It is vital to provide therapeutic services when youths are still in the developmental stage — from birth to age 3 — according to a Chicago pediatrician. 

Last in a series looking at Early Intervention funding in the state 

Dr. Mark Minier is bothered when he recommends Early Intervention therapies for a child and then that youth is on a therapy waiting list for months. 

“It is incredibly frustrating,” the Chicago pediatrician said. “It is a challenge to build a relationship with a family, to explain why Early Intervention services are so important, why they are critical for a child. 

“Not all families are ready to do it. Some families do not want a therapist coming into their home. I go through with them how the brain develops. For those children to then sit on wait lists negates all the work we have done to get a parent to say yes to services.” 

Minier, who works at the Esperanza Health Centers on Chicago’s Southwest Side, said the therapeutic delays put a strain on his connection with patient families. 

“It doesn’t ruin the relationship, but it makes it harder,” he said. “Families get hesitant about going forward with therapy.” 

Minier, a primary care pediatrician for 20 years, said the value of Early Intervention services is undisputable. 

“From a medical standpoint, we know the first few years of a child’s life are so critical,” Minier said. “For the EI system to be well-funded is so important.” 

Early Intervention services got a $6 million boost in the state budget that was just passed. However, Early Intervention advocates had been lobbying for a $40 million bump, which would have matched the increase EI services got in the fiscal year 2023-24 budget.  

The fiscal year 2024-25 approved budget allocates $162 million for EI services. 

Karen Berman, senior director of Illinois policy at Start Early, a Chicago-based nonprofit public-private partnership advancing early learning and care, noted that advocates had hoped an identical $40 million bump in this year’s budget would have gone toward another increase in service-provider fees and to cut into the wait lists for services. 

Dr. Minier said it is vital to address issues when youth are still in the developmental stage — from birth to age 3. 

“As a primary care doctor, I see how essential it is for us to address developmental and behavior

Dr. Mark Minier (Provided photo)

issues early on rather than addressing it down the road,” Minier said. 

Minier said over the past few years, he has seen delays increase in the EI intake process, where families meet with service coordinators for evaluations and assessments. 

The physician said he has also seen a lag in children getting therapy once their assessment is completed. 

“We follow up with parents and we often hear them say, ‘No one has contacted me,’” Minier said. 

To know that the clock is ticking on children’s ability to get Early Intervention services adds to his angst, said Minier, an Executive Committee member with the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

“We know the connection works,” Minier said, “but the window ends at age 3. All services end then. So, for a child to wait nine months for services, it isn’t like we can tack those ninth months on when the child turns 3. 

“It is a critical timeline for brain development.” 

Minier said it is hard to find someone who doesn’t have a story about how their other kids or other family members’ kids had developmental delays. 

“The earlier we start with children, the better. It helps with school readiness,” he said. “It ensures they are at the level they need to be at to learn. It’s checks and balances. We need to make sure these children do not fall through the cracks.” 

The Chicago pediatrician said he would love to think that his reaching out helps get his patient families into Early Intervention services more quickly but has no idea if that is true. 

“I have spent a lot of time building relationships with the EI network. I know them personally,” Minier said. “I do send a lot of personal emails inquiring about what the status is with patients, and the EI professionals all get back to me telling me where things are at in the process.” 

He said he stays vigilant on getting Early Intervention services for his patients. 

“I am passionate about them. Some other pediatricians don’t have the time for follow-ups because they have a lot of patients,” Minier said. “What the EI service providers do is above and beyond what they need to do. They help me and other providers quite a bit.” 

Minier said the state should invest in Early Intervention services because behavioral issues in students can often be traced back to their early years of life. 

“If language delays go undiagnosed, they can manifest in behavior problems. Something that makes a child uncomfortable can present itself as behavior issues that lead to a school suspension,” Minier said. “The trajectory can be seen happening even before they are ever teens. We see it in early development issues. Steps taken with Early Intervention can be preventative.” 

Minier said a lot of former Early Intervention providers have moved on to other therapies 

“We didn’t get the people to return after COVID,” he said. “We are not getting the new grads to go into EI. There are pipeline issues.” 

He said more state money being put into EI would support a meaningful wage increase. 

“If you are not paid what you need, it is hard to continue on,” Minier said. “A lot of people have moved on to work with private insurance. They have chosen to serve other patients.” 

He said reimbursement issues often force providers to move on which contributes to the equity gap, affecting his clients, many of whom are Latino. 

“Certainly, the workforce is a big part of the problem,” Minier noted. “People in the field are doing fantastic work serving patients but I worry about worker burnout and the wait lists. 

“I feel funding is explicitly important.” 

Minier argues that money is going to have to spent to tackle behavioral issues, whether at the state level before age 3 or in local school districts’ special education services. 

“Why not spend it on prevention?” he asked. 

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com