Evaluations

How will I know if my young child needs Early Intervention Services?

If you have concerns about your child’s development, you can call your respective county’s Early Intervention Program to refer your child. Click here for child developmental milestones.  Please contact us if you require additional contact information for your county. Someone else can help you make the referral to the Early Intervention Program if you wish.

The Early Intervention Process

The following is a brief description of the Early Intervention Process, from identification until the child turns three:

1. A referral is made by contacting your County Heath Department. A doctor, social worker, parent, relative or any individual may make the referral.
2. A County service coordinator visits the family to explain the Early Intervention process (Intake), obtains demographic information and completes necessary paperwork.
3. A core evaluation is scheduled. The family is offered a choice of agencies to      perform the evaluation based on the family need for a specific day and/or time. The evaluation may take place in the home or at the agency,  depending upon the family’s wishes. An evaluation team, consisting of a generalist (typically a special education teacher) and a specialist in the area of suspected disability (i.e. speech therapist, physical therapist) completes the core evaluation. This usually takes one to two hours. If      necessary, other team members may be asked to complete supplemental evaluations based upon the findings of the core evaluation.
4. If the child qualifies for Early Intervention, an IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan) meeting is scheduled or may take place directly after the evaluation. Regardless, it should take place no more than 45 days after the original referral. At this meeting, the family, service coordinator and at least one of the evaluators establish outcomes for the child and discuss ways that the family can be as involved as possible in their child’s services. Frequency of service is also determined at this meeting.
5. A teacher and/or therapist (dependent upon what was approved) contacts the family to set up a schedule of visits. Visits may take place in the home or at a location identified by the family. The family and providers work out a compatible schedule.
6. At least every six months, the child’s progress is reviewed. The family receives a written progress report and an IFSP meeting is held to review the service plan. Changes or updates to the IFSP may be made at any time during the six-month period.
7. When a child approaches 24 months of age, if the child qualifies, the parents may opt to have him/her attend a center-based program. The child would then receive the majority of his/her services in the program rather than at home, although some of the home-based components may continue. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
8. Before the child turns three the school district in which he/she resides must determine eligibility for preschool services. A transition process takes place in which the child is given a complete developmental evaluation. A CPSE (Committee on Preschool Special Education) meeting is held, attended by the school district’s CPSE chairperson, an evaluation team      representative, the family, the child’s therapist(s), a parent advocate, a county member and the service coordinator.
9. Once a child transitions from the Early Intervention Program, he/she receives services under the Preschool Program. If a child is identified after the age of three or moves into the county after s/he is three, the referral should be made directly to the school district.

How will I know if my preschool-age child needs special education?

The Referral

If your child received early intervention services as an infant or toddler up to age three, and may still need special education, your service coordinator will assist you with transition planning and making a referral to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE).
 

If your preschool-age child (3-5 years old) did not receive early intervention services, but has some delays or lags in development such as difficulty in talking, moving around, thinking, or learning or is facing physical or behavioral challenges — you, or professionals who know your child, may make a referral to the chairperson of your school district's Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) who will assist you in completing the referral process.
 

The CPSE must include: the parent of the child, a regular education teacher (if the child is or may be participating in the regular education environment), a special education teacher or related service provider, a representative of the local school district who serves as the chairperson of the CPSE, an individual who can interpret evaluation results, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise about the child, an additional parent member (unless the parent(s) of the child request that this person not participate), and a licensed or certified professional from the Department of Health’s Early Intervention Program (for a child in transition from the Early Intervention Program). A certified or licensed preschool representative from the municipality must be notified of scheduled meetings; however, the CPSE meetings can be held whether or not the municipal representative attends.

The Evaluation Process

When your child is referred to the CPSE, you will be given a list of agencies approved by the State Education Department to provide preschool special education evaluations. You will be asked to select one of the approved evaluators, then sign a consent form for your child to be evaluated at no cost to you or your family.
 

The CPSE will also give you a copy of the due process procedural safeguards notice. If your child's evaluation is not timely or, if you disagree with the evaluation results or the recommendation of the CPSE, you have the right to ask for an independent evaluation, mediation or an impartial hearing.
 

