Early Intervention Community Services

The Nisonger Center’s Early Intervention Program is a partnership with the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Children and their families receiving Part C early intervention services through the Franklin County Board are eligible to receive their IFSP services through the Nisonger Center.

We are committed to family-centered services. Our professionals view families as equal partners. Intervention is individualized, flexible, and responsive to the family-identified needs of each child and family.  Our intervention focuses on strengthening and supporting family functioning.  Families are the ultimate decision makers (Dunst, Johanson, Trivette and Hamby, 1991).

Our early intervention team utilizes evidence-based practices.  Evidence-based early intervention practices include providing services in a child’s natural environment, utilizing a coaching style when interacting with families or other primary care providers, and following a Primary Service Provider (PSP) approach to providing services. We implement a PSP approach at the Nisonger Center. Research shows that children ages birth through 3 years old learn best in their natural environment, from familiar adults with the primary support of one professional, and a secondary support of an interdisciplinary team.  All early intervention services are provided in a child’s natural environment.  For children birth through 3 years old, this could mean their home, child care setting, and/or other inclusive locations in the community.

We use coaching and consultation with all primary care givers. These methods provide ways of helping caregivers reflect on what they are currently doing with their child, engaging in shared problem solving and planning to develop intervention strategies, developing a joint plan for how they will implement intervention in their daily routines, and following up at each intervention visit to answer questions and provide support.

All team members are available to serve as a primary service provider. Our team includes a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, two speech-language pathologists and two developmental specialists. Upon referral to our program, we will work with you to find which one of our passionate and talented interventionists are best fit to serve as your PSP.

For more Information contact Beth Gardner, elizabeth.gardner@osumc.edu