Early Intervention: 0 to 3 Years Old

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Written by Administrator | 25 July 2009

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Sponsored by the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Child and Adolescent Health, Early Intervention is a program that provides various types of early intervention services to children with disabilities and developmental delays, ages birth to three years old.
 
Eligibility
 
  • Children are eligible for an evaluation in Early Intervention program if they are under three years old AND have or are suspected of having a disability or developmental delay.
  • Premature birth, Down Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, vision and hearing impairments are all examples of physical or mental diagnoses that often lead to delays in development.
  • Children do not have to be U.S. citizens and there is no “income test” for the program. However, children and their families must be New York residents to be eligible for Early Intervention Services.
Services
 
  • Speech Language Therapy
  • Special Education
  • Physical Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Audiology
  • Autism Services
  • Psychological Services
  • Counseling, family training, home visits and parent support groups
  • Medical Services for Diagnostic or Evaluation Purposes
  • Nursing Services
  • Nutrition Services
  • Vision Services
  • Transportation to and from Early Intervention Services
  • Service Coordination
Process
 
Referral – Parents and professionals can refer children into Early Intervention. Professionals refer children to the program when there is concern about development unless parents refuse consent.
 
Initial Service Coordination – Once a child is referred into Early Intervention, an initial service coordinator will be assigned to work with the child and family. The responsibility of the initial service coordinator is to help the family with all the steps leading to the first Individualized Family Service Plan. Parents will have the opportunity to ask questions and address particular concerns about their child with their initial service coordinator.
 
Evaluation – The evaluation team will provide a full summary and evaluation report to the family, the initial service coordinator and the Early Intervention official upon completion. The multidisciplinary evaluation includes the following services:
 
  • Medical - health assessment by the child’s primary health care provider, including vision and hearing screening; assessment of physical, cognitive, communicative, social-emotional and adaptive development
  • Social History - discussion with parents regarding concerns about their child as well as information on their child’s behavior and traits
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) – The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is the written plan for the child’s proposed early intervention services. Mandatory participants at the initial IFSP meeting include parents, Early Intervention Official, initial service coordinator, and the evaluation representative. The meeting is a review of the information gathered about the child and the family’s priorities and concerns. Once everyone agrees on the measures and timelines that will be used to monitor the intervention process, the parents will sign the IFSP that grants permission to commence approved early intervention services.
 
Putting the IFSP into Action – An ongoing service coordinator will assume responsibility for coordinating all Early Intervention services after the initial meeting. An important goal of Early Intervention is to ensure that children receive Early Intervention services as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Early Intervention Program makes the following requirements of its participants:
 
  • Six month reviews of the IFSP
  • Annual meetings to evaluate the IFSP
  • Process for changing the IFSP in-between six month reviews and annual meetings
Transition – Once your child turns three years old, he/she will be transitioned from Early Intervention into other services. Many children who participate in Early Intervention will be eligible for the Committee of Preschool Education (CPSE) program for children ages three to five years old.

 

NYS Early Intervention Disclaimer

  • EI services are for children under 3 years of age with suspected or established developmental delays or disabilities
  • The Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a public program funded by New York State and New York City
  • All children must be referred to the municipality to access services and the telephone number of the municipality must be included to facilitate a referral
  • Bilinguals Inc’s programs are approved and funded by the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Nassau & Suffolk County Department of Health Services, and the Westchester County Department of Health
  • Services are provided at no out-of-pocket cost to parents, although health insurance will be accessed for reimbursement
  • Eligibility is determined by state-approved evaluators under contract with NYC, Suffolk, Nassau, and Westchester
  • If the child is found eligible, services are identified in collaboration with the parent and must be authorized by the municipality
  • The municipality will arrange for service providers to deliver authorized services, and
  • When EI services are delivered in child care settings or community locations that require a fee, the parent is responsible for paying any costs associated with the child care or community location.