The Commonwealth of Virginia has proclaimed May 2025 as Early Intervention Awareness Month. Fairfax County Neighborhood Community Services is proud to recognize the month and to highlight the variety of resources available to young children.

Early intervention is one the most effective strategies to ensure that children up to age 3 who experience developmental delays, or have conditions that may lead to such delays, receive the necessary support and services.

The Infant and Toddler Connection of Fairfax-Falls Church (ITC) provides early intervention services to more than 4,400 infants and toddlers annually. ITC also works with the Infant Toddler Connection of Virginia  to share resources, best practices and training, says Adriana Gallego Gomez, Director of ITC of Fairfax-Falls Church.

ITC’s Primary Service Provider Model ensures that families have a consistent point of contact while benefiting from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team. Teams work collaboratively to create Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) that help children learn and develop through everyday activities and routines so they can participate fully in family and community activities. 

In addition to individualized planning, ITC offers a comprehensive range of early intervention services designed to support a child's development across multiple domains. The team and the family work together, usually in the family's home and in the context of a family’s daily activities. Some early intervention services are provided at no cost to the family.

These services are provided in the child’s natural learning environment and may include:

• Service coordination
• Speech-language therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Developmental services
• Family Counseling and Support
• Assistive technology
• Vision services
• Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Nutrition services

Through these services, Early Intervention can help children ages 0-3 progress in the following areas:

• Cognitive development: Supporting the development of thinking, learning, and problem-solving skills.
• Physical development: Addressing motor skills, physical growth, and health conditions.
• Communication development: Fostering speech, language and communication abilities.
• Social-emotional development: Nurturing social skills, emotional regulation and mental health.
• Adaptive development: Building self-help skills and independence appropriate for age.

Gallego Gomez says she finds it incredibly gratifying to witness the progress toddlers make in partnership with ITC. Each year, ITC hosts a graduation ceremony as the 3-year-olds transition into the FCPS system or other community settings, marking the conclusion of their Early Intervention journey with ITC.

To learn more, please visit Fairfax County ITC’s website.

To see a developmental milestones checklist, see this Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website.