II. Overview of the Early Intervention Program The federal Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities—now authorized under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—was established in 1986. The Part C program, administered by states, seeks to ensure early intervention (EI) services to children with disabilities as early as birth through age 2 (to the third birthday) to: 1) enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, 2) reduce educational costs by minimizing the need for special education through early intervention, 3) minimize the likelihood of institutionalization by and maximizing opportunities to live at home and in the community, and 4) enhance the capacity of families to meet their child’s needs. Overall, it aims to improve outcomes that are critical to health, optimal development, educational success, and lifelong wellbeing. The Part C EI services are structured to identify and meet the needs of infants and toddlers in five developmental areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, and adaptive development. In every state, the Part C EI requires and helps to support development and implementation of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, and multidisciplinary interagency system to make early intervention services available for all infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
635(a)(1)). For example, 37 states include hearing impairments, 32 states include Down syndrome, 32 states include low birthweight, 25 states include autism spectrum disorders, and 22 states include preterm birth on a list of conditions or criteria for Part C EI eligibility. (Barger et al., 2021, https://journals. lww.com/iycjournal/Abstract/2019/10000/State_ Variability_in_Diagnosed_Conditions_for_IDEA.2.aspx)
Core Principles of Part C Early Intervention in Pennsylvania
• Provide services and supports to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families to help the child grow and develop—to be family- centered.
• Embed services and supports
within daily routines and learning opportunities in natural home and community settings.
• Build on existing supports
In addition, at a state’s discretion, infants or toddlers with a disability may also include: a) individuals younger than 3 years of age who would be at risk of having substantial developmental delay if they and services within the family, community, and early education resources. • Provide coordinated, flexible services and supports through personnel working collaborative with the family and each other. • Provide services and supports focused on the transition between and among programs. Adapted from “ A Family’s Introduction to Early Intervention in Pennsylvania ” and “ Pennsylvania’s Approach to the Delivery of Early Intervention Services .”
The program is designed to help families with children who have developmental delays or a high probability of having a developmental delay. Under federal Part C EI rules, an infant or toddler with a disability is defined as an individual under 3 years of age who needs EI services because the individual is experiencing a developmental delay in one or more of the five areas of development or has a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay (IDEA, Section 632(5)(A)). Within this broad federal definition, states have the authority to establish eligibility criteria such as the conditions or the level of developmental delay needed for Part C eligibility (IDEA, Section
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