Early Intervention Process Pocket Guide
Things to Remember
There are 17 Types of Early Intervention Services. Types of early intervention services include, but arenât limited to, the following:
1. Assistive technology devices and services
2. Audiology
3. Family training, counseling, and home visits
4. Health services
5. Medical services (for diagnostic or evaluative purposes to help in determining the eligibility of the infant or toddler)
6. Nursing services
7. Nutrition services
8. Occupational therapy
9. Physical therapy
10. Psychological services
11. Service coordination services
12. Sign language and cued languages
13. Social work services
14. Special Instruction
15. Speech language pathology services
16. Transportation to access the other EI services and the related costs
17. Vision services
7 Acronyms
IDEA - The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, our nationâs early intervention and special education law. IDEA became IDEA in the amendments of 1990, where the name was changed to reflect a movement toward people-first language.
IFSP - Individualized Family Service Plan is a written plan for providing early intervention services to an infant or toddler with a disability and the childâs family. Every infant and toddler with a disability receiving early intervention services under Part C must have an IFSP.
EI OR EIS - Early intervention (EI) and early intervention service (EIS).
ICC - Interagency Coordinating Council. A State must establish an ICC with certain membership. The Part C regulations stipulate that 20% of the ICC must be parents of infants or toddlers with disabilities or children with disabilities aged 12 years or younger, 20% must be public or private providers of early intervention services.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
PII - Personally identifiable information. In Part C it can be understood as information that can be used to distinguish or trace a childâs identity, such as: the childâs name, the name of the childâs parent, or other family members.
TA & D - Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network. OSEP is responsible for guiding, supporting, and monitoring the implementation of IDEA on behalf of children with disabilities in the nation.
Required Team Members
Each initial meeting and each annual IFSP Team meeting to evaluate the IFSP must include the following participants:
1. The parent or parents of the child.
2. Other family members, as requested by the parent, if feasible to do so.
3. An advocate or person outside of the family, if the parent requests that the person participate.
4. The service coordinator designated by the public agency to be responsible for implementing the IFSP.
5. A person or persons directly involved in conducting the evaluations and assessments.
6. As appropriate, persons who will be providing early intervention services under this part to the child or family.
*1-4 are part of the IFSP review
9 Key Terms
Infant or Toddler with a Disability - If a child is found to have a delay in one (or more) of the developmental delay areas, then he or she may be eligible for early intervention services under Part C.
Developmental Delay - Defined as demonstrating a developmental profile that documents skill acquisition that is significantly below that of chronologically same-age peers in one or more of the following areas: cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, vision, hearing, communication, preacademic, socialization, and adaptive skills.
Early Intervention Services are provided under public supervision Public funds are used to make early intervention services available. The public agency that receives the public funding, develops the Stateâs Part C policies and procedures, oversees the operation of EI programs (including monitoring and supervising the early intervention process in the State).
Prior Written Notice - Refers to the information that must be provided to parents in a reasonable time before the lead agency or an EIS provider proposes, or refuses, to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or placement of their infant or toddler, or the provision of early intervention services to the infant or toddler with a disability and that infantâs or toddlerâs family.
Native Language - Refers to other modes of communication such as sign language, and the diversity of languages spoken by different cultures and countries.
Consent - Giving Consent is strictly voluntary for parents. They may revoke consent at any time, but that revocation is not retroactive. Notable times when parents must give their consent: screening, evaluation, or provision of services.
Multidisciplinary - The involvement of two or more separate disciplines or professions. It is defined for two specific contexts: during evaluation of the child and assessments of the child and family; and in terms of the IFSP Team.
Natural Environments - Settings that are natural or typical for a same-aged infant or toddler without a disability. May include the home or community settings, and must be consistent with the provisions of the law.
Service Coordination Services - Services provided by a service coordinator to assist and enable an infant or toddler with a disability and the childâs family to receive the services and rights, including procedural safeguards, required under Part C of IDEA.
Additional Resources
Pathfinder Services of ND http://pathfinder-nd.org/
ND Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) http://www.nd.gov/dpi
Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR) http://www.parentcenterhub.org/
Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) https://ectacenter.org
Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org
CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect
Division for Early Childhood (DEC) https://www.dec-sped.org/
Understanding Early Childhood Transition: A Guide for Families and Professionals NDDHS http://pathfinder-nd.org/resource.php?r=108
PACER Center https://www.pacer.org/