Early Intervention FAQ

Early Intervention is a federal program administered by New York State.  It provides different types of services to children up to three years old who have disabilities or are delayed in one or more areas of development such as speech, hearing, vision, gross motor skills, etc.  Children three years old and over who need special education services are referred to the Committee on Preschool Special Education.

Many services are provided to children with disabilities and their families through the Early Intervention Program.  They include: family training, counseling, home visits, parent support groups; medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes; nursing services; nutrition services; occupational and physical therapy; psychological services; service coordination; social work; special instruction; vision; health services need to allow the child to benefit from other early intervention services; speech-language pathology; audiology (hearing care); assistive technology services and devices; transportation to and from Early Intervention services.

Nothing.  If your child is eligible for the Early Intervention program, you will not have to pay for the services your child receives, regardless of your income.

Your child is eligible for the program if the child is under three years old, and has a disability or a developmental delay.

A parent can refer his/her child for Early Intervention services.  Any professional (such as a doctor, social worker, etc.) who is concerned about a child’s development can also refer the child for Early Intervention services if the child's parents consent.

A referral is made by calling the TOTLINE at 1-800-577-BABY (1-800-577-2229), or by writing to your Early Intervention Official.  You can also talk to your doctor or someone else that you trust, and ask them to help you refer your child to the Early Intervention Program.  Click here to see a sample referral.

First, an Initial Service Coordinator, or ISC, is appointed to work on your child’s case.  About one week after the referral is made, the ISC will contact you to get your consent to evaluate your child and to arrange for evaluation appointments. [If the ISC does not contact you, call the TOTLINE at (1-800-577-BABY) to ask about the status of the case.]   Your child will then receive a free evaluation to determine if he is eligible for services, and what services would best help him.  The evaluations may be done in your home or at an Early Intervention evaluation site.  If your child is found to be eligible for early intervention services, your initial service coordinator will set up a meeting to create a plan for your child to start receiving services.  The plan is called an IFSP and is developed at a meeting called an IFSP meeeting.  After the IFSP is developed, your child can start receiving services immediately.

Click here for a diagram of the Steps in the Early Intervention Process

A child’s biological parents must sign the consent for their child to be evaluated and receive Early Intervention services.  The only time the child's biological parents will not be the ones to sign consent is when a surrogate parent has been appointed by the Early Intervention program.  A surrogate parent may be necessary if 1) the biological parent is unknown; 2) after diligent efforts, the whereabouts of the biological parent cannot be ascertained; 3) the biological parent's rights have been terminated in Family Court; or 4) the parent voluntarily appoints a surrogate parent.

Children referred for Early Intervention are evaluated by several professionals.  The children receive a general health assessment, including vision and hearing screenings.  This can be done by their regular doctor.  Their records are reviewed (with parents' consent) by the Early Intervention evaluation team.  The team also assesses the children’s strengths and weaknesses in each area of development (physical, speech, language, social-emotional, etc.)

IFSP means individualized family service plan.  It is a written plan that details the Early Intervention services your child and family will receive.  It should be completed within 45 days after an Early Intervention referral is made, unless you delay or postpone the evaluation of the child or the meeting to discuss the plan.

It is the meeting where a child's parents and the Early Intervention representatives and professionals discuss the service plan that the child and family will receive.  The IFSP meeting is usually held in the Regional Early Intervention office.

After a child is evaluated by the Early Intervention team, an IFSP is developed and the IFSP meeting is scheduled with the parents to work on the plan.  The IFSP must be completed within 45 days of the initial referral unless the parent stops the process.

Early Intervention services end during the year that a child turns three years old.  If a child turns 3 between January 1 and August 31, the child can stay in the program until August 31 of that calendar year if she is found eligible for pre-school special education services before her third birthday.  If the child turns 3 between September 1 and December 31, the child can stay in the program until December 31 of that calendar year if she is found eligible for pre-school special education services before her third birthday.

Your service coordinator will review the steps needed to transition your child from Early Intervention to Preschool Special Education.

If you have a disagreement with the early intervention staff at any stage of the process, you have the right to

• ask for mediation
• request an impartial hearing
• file a system complaint