Cuyahoga DD Early Intervention Shows Improved Outcomes in Family Survey

The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Cuyahoga DD) Early Intervention (EI) team has reported significant improvements in its service effectiveness, surpassing statewide averages in 12 out of 13 categories on the Ohio Department of Children & Youth's 2026 EI Family Questionnaire. The program also saw gains across 12 categories compared to its 2025 results, with several areas improving by five or more percentage points.

Key improvements include parental confidence in communicating their child's needs, which rose to 97.57% from 92.28% in 2025. Parents also reported increased success in helping their children learn and develop, with scores rising from 91.36% to 95.93%. Additionally, understanding of a child's social-emotional needs improved, with 93.46% of parents reporting positive outcomes, up from 83.92% in the previous year.

"This improvement is not an accident," stated Lori Mago, Director of Cuyahoga DD Assistive Technology and Children's Services. "In the past year, we have increased our professionals' training and expertise in social-emotional development." Mago expressed gratitude for the positive feedback from families.

Survey results also indicated a strong likelihood of recommendation, with 98.11% of families stating they would recommend Early Intervention to another family, an increase from 94.12% in 2025. Parent Lisa Scharfenort shared a personal success story, highlighting her daughter Eliza's progress in communication, attributing it to the EI program and speech-language pathologist Renee Farmerie.

Cuyahoga DD serves over 15,000 residents annually, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities from birth through adulthood to live, learn, work, and play in their community. The organization is primarily funded by a property tax levy.