A copy of the evaluation report, including a summary of the evaluation, will be provided to you and to other CPSE members. You will be asked to meet with them to talk about the evaluation results.
 

If the CPSE finds your child is not eligible for special education programs and/or services, you will be given the reasons for the decision in writing.

How will my child receive special education programs and services?

The CPSE Recommendation and the Individualized Education Program (IEP)

If your child has a disability that may be affecting his or her learning, the CPSE will find your child to be an eligible "preschool student with a disability.” The CPSE will also recommend the program or services to meet your child’s individual needs and where they will be provided.

If your child is an eligible preschool student with a disability, you and the other CPSE members will write an IEP for your child that will list the recommended services to be provided, how often, and for how long. The recommendations will be forwarded to your local school district Board of Education for approval. Most children with disabilities can receive the special education services they need in settings with their nondisabled peers. They also should participate in developmentally appropriate activities. The CPSE must consider how to provide the services in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), where your child can learn close to your home with other children of the same age who do not have disabilities. Services may be provided at an approved or licensed pre-kindergarten or Head Start program, the work-site of a provider, the student's home, a hospital, a State facility or a child care location.

What programs or services will my child receive?

If approved by the school district, arrangements will be made for your eligible child to receive one or more of the following special education programs and/or services recommended by the CPSE including, but not limited to:

Related Services

• Speech Therapy (ST)
• Occupational Therapy (OT)
• Physical Therapy (PT)
• Assistive technology
• Parent education
• Counseling

Programs Approved by SED

• Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) - a special      education teacher works with a child in a setting recommended by the CPSE.
• Special Class in an Integrated Setting (SC/IS) - a      class with preschool students with and without disabilities.
• Special Class (SC) - a class with only children with      disabilities.

How will I know that my child is making progress?

Progress Reports and the Annual Review

When you and the CPSE write your child's IEP, you will decide how and when you will be informed of your child's progress. Progress can be reported by regular phone calls from the teacher or service provider, notes and comments in a shared notebook or formal progress reports which tells how your child is progressing toward IEP goals and whether your child is expected to meet the goals on the IEP by the date planned. Progress reports must be provided at least as often as they are for children in a regular program. State law and regulation require that your child's IEP be reviewed at least once a year. If needed, you, the school district's CPSE, or the preschool program provider may also ask for a meeting to discuss or review your child's program anytime during the school year.

3 MONTHS

At three months of age, most babies:

· turn their heads toward bright colors and lights

· move both eyes in the same direction together

· recognize bottle or breast

· respond to their mother’s voice

· make cooing sounds

· bring their hands together

· wiggle and kick with arms and legs

· lift head when on stomach

· become quiet in response to sound, especially to speech

· smile

6 MONTHS

At six months of age, most babies:

· follow moving objects with their eyes

· turn toward the source of normal sound

· reach for objects and pick them up

· switch toys from one hand to the other

· play with their toes

· help hold the bottle during feeding

· recognize familiar faces

· imitate speech sounds

· respond to soft sounds, especially talking

· rollover

12 MONTHS

At twelve months of age, most babies:

· get to a sitting position

· pull to a standing position

· stand briefly without support

· crawl

· imitate adults using a cup or telephone

· play peek-a-boo and patty cake

· wave bye-bye

· say at least one word

· make “ma-ma” or “da-da” sounds

18 MONTHS

At eighteen months of age, most children:

· like to push and pull objects

· say at least six words

· follow simple directions (“Bring the ball”)

· pull off shoes, socks and mittens

· can point to a picture that you name in a book

· feed themselves

· make marks on paper with crayons

· walk without help

· walk backwards

· point, make sounds or try to use words to ask for things

· say “no,” shake their head or push away things they don’t want

2 YEARS

At two years of age, most children:

