Frequently Asked Questions
about Initial Evaluations
1. What is the Infants and Toddlers Program?
The Infants and Toddlers Program is an early intervention program that focuses on empowering
and assisting parents/caregivers to promote their child’s development. The program is supported by several agencies
working together with federal, state and local funds to provide services to eligible children and their families. The program
includes parents and other family members, caregivers, early intervention specialists and service coordinators who work together
to meet the needs of individual children and their families.
2.
How do children get referred to the Infants and Toddlers Program?
Any child under 3 years of age can be referred
for an evaluation based on concerns about development. Parents, childcare providers, nurses, doctors or other professionals
usually refer children.
3. What happens after the referral is
made?
You will be assigned a service coordinator
who will contact you to discuss your concerns and explain the program. The service coordinator will also help to schedule
a time to hold an evaluation.
4. Who will do the evaluation?
An evaluation team usually includes your
service coordinator and at least two early intervention specialists. Based on the information that you provide to the service
coordinator specific specialists will be assigned to perform the evaluation. Early intervention specialists may include an
infant-toddler teacher, occupational or physical therapist, speech-language therapist or vision teacher.
5. Where will the evaluation be held?
Evaluations are usually done in your home,
but may also be held at childcare settings (with a parent or guardian present), a school or mutually agreed upon place within
county and school boundaries.
6.
How long will the evaluation last?
It is a good idea to allow at least 3 hours
for the evaluation. Depending on the age of your child, an evaluation may last anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours. If
your child is found eligible for the program, you will be given the option of developing an intervention plan with the evaluation
team called an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).
7. What if I have to cancel the evaluation
due to sickness or schedule change?
Contact your service coordinator as early
as possible if you need to reschedule due to a schedule change or if anyone in the home is experiencing illness. Please cancel
if your child or anyone in the home has a fever, diarrhea vomiting, pinkeye, etc.
8.
What is the purpose of the evaluation?
We will be looking at your child’s
skills in all areas of development to see if he/she is eligible to participate in our program and to understand how we can
promote your child’s development. We will use a variety of information sources during the assessment including a testing
tool, observation, parent report and medical or other records.
9.
What will happen during the evaluation?
We will review your concerns and observations
about your child. Then one of the specialists may interact directly with your child or ask you to assist them. Some activities
may appear to be too easy or too difficult or may not interest your child and that is okay. Much of what you see will look
like play with toys, but this “play” gives important information to the specialists.
10.
Do I need to do anything before the evaluation?
It is very helpful if you have a copy of
your child’s medical history including birth records, hearing and vision reports and shot records. It is also important
to complete and return the questionnaire(s) given to you by your service coordinator. You are welcome to invite family members
to participate if you would like to include their input.
11.
What can I do to prepare on the day of the evaluation?
Think about or write down concerns you may
have about your child’s development so that you will be ready to discuss them with the evaluation team. The team will
need a quiet room and some space so we can get on the floor with your child. Depending on the needs and age of your child,
it may be helpful to have a high chair or table surface for your child to work on. We also ask that you have a place for us
to wash and dry our hands before beginning the evaluation. Your child will be best able to participate if not hungry or tired.
Having your child’s favorite toys and comfort items nearby is also helpful.
12.
How can I participate in the evaluation?
Parents are encouraged to participate in
the evaluation according to their comfort level. Some parents prefer to watch while others prefer to work directly with their
child. You can further participate by suggesting ideas about ways to help your child respond. Since many evaluation items
must be given in a particular way, one of the members of the evaluation team may coach you about how to present toys or ask
questions of your child.
13.
What if my child gets hungry or fussy or needs a diaper change?
If your child has a need during the evaluation
let us know and carry out whatever needs to be done. Your child may need to take a break because we are asking for a lot of
information in a short amount of time.
14. How will I know if my child is eligible for services?
After the evaluation, the team will take
a few minutes to use a guide that helps determine the age level at which your child is functioning in each area of development:
Fine Motor (using hands), Cognitive (thinking), Communication (receptive and expressive), Adaptive (feeding, toileting), Gross
Motor (rolling, crawling), Personal/Social (relating to others).
Then the team will discuss their findings
with you. Children qualify for services based on at least one of the following criteria:
1)
A 25% delay in their performance in at least one area of development.
2)
The team finding patterns of development that are not typical for children, or having concerns about the quality
of skills that a child has.
3)
A diagnosed condition with a high probability of developmental delay. Examples may include a hearing or vision
impairment, a syndrome such as Down syndrome or very low birth weight.
15.
What happens if my child is found eligible for services?
The Infants and Toddlers Program is voluntary
and you can decide whether or not you would like to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be given the option
of developing an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) immediately following the assessment or scheduling a meeting at
a later date. Once the plan is developed, you will need to provide registration paperwork. An early intervention specialist
will then contact you within 30 days.
16.
What if my child is found not eligible for services?
The findings of the team will be shared with
you following the evaluation. If your child does not meet the eligibility requirements listed above, the early intervention
team will share community resources you may wish to access. If you have concerns about your child in the future, you can make
another referral.
17.
Will I receive a report about the findings of the assessment?
A written report will be sent to you within two weeks after the evaluation.
Referral
number for children over age 3: (301) 808-2719
