Early Intervention Happens in the Middle of Real Life

A child sitting up for the first time. A parent hearing “mama” after months of waiting. A first wave goodbye. A calmer mealtime. A family beginning to feel less alone.

These are the kinds of moments Strawberry Fields’ Early Intervention team helps make possible every day.

Early Intervention supports infants and toddlers, from birth to age three, who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities. But the work is not only about children building skills. It is also about helping families understand, encourage, and support their child during the years when so much growth is happening.

At Strawberry Fields, Early Intervention does not ask families to step away from real life for therapy. It happens in the middle of real life.

Support is woven into meals, play, bath time, getting dressed, family routines, and all the small moments that fill a day. Our team works alongside families in their homes and everyday environments, supporting more than 250 children throughout Centre County each year.

The work is practical. It is personal. And it depends on trust. It begins with listening to each family, learning what matters most to them, and building support around their child’s strengths and needs.

A Team Built Around Each Child and Family

Every child is different, and so is every plan of support. Some children may need help with movement. Others may need support with communication, feeding, sensory needs, or learning through play. Many children are supported by more than one specialist, with the team working together around the family’s goals.

The Strawberry Fields Early Intervention team includes physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and special instructors. Each person brings a different kind of support, but the focus is the same. Helping children grow and helping families feel supported along the way.

Supporting Movement, Confidence, and Independence

Our five physical therapists focus on gross motor development, supporting children as they learn to roll, sit, crawl, stand, walk, and move with confidence.

Melissa Hayden, PT, explains, “We assess where children are now with these skills and talk with the parents about where they would like their children to be.”

For Melissa, one birthday visit has stayed with her.

“A mom of a child I had the privilege of supporting stated that she would like her son with cerebral palsy to sit on his own by the time he turned one. We just happened to have a session on his birthday. With his birthday balloons decorating the room around us, this little boy sat by himself for the first time. I looked up and tears were streaming down mom’s cheeks. That day, I knew I never wanted to do anything else!”

Helping Children Communicate and Connect

Our four speech-language pathologists support children in developing communication skills. Sometimes that means speech and language. Sometimes it means helping a child use pictures, signs, or technology to express what they need and connect with the people who love them.

“Sometimes that means I am providing families with information on communication development, helping them elicit sounds or words from their child, finding alternative ways for their child to communicate or for the family to communicate with the child such as using pictures, sign language, or a computer,” shares Nicole Edwards, SLP. 

For families, these moments can mean everything.

“Watching a child learn their first sign from their parent, and the joy and relief on a parent’s face. Seeing a child wave ‘hi’ or ‘goodbye’ for the first time. Watching a parent’s surprise as their child uses a new word for the first time. Hearing a child call for ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ when the parents have waited so long to hear their child ask for them.”

Making Everyday Routines Easier

Our three occupational therapists help children build fine motor, sensory, and self-help skills so they can participate more fully in daily routines like play, feeding, and dressing. They also help families understand what their child may be experiencing and how to support them throughout the day.

“Occupational therapy helps turn frustration into progress and helps families see what their child can do. We often see this during everyday routines, like when a child who once struggled to tolerate getting dressed begins participating with confidence, or when a simple mealtime becomes calmer and more connected. Those small shifts change how families experience their day,” shares Annie Smith, Director of Early Intervention. 

At Strawberry Fields, we know these moments matter because they change how a family moves through the day. Progress does not always look big from the outside. Sometimes it is a child trying one more bite. A parent understanding why a routine has been hard. A morning that feels a little easier than the one before.

Learning Through Play and Daily Life

Our three special instructors support children’s overall development through play-based learning. Their work helps families build skills into everyday routines in ways that feel natural and useful.

“As a Special Instructor, we go above and beyond teaching skills, and we help shape families with developmentally appropriate strategies to improve outcomes, communication, social-emotional skills, motor and cognitive development, and adaptive and self-help skills, while embedding learning in daily family routines,” shares Chris Orndorff, one of our special education teachers.

Learning does not only happen during a formal visit. It happens while stacking blocks, reading a book, getting ready for lunch, playing on the floor, or moving through the ordinary parts of the day.

Support That Belongs to the Family

Early Intervention begins with getting to know each child and family. Together, the team and parents create an Individualized Family Service Plan, or IFSP, that outlines the child’s strengths, priorities, and goals.

That plan belongs to the family. It reflects what matters most in their daily life.

Melissa Hayden, PT, who has worked in various clinical settings, puts it simply: “I have never experienced an environment as effective and powerful as early intervention.”

Nicole Edwards, SLP, reflects on what continues to inspire her: “My favorite part of my job is watching families delight in their children, the skills they are acquiring, and watching families build a closer connection through communication.”

That delight matters. So does the relief a parent feels when they have a new strategy, a new word, a new sign, or a new way to understand their child.

Early Intervention is about meeting children where they are and helping families find the next right step.

If a family has concerns about their child’s development, the first step is contacting the Centre County Early Intervention office. That single step can lead to answers, support, and services that help children build skills during the years when growth matters so much.

To learn more about Early Intervention services at Strawberry Fields, visit www.sfionline.org/earlyintervention.