I’ve called the Support Coordinator for Infants and Toddlers in my County and have scheduled an Early Intervention Evaluation for my child. What can I expect?

When you first meet with the Service Coordinator (SC), you and the SC will schedule the initial evaluation for your child. Together, you and the SC will determine which discipline of therapists will attend your child’s evaluation. There could be only one therapist or multiple depending on your concerns about your child. These therapists are independent assessors and will not be the same therapists providing services to your child moving forward. This is to make sure there is no conflict of interest! If your child qualifies for services, you will be given a list of possible providers from which to choose. Let your SC know you’d like a therapist from ANASTASIA CARE EARLY INTERVENTION!

 

No two evaluations are the same, but here is a description of how your child’s evaluation could go. The evaluating therapists are people who work with kids every day and are able to go with the flow. The service coordinator will arrive with the evaluating therapists. There will be at least one computer, several bags and quite a bit of paperwork so don’t be surprised if your child is curious about all of it. The floor is the best place to set up. At this point your house will be pretty busy and your child might need some time to warm up and become comfortable with everyone. That’s ok! Typically, as the service coordinator and evaluators ask you questions, your child will warm up and begin to engage with the evaluators, especially after they see that you are comfortable with them.

 

To begin, the service coordinator will ask you some questions. Each evaluator will ask you more questions as they go through their specific parts of the assessment. During the evaluation the team will look at five areas of development: adaptive/self-help skills, communication skills, personal-social development, motor development, and cognitive development. They will use an assessment called the Battelle Developmental Inventory or BDI-2 or the DAYC-2, depending upon your child’s age. Through a combination of questions for you and simple play activities for your child, this assessment will determine whether your child has a delay and is eligible to receive early intervention services. Depending on your concerns the assessment team may use additional tools to determine eligibility.

 

Don’t be concerned if they ask questions to which you have to say no! As part of the standardized assessment, the evaluators have to reach the “ceiling” in each area of development, which means they have to continue to test your child or ask you questions until they get 3 “NO’s” in a row.  It is part of the process. The evaluation process is time-consuming so if your child needs a diaper change, snack or a break, feel free to speak up and tell the team. You know your child best and will be able to see if he/she needs a break.

 

After the Evaluation

After the evaluation is done the team will score the assessment so you will know if your child qualifies before everyone leaves that day. In order to be eligible, your child needs to have a qualifying score in one of the developmental domains and/or have a diagnosis that places your child at risk for a developmental delay. There are rare times when your child doesn’t have an eligible score but the team will use their clinical opinion to justify your child receiving services. At this point the SC and at least 1 therapist will remain at the house to develop your child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) which will be the basis for therapy moving forward.

If the service coordinator asks you if you want the “first available provider,” realize it is mandated that all providers hold their first visits within 14 days.  Let your SC know you’d like a therapist from ANASTASIA CARE EARLY INTERVENTION!

ANASTASIA CARE EARLY INTERVENTION guarantees we will offer your child an appointment within the first 14 days!