Early intervention is specialized, evidence-based support for young children — typically between 18 months and 6 years — designed to build communication, social, play, and daily living skills during the years when a child's brain is most ready to learn. We deliver early intervention right in your home, where your toddler feels safe and learning comes naturally.
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In the first six years of life, a child's brain forms connections faster than at any other stage — a window researchers call peak neuroplasticity. Early intervention takes advantage of this window: children who receive structured support at a young age consistently show stronger long-term outcomes in language, social skills, independence, and school readiness than children who start later.
This doesn't mean it's ever "too late" to help a child. It means the earlier support begins, the less ground there is to make up. If your instincts are telling you something needs attention, acting on those instincts now is one of the most valuable things you can do as a parent.
Every program is built around your child — not a template. Depending on your child's assessment, goals may focus on:
First words, requesting needs, following simple instructions, or using gestures and alternative communication where speech is emerging.
Eye contact, shared attention, responding to their name, early play with siblings and caregivers.
Functional play with toys, imitation, turn-taking — the building blocks of learning and friendship.
Feeding, dressing, sleep routines, toileting readiness, and cooperating with transitions.
Replacing tantrums, meltdowns, and frustration with functional communication.
Because sessions happen at home, your child learns these skills exactly where they'll use them — and you get to watch, learn, and participate. Families who want to build on this often pair the program with structured in-home ABA therapy as their child grows.
A clear, structured path — because starting early intervention shouldn't feel like one more thing to figure out on your own.
Tell us about your child. No diagnosis is required to have this conversation — if you have concerns, we'll listen and give you honest guidance on next steps.
A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) assesses your child's current skills across communication, play, social, motor, and self-help domains. If your child hasn't been formally evaluated yet, our children's assessment services can establish that baseline.
We set clear, measurable, family-approved goals. You'll know exactly what we're working on and why — goal-oriented therapy means nothing vague, nothing generic.
A certified ABA therapist works one-on-one with your child using proven techniques delivered through play — natural environment teaching, positive reinforcement, and imitation-based learning. To a toddler, it just feels like fun.
You're part of every session's success. Our therapists coach you in real time, and our dedicated parent coaching program gives you deeper, structured training so progress continues between sessions.
Data from every session is reviewed under ongoing clinical supervision. Goals are updated as your child masters skills — because in early childhood, progress can move fast.
The early years deserve more than good intentions — they deserve clinical expertise. Here's who stands behind every Advance Therapy early intervention program.
Design, lead, and continually refine each child's early intervention program.
Trained specifically in early-childhood, play-based delivery — built for toddlers, not adapted for them.
An experienced clinical team supporting toddlers and preschoolers across Canada.
Our approach is family-centred and compassionate by design. We know this stage can feel overwhelming — a new diagnosis, conflicting advice, long public waitlists. Our job isn't just to support your child; it's to make you feel confident, informed, and never alone in the process.
Every child develops at their own pace, but consider reaching out if your toddler shows any of the following:
Isn't using single words by 16 months, or two-word phrases by 24 months
Doesn't respond consistently to their name
Rarely points, waves, or shares attention ("look at that!")
Shows limited interest in playing with others
Has lost words or skills they previously had
Has intense difficulty with transitions, routines, or sensory experiences
Noticing one of these doesn't confirm anything on its own — but it's always worth a conversation. A short consultation can bring clarity either way, and there's no cost to ask.
Depending on your province, early intervention services may be funded through provincial funding programs, eligible private insurance plans, and other available supports such as Jordan's Principle where applicable. Our team will help you understand what your family qualifies for and how to put that funding to work — including for children supported at daycare through our ABA therapy at daycare service.
In Ontario specifically, see our guide to Ontario Autism Program (OAP) funding for details on how it applies to early intervention.
Quick Definitions
