specialized skills training 
  • Speech & language therapy 
  • Transition to services beyond ECI 
  • Translation/interpretation 

For older children or for those who don’t qualify for Early Childhood Services, its team offers similar supports and services. What this means is: You will have someone providing you with the tools and tips on how to help your child.

early screeningTestimonials and Resources

Early intervention is best for baby. The brain develops at a rapid pace between the ages of birth to six, so the sooner you call to start services for babies who may need some extra help, the better. (Have questions? Check out some FAQs, or just call them.)

Hearing it directly from other moms may help you best — so check out other moms who have successfully used Early Childhood Services. They also offer many opportunities for parents of young children to get together and talk about parenting as well as give their children an opportunity to play with other kids. 

If you want to check on how your baby is developing, as well as what you should expect next, take a look at these developmental milestones at a glance.

Also, check out these videos, explaining MHMR services and if they’re a right fit for you family, along with a step-by-step video on the easy assessment process.

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Early Childhood Services provides resources and in-home support to families of children age zero to six in Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, and Ellis counties. (Services are available to families of children age zero to three in Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise, and Cooke counties.) Early Childhood Services also offers free child screenings. Early Childhood Services is a division of My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, which has served families in Tarrant County for nearly 50 years. If you want more information, call 844-NTX-KIDS or visit www.EarlyIsBestNorthTexas.org

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