You may or may not know this…your state’s Early Intervention Program falls under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). In Georgia, for example, the program is administered through the Department of Human Resources, not through the Department of Education. It is called Babies Can't Wait. It is not uncommon for the Department of Public Health to administer the program, even though the state’s Department of Education is responsible for serving as a liaison with the Feds.

Children with a whole laundry list of metabolic, neurological, chromosomal or mitochondrial diseases are automatically eligible for the Early Intervention program. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders are as well.

Other children are considered “at-risk” and need to be evaluated to determine eligibility. Currently being in foster care or having been diagnosed as “failure to thrive” are both conditions that warrant a closer look.

Although my memory is foggy since it’s been nearly nine years, we were told by our adoption agency to contact Early Intervention once we arrived home to arrange for an evaluation. We did; they did; and the result was LuLu qualified for services in the area of speech. At that point she had no language at all. So she started receiving bi-weekly speech therapy in our home and the home of our sitter. She did not qualify for physical therapy or occupational therapy, even though her sensory integration testing was very borderline. In hindsight, I wish I had known to push the issue of sensory integration and the need for occupational therapy. I was not armed with the knowledge that most post-institutionalized children are at great risk for sensory integration dysfunction. I also didn’t realize that the occupational therapists who evaluated her likely did not know much about sensory integration and how it manifested in post-institutionalized children.

Programs vary greatly from state to state. But the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities can provide you with basic contact for the Early Intervention program in your state.

The process in all states is similar and includes these components:

1. child is referred to Early Intervention. (Parents can make the referral).
2. child is assigned a service coordinator who meets with the family to inform them of the program, gather insurance/Medicaid information, etc.
3. child is evaluated, with parent’s consent.
4. an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) is developed if the child is deemed eligible. This is similar in many ways to the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) drawn up for special education students.

Early Intervention services include assistive technology, audiology, family training, nursing services, nutritional services, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, social work, speech therapy, vision services and transportation.

Early Intervention covers ages birth to 3. Once a child turns three years old, the local education agency (LEA) takes over, providing preschool and related services to disabled children.

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