Why young children enter early intervention services

Why Young Children Enter Early Intervention Services PART C OF THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA) PROVIDES FUNDING TO STATES to provide services for children from birth to three years of age with developmental delays and disabilities. States have flexibility — and therefore variation — in determining the criteria for eligibility. A study published in the Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities examines the reasons why infants and toddlers entering Part C early intervention services are eligible. The findings yield important information about children receiving early intervention and have the potential to shape the services states provide and therefore the outcomes that children experience. Researchers addressed three main questions. How do service providers describe why infants and toddlers are eligible for services? What demographic characteristics are associated with service providers’ descriptions of eligibility for services? How do parents describe why their child is receiving services and how does this compare with service providers’ descriptions of reasons for eligibility? IDEA Definition of Eligibility Regulations for the program are flexible, allowing states to design systems that best meet the needs of their citizens. IDEA presents a framework only — early intervention services are provided based on the presence of developmental delay or a diagnosed physical or mental condition associated with developmental delay. Developmental delay is defined as a documented delay in cognitive, communicative, physical, social, emotional, or adaptive development, with the amount of delay required for eligibility defined by the individual states. IDEA also permits the provision of services to children who are at risk of developmental delay if services are not provided, however few states opt to provide service to these children. Findings Given the broad latitude in determining eligibility criteria it is difficult to have a clear picture of the children being served. This study provides a descriptive overview of the reasons infants and toddlers entering Part C programs are eligible for services as characterized by their service providers compared with how parents describe why their child is receiving services. ACCORDING TO SERVICE PROVIDERS: • 62 percent of infants and toddlers were eligible because of developmental delay. • 22 percent were eligible because of a diagnosed condition. • 17 percent were eligible because they were at risk for developmental delay. Parents agreed: • 52 percent of children were described as having a developmental delay. • 27 percent were described as having a diagnosed condition associated with developmental delay. • 21 percent were described with terms associated with being at risk for developmental delay. FPG Snapshot #38 | January 2007 Snapshots are summaries of research articles, books, and other publications by researchers at the FPG Child Development Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill. Permission is granted to reprint this article if you acknowledge FPG and the authors of the article on which this Snapshot is based. For more information, call the FPG Publications Office at 919-966-4221 or email <FPGpublications@unc.edu>. Visit us at <www.fpg.unc.edu>. CONTINUED THE UNIVERSITY of NORTH CAROLINA at CHAPEL HILL