Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) confirms what early childhood advocates across Michigan have long observed: early identification and intervention are essential to improving cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes for young children with learning disabilities and developmental differences.  But for many Michigan families, access to effective early intervention in Michigan remains inconsistent — and sometimes, out of reach.

“As an Early On liaison working closely with our team at Michigan Alliance for Families, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside families as they navigate the early childhood system,” says Victoria Martinez, executive assistant at Michigan Alliance for Families. “Their stories reflect both the promise and the challenges of accessing early intervention services across our state.”

Delayed diagnosis and systemic barriers

Camille Proctor, founder of The Color of Autism Foundation, sees firsthand how difficult it is for families to even begin the intervention process once they believe their child may be navigating learning differences.

“One of the main challenges families face is just identifying what autism actually looks like, because autism isn’t linear,” she says. “Schools often panic or don’t know what to do.” 

She shares that autism can appear differently in young girls, who may be better at masking behaviors, making early signs harder to spot.

“The biggest issue is identifying autism and then figuring out where to go next. How do you access services? How do you get a proper diagnosis?” she says. “To actually receive services, you need someone to perform a DSM-5 evaluation. For many parents, that process often comes with a long waitlist that’ll take a while to get an official diagnosis.”

Victoria MartinezAccording to Martinez, families often face multiple barriers, including “dual eligibility confusion” between Early On and Michigan Mandatory Special Education (MMSE), a statewide funding gap of over $200 million, and “a lack of qualified early intervention professionals, especially in rural and underserved areas.”

“Variability of resources across Intermediate School Districts (ISDs) also leads to unequal access and quality of services,” she says. “Families often lack information about developmental milestones or fear of being labeled, delaying referrals.”

According to Proctor, the consequences of these delays are far-reaching. 

“When you’re talking about something like a developmental delay or a learning difference, the longer you wait, the worse it gets,” she says. “Waiting until school age can be really problematic.”

Proctor also raises concerns about the mislabeling of children of color. 

“Especially for minority students, there’s a pattern where instead of receiving an autism diagnosis, they’re labeled with oppositional defiant disorder,” she says. “And that label can be a fast track to the prison system.”
Camille Proctor
The importance of early childhood programs

Programs like Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) and Head Start often serve as a critical access point for families whose children were not diagnosed or referred before age three.

“Michigan’s GSRP and Head Start are vital components of the early childhood system,” says Martinez. “These programs often blend classrooms with children receiving Early On services, promoting peer modeling and social development.”

“They play a big role,” says Proctor. “Now that Head Start is starting a lot earlier … those parents can’t work if they don’t have anyone that’s equipped to care for their child.”

At The Color of Autism Foundation, Proctor’s team provides training to child care providers in Head Start programs. 

“We are training child care providers in Head Start on how to be responsive to the needs of these children, so they’re not putting them out of the classrooms,” she says. “We work with them so they understand what the sensory needs are of the child, and so that that child, once they are accommodated, can have the same experience that everyone else in that classroom has.”

Martinez notes that early educators in these programs can flag concerns and refer families to services, offering continuity between early intervention and school readiness.

Jennifer Headley-NordmanJennifer Headley-Nordman, president of First Steps Kent, emphasizes that many children aren’t identified until they enter preschool settings. 

“Many children are identified when they start to enter some type of early childhood experience,” she says. “Programs like Head Start or GSRP are where those conversations first start to happen.”

Why timing matters

Headley-Nordman, also a psychologist with over 20 years of experience, described early identification as critical. 

“When children are little, it’s much easier to be able to prevent bad habits from perpetuating or continuing,” she says. “We also have more access to children prior to them starting school, and the family engagement piece may look a little differently with a two-year-old than it does with an eight-year-old.”

“There’s a reality that once a child enters kindergarten, anytime you’re working on therapeutic skills, that might require you to remove the child from the instructional environment,” she says. “If you have the time between birth and five, you can make sure the child is progressing without missing out on reading, math, or other classroom instruction.”

Proctor echoes this, sharing how early intervention helped her son. 

“He needs a lot of redirection, so being in a class with six students, one teacher, and three paraprofessionals gave him almost one-on-one support,” she says. “That setup allowed him to learn in the way that works best for him.”

Toward a more inclusive system

Improving the system for early intervention in Michigan requires coordinated investments in both infrastructure and workforce capacity.

“Currently, some of the most well-funded districts in Michigan offer surprisingly limited support for children with disabilities,” says Proctor. “That imbalance undermines both equity and access.”

Martinez outlines several key policy changes that could strengthen the system statewide:Unifying eligibility criteria across Early On and MMSE; transitioning to needs-based funding; expanding Medicaid reimbursement; investing in workforce development; and strengthening cross-agency data systems. She draws these recommendations from recent research and fiscal analyses.

Headley-Nordman emphasizes the importance of aligning funding with broader system supports. 

“Programs that strengthen early childhood infrastructure are critical for us as a state,” she says. “We also need to have thoughtful conversations about how changes to Medicaid impact the early childhood system — especially when it comes to evaluations and therapeutic services that are reimbursed through schools.”

She adds that First Steps Kent plays a convening role, helping to align stakeholders and reduce the burden on families. 

“Our space is really about convening those conversations, organizing the information we’re hearing, and then moving to action,” she says.

One such example, the Inclusive Literacy Alliance works with local libraries to increase access to pre-literacy supports for children with developmental differences.

“Parents really look to libraries as a trusted source,” Headley-Nordman says. “By engaging with the library system, we’re able to highlight adaptive technology and literacy resources that many families may not yet know about.”

For many caregivers, navigating Michigan’s early childhood and special education systems can feel overwhelming and fragmented, a reality echoed by both Camille Proctor and Victoria Martinez, who support families across the state.

“At The Color of Autism, we offer free parent training and a variety of resources — not to turn parents into therapists, but to teach them how to be data collectors,” says Proctor. “We guide parents in identifying their child’s behaviors, reducing anxiety, and responding more effectively to their needs, especially during long wait times for services.”

The Michigan Alliance for Families also plays a crucial role in supporting caregivers who are seeking early intervention in Michigan. 

“Our parent mentors provide peer-to-peer support and help families navigate special education systems,” says Martinez. 

The organization also offers workshops, webinars, and multilingual resources to ensure accessibility for families from diverse backgrounds.

Proctor notes that empathy is essential in early learning environments, particularly when working with children who have learning differences. 

“It’s difficult. A lot of caregivers aren’t paid well. I know it can be exhausting,” she says. “But these children are not bothersome. They are valuable members of the classroom and the community.”


Brianna Nargiso is a graduate of the Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications with a major in media, journalism, and film, and a minor in political science. She also holds a graduate degree from Mercer University.
With a passion for social justice, education, and public health, Brianna has contributed to multiple publications, including Flintside, The Root, 101 Magazine, Howard University News Service, and many others. Her work spans profiles, event recaps, politics, and breaking news, earning her a nomination for a Hearst journalism award.

An active member of the National Association for Black Journalists, Brianna has worked with Teach for America and the Peace Corps. She is now a doctoral candidate at American University, committed to advancing her mission as an international change agent.

Early Education Matters shares how Michigan parents, child care providers, and early childhood educators are working together to create more early education opportunities for all little Michiganders. It is made possible with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.