Early Intervention Services
Children with disabilities or developmental delays may be eligible for government sponsored early intervention programs before they enter the public school system. Intervention that is provided at a young age is often very effective and can greatly influence a child's future.
Early Intervention: Ages Birth to Three
From birth until a child's third birthday, early intervention services are designed to help families. While direct services are provided to young children, the focus is on providing parents and other caregivers with the tools to integrate therapies and techniques into the everyday life of the child.
This family centered approach is meant to provide support to both the child and the family. Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) are developed for families with children who are found eligible for early intervention services. Infants and toddlers are eligible for early intervention services if they have a significant delay in one or more developmental areas as determined by formal assessments, if a qualified specialist determines that there is a delay even if the delay isn't reflected in formal assessments or if the child has a physical or mental condition which makes the child have a high probability of having or developing a developmental delay.
Services for a child in this age group are defined by the IFSP and must be provided in settings that meet the family's needs. Typically, this means that services should be provided in the child's home or natural environment. The parent is a very important part of the Team that develops the IFSP. The IFSP should be responsive to the family's objectives, needs and priorities. It is a document that needs to be reviewed at least once every 180 days and amended as appropriate.
The Age of Beginners: Ages Three to Five
If a student has already been in the Birth to Three Early Intervention program then prior to the child's third birthday a Team will meet to discuss the child's transition into the preschool early intervention program. The Team will draft an IEP based upon the IFSP and already conducted evaluations or it will provide the parent with a Permission to Evaluate Form if additional evaluations are necessary.
Students who were not in the birth to three early intervention program are also eligible for preschool early intervention if they have a disability or developmental delay. Typically, once a school district is notified of a student between ages 3 and the age of beginners (the age at which a child may enter kindergarten), the district will screen the child. If the screening reveals the need for an assessment, then the parent will be asked to sign a Permission to Evaluate form (PTE) so that a formal assessment can be conducted.
After the evaluation, the IEP Team will convene to review the assessment results and to determine if the student has a disability and needs special education services. If the student is found eligible, then the IEP will be written and implemented.
It is sometimes said that a few hours of early intervention services are equivalent to months of later services in terms of the progress that a student can make. Some students may find all of the support that they need in the early intervention program and not need special education services once they enter kindergarten. Other children, who continue to qualify, will have had the benefit of early services to help them. For these reasons, early intervention services are very important to children with disabilities and their families.