Getting an early intervention place and how long you may wait

Terms used

• CDIAP — The CDIAP is Catalonia's early intervention centre, which assesses and treats children aged 0-6.
• CAIT — The CAIT is Andalucía's early intervention centre, which assesses children and starts their care.
• CDIAT — The CDIAT is the early intervention centre where children in Madrid and Valencia are given a place.
• Grado de discapacidad — The grado de discapacidad is the official disability percentage given after an assessment, which can open access to support.

Key rules

• Regional route: You get a public place through your region's route, so the first step depends on where you live.
• Waiting: Expect several months' wait, longer in busy areas; ask the local centre for the current wait.
• Weekly sessions: Public care is usually one or two sessions a week per discipline, set by your child's plan.
• Private therapy: You can add private therapy while you wait, at your own cost, and it does not usually cost you the public place.

How you get a place

Places are given through your region, not through one national office. The route depends on where you live, so start with your paediatrician or local social services. The steps are in the process below.

• Catalonia: you, or a professional such as the paediatrician, nursery, school or social services, can contact the CDIAP directly. The centre assesses your child itself.
• Andalucía: your child is referred by the health system (primary care or hospital), or by education or social services, to the CAIT. The CAIT assesses your child and starts care.
• Madrid: your child is first assessed and referred through the regional social services network (centros base). Your child is then given a place in a CDIAT.
• Valencia: you or a professional apply through health, education or social services. A regional assessment team (the Equipos de Valoración) decides on the place in a CDIAT.

Procedures change, so confirm the current route with your paediatrician or local social services.

How long you may wait

Expect to wait several months for an assessment or a place. Waits are usually longer in high-demand areas, such as Madrid and Valencia. Catalonia and Andalucía also have waiting lists. Waits differ by province, centre and year, and there is no consistent published figure. Ask the local centre or the regional social services department how long the wait is now.

How many sessions you get

Public sessions are usually one or two a week. Each lasts around 30 to 45 minutes, for each discipline your child needs (speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychomotor work, psychological or family support). An individual plan sets the intensity, and regional rules or contracts cap the hours. Children with greater needs may get more. Some regions reduce sessions as your child develops. Ask the centre what applies to your child.

What to do while you wait

You do not have to wait with nothing. The decision below helps you weigh private therapy. Your options:

• Private therapy. Speech, physiotherapy, occupational therapy or psychology. You pay for it, and costs are not generally reimbursed. Nothing generally prohibits it, and it does not usually cost you the public place. Centres may ask your therapists to coordinate. Some regions cut public hours if your child already gets equivalent support, so check with the centre.
• Health-system referrals. Ask your paediatrician about neuropaediatrics, child mental health and rehabilitation.
• Parent guidance. Associations offer guidance and training for parents.
• School support. Ask the school or its guidance team (EOEP in Madrid, EAT in Catalonia) for help.
• Disability assessment. Ask for the grado de discapacidad assessment.
• Review. If your child's needs change, ask the centre to review your position on the list.

Before the first appointment, use the checklist below to gather your documents.

Choosing between options

Should you add private therapy to public early intervention?

• Public sessions only: Your child's plan already gives enough weekly sessions in each therapy they need, or you cannot pay for private care.

• Add private therapy: Public sessions are only one or two a week per therapy, your child needs more, or you are still on the waiting list and want to start now.

• Private now, then ask for a review: You are waiting for a place and your child's needs are changing. Start private therapy and ask the centre to review your position.

If the public hours in your child's plan cover what the team says they need, stay with public sessions. If they fall short or you are still waiting, add private therapy at your own cost, and tell the public centre so the therapists can coordinate.

Steps to get referred to early intervention

• Notice a concern about your child's development, or hear one from the paediatrician or nursery: as soon as you have a concern

• Talk to your paediatrician, who records the concern and writes a report or referral: right after the concern comes up

• If your nursery or school raises the concern, agree to a referral. They can flag it but need your consent, and in some regions they only advise you to see the paediatrician: when the nursery or school contacts you

• Ask for an assessment yourself if you prefer. In Catalonia you can contact the CDIAP directly; in other regions you apply through the regional procedure: at any time, without waiting for a referral

• Social services or hospital services such as neonatology or neurology can also send the referral: when they are already involved with your child

• Send the referral or application to the regional body or directly to the local centre (CDIAT, CDIAP or CAIT, depending on region): after you have the referral or form

• Attend the first appointment, where the team interviews you and observes your child through play: usually from a few weeks to several months after applying

• Agree an intervention plan with the team and start therapy, usually weekly sessions: after the assessment, once a place is assigned

• If there is a waiting list, ask the centre for your expected waiting time and keep in touch: while you wait for a place

Preparing for your first early intervention appointment

• Bring your child's ID (DNI, NIE or passport) and your own ID as parent or guardian

• Bring the family book or birth certificate

• Bring your child's health card (tarjeta sanitaria), which centres often ask for as identification

• Bring a certificate of registration at your address (padrón)

• Bring the paediatrician's or school's referral, if you have one, and any signed application form and consent your region requires

• Bring medical reports from the hospital, neonatal care, neurology or other specialists, plus the vaccination record (cartilla de salud)

• Bring any earlier therapy or school reports, and the disability certificate if your child has one

• Write down pregnancy and birth details: weeks, weight, complications, Apgar score and any neonatal admissions

• Note illnesses, hearing and vision tests, medication, seizures, feeding and sleep, and any family history of developmental disorders

• List when your child first sat, walked, said words, smiled socially and played

• Describe your concerns about language, behaviour, attention or movement, when they began, and who cares for your child each day

• Ask what the assessment involves, who is on the team, how many sessions a week, what it costs and how long the wait is

• Ask how reports are shared with the school and how the family takes part

• Ask what happens if your child is not admitted: you can ask for a review or lodge an appeal within the deadline in the notification, often one month

Required documents vary by region and centre. Check the exact list with the centre or your paediatrician before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add private therapy while I wait for a public place?

Yes, you can pay for private therapy while you wait, and it does not usually cost you the public place. You cover the cost yourself. Some centres ask the therapists to coordinate, and some regions may grant fewer public hours if your child already gets equivalent support.

How many sessions a week will my child get in the public service?

Usually about one or two sessions a week, each around 30 to 45 minutes, for each type of therapy. The team sets this in an individual plan.

What else can I do while my child is on the waiting list?

Ask your paediatrician for referrals to services such as neuropaediatrics, child mental health or rehabilitation. You can also ask the school's guidance team for support and request the disability assessment (grado de discapacidad).