EARLY INTERVENTION

A federal law called Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act established early intervention programs across the country. The purpose of early intervention is to: (1) identify infants and toddlers who have disabilities or delays in their physical, social communication, or cognitive development, (2) perform tests to better understand what is causing the delay and how the child is affected, and (3) to connect children and their families to services early in life that will support their growth and development so they will be ready to go to school. Services can include family training, home visits, special instruction, speech therapy, audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, service coordination, testing and assessment services, social work services, vision services, assistive technology devices and services, and transportation to and from these different services.

Families can be referred to their local early intervention program through their child’s physician, a teacher, a service provider, or by making a self-referral. The program will arrange to have the child tested in different areas of development, and if the child is found eligible, will talk to the family about what they need to help their child grow and develop. A team of professionals in different areas of child development will help the family create an Individualized Family Service Plan that contains information about the child’s current development, the family’s resources and needs, the outcomes that the family and the child will achieve, the services necessary to meet the family’s and child’s needs, the environment in which services will take place, the dates services will begin and end, the name of the service coordinator who will be the primary contact person for the family, and the steps the program will take to help the child move from early intervention to preschool or other community services.

The early intervention program may require families to pay or use their insurance for certain services. The program may also help families who have financial difficulties pay for some services.

Early intervention programs must follow certain rules to make sure families are treated fairly in the early intervention system. These rules are called procedural safeguards. Some examples of these safeguards are confidentiality of private information; the right of parents to decide whether they will accept or decline services; the chance to review a child’s records; and the responsibility of the program to inform parents in writing when services may change. Be sure to ask for a copy of your rights as a parent when you first enter the early intervention program.

The public early intervention programs are:

Alexandria Parent Infant Education Program
(703) 838-5067

Arlington Parent Infant Education Program
(703) 228-1630

Fairfax-Falls Church Early Intervention Program
(703) 246-7121

Linking Infant Needs with Community Services (through the Fairfax County Community Services Board) serves children ages 0 – 5 with behavioral and emotional problems. Services include counseling for parents, home-based therapy, education, and parent support.
(703) 968-4000

The private early intervention programs are:

Chesapeake Center, Inc. provides therapy, medical and case coordination services.

(703) 924-4100

Easter Seals Child Development Center of Northern Virginia provides day care, evaluations, therapy (speech, physical, occupational) for children ages six weeks to 5 years with neurological problems, birth defects and developmental delays.

(703) 534-5353

Good Beginnings provides developmental assessments, therapy, home visits, parent training, and assistance with school placement to infants and toddlers with developmental delays.

(703) 536-1817

Northern Virginia Family Service Early Head Start Programs:

Arlington home visiting: Miriam Trigo 703-703-892-0637>br> Arlington EHS Child Development Center: Lauren Smirniotopoulos - 703-527-5993
Loudoun home visiting: Stephanie Glover 703-404-1901
Prince William Area home visiting: Diana Cuya 703-490-1636

St. John’s Community Services - School Program offers early intervention services for infants and toddlers as well as preschool children who live in D.C.

(202) 237-6500

United Cerebral Palsy Early Head Start Program serves infants and toddlers from birth to 3 in an inclusive head start model with home visits and a family child care component.

(202) 269-1500	DC office	Ted Bergeron
(202) 526-0146	DC office	Joan Whitney