Spectrum Arch, Inc.If you're worried that your baby or toddler isn't talking, walking, playing, or responding the way other children do, you don't have to wait and see. New York's Early Intervention Program (EI) exists for exactly this, and you can start it yourself.
What Early Intervention is
Early Intervention is a statewide program for children from birth to age 3 who have, or may have, a developmental delay or disability. It covers speech, movement, learning, social and emotional development, and self-help skills. The evaluation, service coordination, and the services in the child's plan are provided at no cost to families.
You don't need a diagnosis to ask for an evaluation, and you don't need a doctor's referral. A parent's concern is enough.
How to make a referral
Referrals go to the Early Intervention Official in the county where you live. In the Capital Region that means your county's EI program: Saratoga, Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and so on. Call your county health or Early Intervention office, or ask your pediatrician to make the referral for you. Write down the date you made it.
What happens next
- A service coordinator is assigned to guide your family through the process.
- Your child gets a free multidisciplinary evaluation to see whether they're eligible.
- If eligible, you build an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) together: what services, how often, and where. Services often happen at home or in childcare, where your child already spends time.
The initial IFSP must be in place within 45 days of the referral.
Turning 3
Early Intervention ends at age 3. If your child still needs help, the next step is preschool special education through your school district's Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). Your service coordinator should help plan this transition well before the third birthday. Note that if a child is referred to EI within 45 days of turning 3, the referral may go straight to the CPSE instead.
A word for worried parents
Asking for an evaluation doesn't label your child. If everything is on track, you'll have peace of mind. If it isn't, the years before 3 are when support makes some of its biggest differences.
Sources: NYS Department of Health, Early Intervention Program; NYS DOH, EIP Transition Guidance: Age Eligibility; Advocates for Children, Guide to Early Intervention.