EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM:
Child and Family Intervention Services

The Child and Family Intervention Services provides an early intervention service to families who have preschool children (birth - six (6) years) who are developmentally delayed, "at risk" of delay and/or who have behavioural, social, emotional problems. The program provides assessment and treatment to improve the family's ability to deal with developmental and/or mental health problems. A major emphasis is on enhancing the parent/child relationship.

Description of Services

• Comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment (Developmental, Psychological, Psychiatric) which is shared with the family.
• Family centred assessment/intervention that aims to support and strengthen the parents/guardians ability to nurture and enhance the child’s well being and development
• Develop individualized, personalized and developmentally appropriate intervention services in conjunction with the family.
• Developmental screening, assessment and intervention to assist the child to reach his/her potential.
• Interventions that aim to support and strengthen the parent/child relationship and parents/guardians ability to nurture and enhance the child's well being and development through individual and family treatment.
• Provide individual therapy to children when needing social, behavioural, emotional intervention.
• Treatment groups
• Social skills training for children
• Parent education and support
• Home based services with flexibility to meet individual family needs.
• Provide information about the child’s developmental and physical handicap and advise activities that will stimulate child’s development when needing social, emotional, behavioural intervention.

Admission Criteria
Service provided to children from birth to six (6) years of age with one or more of the following:

• Behavioural and emotional difficulties
• Delayed in development for organic or environmental reasons
• "At risk" of delay
• Serious or significant behavioural/emotional problems as a result of separation/divorce, sexual or physical abuse, family violence, attention deficit disorder, multi problem families
• Established risks related to medical disorders (i.e. Down Syndrome)
• Biological risks related to or early developmental events that may have affected the central nervous system (i.e. prenatal, perinatal).
• Psychosocial risk related to environments which fail to or have difficulty in responding adequately to the infants physical, developmental and or socio-emotional needs (i.e. attachment difficulties)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children over the age of six
• High conflict separation issues
• Parents who do not have custody of the child
• Where problem subsides in parents, not the child

Referrals: Referrals can be made by parents/guardians by calling Intake at 343-5000

Child and Family Intervention Services - Northshore

The Child and Family Intervention Services - Northshore offers intervention services to families that have children ages birth to six in the communities of Schreiber/Terrace Bay and Marathon/Manitouwadge . 

Referrals should be directed to Integrated Services for Northern Children in the following communities.

• Manitouwadge (807) 824-4517
• Marathon (807) 229-0607
• Schreiber/Terrace Bay (807) 824-2867
• Nipigon/Red Rock (807) 887-2632

Community partners may support families in this referral process however, the initial contact must be made by a parent or guardian.

EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM:
Speech and Language Therapy Program

Description of Services

Speech and Language Therapy Program provides services to pre-school children who have been screened through the pre-school communication service and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

Services Include:

• Individual speech therapy with children and parent
• Parent mediated therapy
• Develop individual treatment plan in conjunction with parents
• Group programs
• Consultation/collaboration with the other health professionals involved with the child

Admission Criteria

Children from birth to five years of age with one or more of the following : speech language disorders including phonology, articulation, receptive and expressive language, stuttering and motor speech.

Exclusion Criteria

• Children over the age of six
• Catchment area outside of district

Referrals

Referrals can only be made by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit at 625-5936.