How to Enable Early Intervention
The Early Intervention Program is a national effort aimed at helping infants and toddlers with disabilities. The program was formed by Congress in 1986 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Each state is responsible for administering this program, and usually does so through the State Department of Health. Children must be under the age of 3 and have a confirmed disability to qualify for early intervention. They are evaluated in five areas: cognitive, physical, social-emotion, communication and adaptive development. Early intervention does not cost the families any money. Parents should enable early intervention if they have concerns.
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Instructions
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Call your county's early intervention program. Start with the health department or your child's doctor for a referral. Many counties have a staff dedicated to this program.
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Schedule a meeting with an initial service coordinator. This coordinator helps families with the process of creating an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). He will explain the program, review the family's rights, help you pick an evaluator, arrange the evaluation and stay with you every step of the way. As the process continues, the coordinator can resolve any issues or problems that arise.
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Set up an evaluation. This is arranged through the parent, service coordinator and evaluation team. The evaluation includes a health assessment, an assessment in each developmental area (social/emotional, physical, cognitive, adaptive and communication), and a parental interview about concerns. The therapists and doctors may engage the child in play to evaluate and watch them.
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Play an active role in the evaluation. Help your child with activities, comfort her, hold her and observe her play. Talk with team members about your child's strengths, weaknesses and needs.
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Meet with the evaluation team to discuss its findings. Address any concerns you have and ask questions. The team may provide a written summary of its findings, which should include team members' names, a description of the evaluation, the tests and scores used, your child's response to the tasks and a recommendation for early intervention services.
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Develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). As per the regulations, this needs to be done within 45 days after the child's referral to the Early Intervention Official. The IFSP is a written plan outlining the early intervention services the child will receive. The parents, Early Intervention Official, service coordinator and evaluators must take part in this IFSP meeting.
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Look over all the information that has been gathered thus far. Talk about your concerns and priorities. Develop goals that you expect from early intervention services. Parents must agree to the timelines and measures.
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Set a date for early invention services to begin. This may entail sessions with a physical therapist, if your child has physical delays, or a speech pathologist if your child isn't talking as they should. The schedule should be conducive to the parent's schedule. Parents should keep a log of how the services are working.
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Review and update the IFSP periodically. Early intervention needs will change as the child develops. The IFSP should be reviewed every six months.
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Tips & Warnings
Parents can ask for a second evaluation if they feel more information is needed.
References
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