Early intervention doesn’t begin with a school meeting or an IEP document. It begins in the quiet moments when something feels off and you are deciding whether to trust your instincts or wait it out. That decision carries more weight than most families are ever told.
In Episode 20, I walk parents through the Infants and Toddlers Program under IDEA Part C and why early intervention is not about rushing a child, labeling them, or doing something “too soon.” It is about responding while the brain is most flexible and before families are left trying to make up lost ground later.
This episode is for parents who are newly navigating a diagnosis, living in uncertainty without answers yet, or hesitating to make the call because they fear paperwork, judgment, or being told to wait. I share what early intervention actually looks like in real homes, how eligibility works, what services truly include, and the things I wish someone had explained to me before I learned them the hard way.
This conversation blends lived experience, advocacy guidance, and research to reframe early intervention as support, not scrutiny and as preparation, not pressure. It is about empowering families before the IEP process even begins.
🌱 Here’s what I walk you through in this episode:
✨ What the Infants and Toddlers Program really is and what it is not
✨ Why you do not need a diagnosis to request an evaluation
✨ How early intervention supports parents, not just children
✨ Why progress is not linear and why that is normal
✨ How IFSPs differ from IEPs and why the transition should never be a surprise
✨ What research shows about timing and long-term outcomes
✨ Why your concerns and intuition matter just as much as test scores
If you are standing at the very beginning of this journey and wondering whether it is too early to ask for help, this episode is your permission to act. You are not behind. You are being responsive. Early support is not an overreaction, it is an investment in your child and in yourself as an advocate.
🎧 Press play when you’re ready. Let’s learn this together.
🔗 Visit DORS: https://dors.maryland.gov
Episode 19 is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FlorDeAmelia
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TC4pMJxQrwcyStNfnc9Rd?si=b77353d4aea34a3d
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/starting-with-iep/id1828187191
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3a1b111a-750f-4c5e-a3c5-38c55ee4e2d4/starting-with-iep
📲 Let’s Connect!
Turn IEP stress into confidence. I share useful resources every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday across all my social platforms.
Podcast Website: http://www.startingwithiep.com/
Website: https://www.flordeamelia.com
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For content collaborations, email: flor@flordeamelia.com
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