Helping Families Connect Children to Early Interventions
MNLEND fellow Miriam Castro Sanjuan (2024-25) is an occupational therapist for the Minneapolis Public Schools and works part-time at a state program that links families with early childhood special education services.
“I really want parents and young children to take advantage of all the early intervention tools we have available,” said MNLEND fellow Miriam Castro Sanjuan (2024-25).
“It’s important to take advantage of that brain plasticity and all those connections as early as possible for a child,” she added.
Castro Sanjuan has been an early intervention provider for 14 years and says the best part of her work involves helping families become empowered advocates for their children. She is an occupational therapist for the Minneapolis Public Schools and works part-time for Help Me Grow —a state program that links families with early childhood special education services.
It’s this passion to make sure all families are connected to resources that sparked Castro Sanjuan’s interest in the MNLEND fellowship program. The Minnesota Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) fellowship helps to develop the next generation of leaders in the neurodevelopmental disabilities field.
Early Intervention is Crucial
Castro Sanjuan was often frustrated when assessing children who could have benefited from earlier interventions. “I would see a child at 28 months of age and wonder, ‘Why am I seeing them now and not in the first year of their life?’ I saw a gap and a need for earlier referrals,” she said.
This frustration turned into action as Castro Sanjuan worked on a project during her MNLEND fellowship to examine the communication between parents, medical providers, and early intervention providers. The project focused on ways to let parents and pediatricians know about early intervention options and to highlight the benefits of having a child seen by an expert.
“One of the goals of early intervention is to decrease the need for special education services later on,” Castro Sanjuan said. “When we think of the first 3 years of life, there is so much learning that is happening and there are a lot of connections being made in the brain.”
Castro Sanjuan enjoys being able to provide her services to children at no cost to families and in their own homes. “When we provide care in the home, we can see a child’s natural environment,” she said. “We get to meet their siblings, see if they have grandparents living in the home, and get a good sense of the services a family might need.”
Connecting When Times Were Dark
Castro Sanjuan was born in Mexico and moved to Minnesota with her family when she was 13. “I’m bilingual and can make a good connection with Spanish-speaking families,” she said.
Her language skills and background were helpful during the immigration enforcement by ICE agents in the Twin Cities this past winter. “We had families who were reluctant to open the door to receive services,” Castro Sanjuan said. “I was able to reach these families because I have the language skills, and culturally, I can connect with these families. I’m also the mother of an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old so I can relate to these parents.”
ICI researcher Andrea Castillo worked with Castro Sanjuan during her time as a MNLEND fellow. “From the beginning, Miriam brought curiosity, thoughtfulness, and a strong commitment to families,” Castillo said. “What stood out most was Miriam’s passion for creating systems change in an area that is so important to children and families.”
Castillo has no doubt that Castro Sanjuan will continue to do meaningful work to help families and build important partnerships to better serve families.
Castro Sanjuan continues to focus on helping families get the services they need and says her time at the Institute on Community Integration brought new opportunities. “The connections I made as a MNLEND fellow help me in my work,” Castro Sanjuan said. “Everybody in the program was so passionate about advocacy and disability equity. This really gave me hope during a time when things were a bit dark.”