Early Intervention (Ages 0-3)

Contact your local Early Intervention center (if your child is under 3 years old)

Early intervention (EI) is a system of services to help young children (birth to three years old) who have a developmental delay learn skills that other children typically develop during the first three years of life (for example, crawling, walking, talking, listening, eating and dressing). EI services may include therapies (speech, occupational, physical), nutrition services, psychological services, family counseling, and others. Every child under 3 years of age with ASD or suspected of having ASD should be evaluated for EI (the evaluation is free).

Action:

1. If your Primary Care Provider (PCP) has not yet referred you to Early Intervention (EI), find your state’s EI coordinator at Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center Opens in a new window and ask him or her for the contact information of the Early Intervention center near your home. When you contact your local center, they will ask screening questions and arrange for an assessment, which is provided at no cost.
2. Following the evaluation, your EI case manager will work with you to create an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). An IFSP is a written document outlining your family’s EI goals and the intended plan to help you reach these goals (i).
3. Contact your state’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F) Opens in a new window with any questions about starting the Early Intervention process. These centers are staffed by parents of children with special health care needs who have used these services.

More Information:

• The EI services provided following the evaluation are either paid for by private insurance, Medicaid, or by a family participation fee (depending on the state and family income).

Prepare for your IFSP meeting (if your child is under 3 years old)

An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written document outlining your family’s Early Intervention (EI) goals and the intended plan to help you reach these goals. For example, your family’s goals could be to take a car trip together and to have at least one family dinner together a week. The services that then help make that happen could include physical therapy so your child can learn to sit for an extended period of time and occupational therapy so your child can learn to drink from a cup. An IFSP is critical to keeping everyone accountable and on the same page.

Action:

1. Following your child’s Early Intervention evaluation (i), work with your EI case manager to determine who should be included in your IFSP team and to coordinate a time for the team to meet and develop the IFSP together. The team may include a developmental educator, a nutritionist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a speech therapist and/or other professionals.
2. The EI evaluation will be foundational for determining treatment and services, but you should think through challenges you’ve seen your child face at home (that may not have come up in the evaluation) and your own goals for your child and family’s development. Also, think about ways you may need support as the caregiver and consider asking for services such as child care, transportation to services and family training. Contact your state’s Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F) Opens in a new window for support preparing for your IFSP meeting.

More information:

• By law (Part C of IDEA Opens in a new window), the IFSP team must meet every six months to review a child’s treatment plan and determine whether updates are needed. You may ask for a review at any time, though, if you feel the IFSP is not serving your child’s or family’s interests.

Sources:

Center for Parent Information and Resources. Q & A on Part B of IDEA 2004: Purposes and Key Definitions. Accessed June 13, 2022. Q & A on Part B of IDEA 2004: Purposes and Key Definitions | Center for Parent Information and Resources (parentcenterhub.org) Opens in a new window

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center. Part C Coordinators. Accessed June 13, 2022. ECTA Center: Part C Coordinators Opens in a new window

Family Voices. Family to Family Information Centers. Accessed June 13, 2022. Family-to-Family Health Information Centers - Family Voices Opens in a new window

Last updated: June 13, 2022

By: Live and Work Well