In 1986, the federal government mandated that states provide therapy for newborns and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities, but the program has been dogged by severe racial gaps in access and quality since its inception. By the time they turn 2, eligible Black toddlers with developmental delays are five times less likely than similar white children to receive “early intervention” services (the name for the therapies offered from infancy to the age of 3), according to a study from public health researchers at Boston University. Moreover, recent federal data shows that more than 15 states, including Rhode Island, serve fewer than 200 Black children statewide through early intervention — a fraction of the number that experts say need the support, which can include physical and speech therapy.

The picture is mixed depending on the community, however, with Black and Latino children overrepresented in some places and underrepresented in others. But research shows that even where Black and Latino children enroll in high numbers, they have worse experiences than their white peers. That can include longer delays in finding therapists and less access to the most helpful therapies, including in-person sessions.For example, in New York state, white children were referred to early intervention at younger ages than Black and Hispanic children, according to a recent audit. The report also said Black children were less likely than white children to receive therapy in the required 30-day timeframe.

“One of the things we consistently see in pediatrics is that children of color get less of everything,” said Katharine Zuckerman, an associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health & Science University who has studied racial disparities in diagnoses of autism and other disorders. “They get less antibiotics. They get less early intervention.”

A growing number of parents, researchers and politicians have in recent years turned their attention to these persistent gaps, which they argue play a pivotal — and long-overlooked — role in shaping educational inequities years, even decades, after children start school. Zuckerman likens it to the law of diminishing returns: Children’s brains develop much more rapidly between birth and 5 than in any other period in their life. So a year of high-quality speech therapy, for instance, can mean much more for a 2-year-old than a 10-year-old. One study found that half of children leave early intervention functioning at a level appropriate for their age and do not require special education services in kindergarten.

Read the full article about racial therapy intervention gaps by Sarah Carr at The Hechinger Report.