· use two-to-three-word sentences

· say about 50 words

· recognize familiar pictures

· kick a ball forward

· feed themselves with a spoon

· demand a lot of your attention

· turn two or three pages together

· like to imitate their parent

· identify hair, eyes, ears and nose by pointing

· build a tower of four blocks

· show affection

3 YEARS

At three years of age, most children:

· throw a ball overhand

· ride a tricycle

· put on their shoes

· open the door

· turn one page at a time

· play with other children for a few minutes

· repeat common rhymes

· use three-to-five-word sentences

· name at least one color correctly

Your 3- to 4-year-old child will continue to grow and develop in many ways in the coming year. Although children reach developmental milestones at different times, your child will likely achieve the following developmental milestones before they turn 5.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Language Milestones

If your child is not very talkative, that will likely change soon. Between or at ages 3 and 4, your child should be able to:

• Say their name and age
• Speak 250 to 500 words
• Answer simple questions
• Speak in sentences of five to      six words, and speak in complete sentences by age 4
• Speak clearly, although they      may not be fully comprehensible until age 4 
• Tell stories

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Cognitive Milestones

Your child will start asking lots of questions. "Why is the sky blue? Why do birds have feathers?" Questions, questions, and more questions! In addition to asking "why?" all the time, your 3- to 4-year-old should be able to:

• Correctly name familiar colors
• Understand the idea of same and      different, start comparing sizes
• Pretend and fantasize more      creatively
• Follow three-part commands
• Remember parts of a story
• Understand time better (for      example, morning, afternoon, night)
• Count, and understand the      concept of counting
• Sort objects by shape and color
• Complete age-appropriate      puzzles
• Recognize and identify common      objects and pictures

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones

• Walk up and down stairs,      alternating feet -- one foot per step
• Kick, throw, and catch a ball
• Climb well
• Run more confidently and ride a      tricycle
• Hop and stand on one foot for      up to five seconds
• Walk forward and backward      easily
• Bend over without falling
• Help put on and remove clothing

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Hand and Finger Skills

• More easily handle small      objects and turn a page in a book
• Use age-appropriate scissors
• Copy circles (3) and squares      (4)
• Draw a person with two to four      body parts
• Write some capital letters
• Build a tower with four or more      blocks
• Dress and undress without your      help
• Screw and unscrew jar lids
• Turn rotating handles

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Milestones

Your 3- to 4-year-old is not only becoming more independent physically, but also emotionally. You may start to notice fewer tantrums when you leave your child with a sitter or at preschool.

In addition, your 3- to 4-year-old is becoming more social. Your child may now be able to cooperate with their friends, take turns, and may begin to show some problem-solving skills.

At this point in development, your child should be able to:

• Imitate parents and friends
• Show affection for familiar      family and friends
• Understands the idea of      "mine" and "his/hers"
• Show a wide range of emotions,      such as being sad, angry, happy, or bored

In addition, you may notice your child's imagination is in overdrive. This can be good and bad. Fantasy and pretend play becomes more interesting and involved, but your child may also start developing unrealistic fears, such as believing a monster is lurking in the closet.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: When to Be Concerned

All kids grow and develop at their own pace. Don't worry if your child has not reached all of these milestones at this time. But you should notice a gradual progression in growth and development as your child gets older. If you don't, or if your child has signs of possible developmental delay, as listed below, talk to your child's doctor.

Signs of developmental delay in 3- to 4-year-old children include:

• Inability to throw a ball      overhand, jump in place, or ride a tricycle
• Frequent falling and difficulty      walking stairs
• Inability to hold a crayon      between their thumb and fingers; has trouble scribbling and cannot copy a      circle
• Unable to use a sentence with      more than three words and uses "me" and "you"      inappropriately
• Persistent drooling and trouble      speaking
• Cannot stack four blocks and      has trouble handling small objects
• Continues to experience      extreme separation anxiety
• Lacks interest in interactive      games and doesn't engage in fantasy play
• Does not play with other      children and doesn't respond to non-family members
• Self control isn't improving      when angry or upset
• Does not understand simple      commands, or repeats the commands
• Avoids making eye contact
• Resists getting dressed,      sleeping, and going to the bathroom