Infant Development Program (Early Intervention)
BLC’s Infant and Child Development Program (0-3 years of age): Accepting private pay and vendored with the North Los Angeles County Regional Center, vendor code 805.
In line with best practices, Behavioral Learning Center (BLC) Infant and Child Development Program teams include an active collaboration between caregivers, related multidisciplinary service providers, the funding agent and BLC and treatment teams. Treatment procedures are based on a scientific and empirically sound curriculum that has been proven effective at increasing skill acquisition and producing socially significant results with measurable outcomes across early development. Each program is individualized based on the needs of the consumer and deficiencies’s when compared to normative levels.
Treatment objectives are designed to increase pivotal skills associated with early childhood development, an increase in interpersonal relationships with family members, and increase social interactions. BLC will provide services to children who are developmentally delayed, or high risk for autism.
The purpose of services is to provide quality direct programming for individuals with developmental delays and related diagnoses under service code 805. BLC can provide services to all early start consumers if they have met the eligibility criteria which is a developmental delay of 33% or more in one or more of the following five areas: cognitive development; physical and motor development, including vision and hearing; communication development; social and emotional development and adaptive development; infants and toddlers with established risk conditions, of known etiology or with established harmful developmental consequences; and infants and toddlers who are at high risk of having a substantial developmental disability due to a combination of biomedical risk factors.
Intervention is provided to our consumers across home and community environments depending on funding source approval, the individualized family service plan (IFSP), and their needs and that of their caregivers. An assessment is conducted by a trained professional in the field of child development and early intervention and will be updated as the need arises based on ongoing data collection.
The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is a methodology that will be used within the program at BLC. It is a comprehensive early intervention approach for young children with which encompasses a developmental curriculum that defines the skills to be taught at any given time and a set of teaching procedures used to deliver this content. It is not tied to a specific delivery setting but can be delivered by therapy teams and/or parents in group programs or individual therapy sessions in either a clinic setting or the child’s home.
Its core features include the following:
- Focus on interpersonal exchange and positive affect
- Sensitive to normal developmental sequence
- Deep parental involvement
- Shared engagement with joint activities
- Language and communication taught inside a positive, affect-based relationship
Programming – Four (4) service delivery models will be offered to our clients based on the assessment:
Jade Program** - 6 hours per week (2 days)
- 2 hours of child development therapy per day (total of 4 hours per week AND 1 hour of parent education per week)
- 1 hour of Speech Therapy (ST), based on assessment.
Quartz Program** - 9 hours per week (3 days)
- 2 hours of child development therapy per day (total of 6 hours per week AND 2 hours of parent education)
- Can qualify for OT and Speech 1-2 hours per week (based on assessment recommendations).
Amethyst Program** - 12 hours per week (4 days)
- 2 hours of child development therapy per day (total of 8 hours per week AND 2 hours parent education)
- Can qualify for OT and Speech 1-2 hours per week (based on assessment recommendations).
Copper Program** - 15 hours per week (5 days)
- 2 hours child development CDS (total of 10 hours per week AND 2 hours parent education)
- Can qualify for OT and Speech 2-3 hours per week (based on assessment recommendations).
**Additionally, if appropriate an LMFT/LCSW will be available for disability-related / counseling needs for one hour per week.
Office locations and hours:
BLC’s early intervention program will operate out of the Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley and the Antelope Valley. Infants and toddlers will receive their home and community-based services between the hours of 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Monday through Friday. Saturday sessions are also available 8 am to 2 pm.
Based on the child’s assessment, services will be provided by an interdisciplinary team which comprises of a child development specialist, a speech-language pathologist, and either a licensed marriage and family therapist or a licensed clinical social worker.
