First Step Early Intervention Program

Established in 1983, Via’s First Step Early Intervention Program provides speech and occupational therapy services to children, birth through 8 years of age. We offer assessments, as well as individual or group therapy sessions based on the needs of each child. 

Speech/Language Therapy

Our licensed speech-language pathologists are passionate about working with children, and hold a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology or Communication Disorders, are licensed in the state of California and members of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. We work with children using play-based techniques across a variety of communication disorders including: receptive and expressive language delays, articulation, fluency, voice, cleft palate, and pragmatics/social language disorders.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists address the child’s “occupations”. These occupations include feeding, sensory integration, motor development, play skills and social interactions. Our occupational therapists look at how the child’s disability, developmental delay or condition is impacting his or her ability to engage in everyday activities and routine.

Group Therapy Classes

Starting in January 2013

P.A.L.S (Pragmatic Awareness Language Skills) is a social communication group therapy class focused on expanding a child’s language skills to better interact with peers in social situations. Children will meet in a small group (between 3-5 children) led by a Speech-Language Pathologist and Early Childhood Educator where they will learn skills required for engaging with peers, establishing friendships, sharing, taking turns and much more!

P.A.L.S. Information - (PDF)

Let’s Move and Learn! is a sensorimotor and sensory integration group designed to stimulate and help integrate input into each child’s sensory system while socializing and having fun! These small groups (3-5 children) are theme and literature based to enhance learning. Over the course of eight weeks children will participate in a variety of activities that challenge their motor skills as well as social, communication and cognitive skills.

On-Site Preschool Speech Screenings

Upon consent of parents and the preschool, our licensed speech-language pathologist will come to your preschool and provide on-site speech screenings for your community. The speech-language screening consists of a 15 minute session with each child to help determine if there are any potential delays that may need to be addressed or milestones which may not have been met. We provide a screening summary to the school and parents along with recommendations if needed. Please call the First Step Early Intervention Program at Via Services for more information- 408.243.7861.

Community Partnerships

California Early Start Program First Step works closely with the San Andreas Regional Center in Santa Clara to provide assessments for the children referred through California’s Early Start program.

KidConnections Our team of developmental specialists partners with First 5 and the Department of Mental Health, to provide comprehensive screenings and assessments to children birth to five. The program is designed to create a safety net of services and supports for the county’s most vulnerable children and to improve the ability of families, schools and communities to prepare children to enter school ready to succeed.

Developmental Milestones

Developmental milestones enable parents and health care professionals to monitor a child’s learning, behavior and development. Not all children progress at the same rate; while each child develops differently, some differences may indicate a slight delay and others may be a cause for greater concern. The following milestones provide some important guidelines for tracking healthy development from one year to five years of age.

If you feel your child is not meeting some of these developmental milestones you can speak with your doctor and/or call Yvonne at Via Services - 408.243.7861 - for an assessment and evaluation with one of our highly trained therapists.

Click below to read through the CDC list of developmental milestones

Contract Services to Public Schools

Via’s speech/language pathologists and occupational therapists are available to provide contract services to public school districts. Typically school district contracts are made to cover long-term substitutions or vacant therapist positions. Via’s therapists provide quality therapy, assessments, IEP paperwork and meetings, participation in the IEP process, and professional interactions with teachers, parents, and the special education team. Via can help by providing therapy services to children on a short or long term basis. Please contact us if you are interested in services for your school.

Corporate/Community Education

Identifying children who are showing signs of developmental delays or disabilities and providing them with services and supports, is Via’s most important role in the community. Via Services also strives to raise awareness of growth and developmental stages, enabling parents to recognize the signs of developmental delays. Our First Step team is available to speak to parents in the community either through company site visits or local community groups. Our team has spoken at large corporate campuses such as Sybase where they discussed early childhood development, school readiness and child safety. Parents were able to gain better insight into their child’s development and receive tools for monitoring their child through the stages of development. If you are interested in having our First Step team speak to your company or organization, please contact our Advancement Office at 408-243-7861.