The Importance of Early Intervention

One million neural connections per second. That’s the speed at which brain science clocks a child’s brain developing between birth and age three. And science shows that early nurturing from parents and caregivers is vital to boosting those neural connections in budding brains and to equipping babies with the sensory pathways and brainy bedrock they’ll need to succeed in life. Yet, while every child needs early parental involvement, for kids with learning and attention issues early intervention stands as perhaps the most consequential thing parents can do to ensure their child reaches their full potential. Early intervention primarily describes services and support children from birth to age three with learning and attention issues receive that address their individual communication, social-emotional, and learning needs, helps them reach their peak, and can reduce the likelihood the child will experience more serious mental health problems down the line. On this episode, we visit a Texas school for neurodivergent students that finds fun ways to tackle the serious task of early intervention. Next, our panel of national experts discusses how early intervention can enhance children’s outcomes. Later, you’ll meet our latest Difference Maker, a renowned British academic with much to say about equity in higher education who through childhood negotiated silence and autism.