Early intervention, is it just for Down's?

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." (Albert Einstein)

I'm on my pedastal today. Earlier this week, I listened to a conversation with Duncan Campbell, a Portland bootstrapper and entrepreneur, who built a successful timber investment business then entered his "encore" career to create an organization that mentors young (very young) children en masse through "Friends of the Children" (http://www.friendsofthechildren.org/).

Why does this matter to me?

Well, this week, two women from the state of Oregon will visit me in-home and spend two hours with Elizabeth because she was diagnosed with Down syndrome. This is called Early Intervention, and the government pays for it until Lizzie is three-years-old. They pay for physical and speech therapy, and others, to visit our house on a weekly or monthly basis to ensure that once we approach kindergarten, Lizzie is all caught up. To ensure Lizzie is in the same place as her peers.

Now, here's my question. Seems like there's a lot of kids out there without Downs that need some Early Intervention?

Hmmm... let's see here. Studies are showing that if we intervene early in childrens' lives then we can correct some of the problems and get ahead of the curves in front of us.  They have lower high school drop-out rates, lower prison rates, and so on..... So, what about the kids who aren't diagnosed with Downs but would benefit from some form of Early Intervention. I'm thinking the ones whose parents are working two jobs at 70 hours per week that pay $8 per hour, and can't be home to read to their children, or sit at the dinner table together and learn the importance of conversation.

Duncan Campbell has the answer.  He created a program to intervene early in a child's life and make a difference. One that has proven outcomes. Friends of the Children boasts a rate of 85% of participants who receive a high school diploma or GED. According to research conducted by Friends of the Children (which is now a national program), "the single most important factor that fosters resiliency in at-risk children is a caring and supportive relationship with an adult. Intervention and support must begin early, continue as the child matures, and consistently address the needs of the whole person."

This is oddly coincidental with how we are approaching Elizabeth's care as a Down syndrome child. We are intervening early in hopes that we "close the gap" of the extra chromosome.

Perhaps we are not giving enough attention to those children with other needs. Intervening early and effectively maybe the way to close the gap for other children in need.