Use of Early Intervention Services

According to The Twenty-Second Report to Congress on Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a study is being conducted for the Office of Special Education Programs to find out more about Part C (the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities) nationally. This study is called the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study. Even though the study is not completed, some information about the early intervention program is available. This information includes the following:

• most children are eligible for early intervention because of a developmental delay;
• children who are at-risk or have a developmental delay are likely to begin receiving early intervention services later than children with a diagnosed condition;
• children begin receiving early intervention services at every point throughout the first 3 years of life;
• children with diagnosed conditions and at-risk conditions make up the majority of children receiving services before their first birthday;
• children with developmental delays generally begin receiving services after their second birthday;
• the main reasons for eligibility for those who begin receiving services as infants are prenatal or perinatal abnormalities, followed by motor delays or disabilities;
• older children are most likely to be eligible because of a speech/communication impairment or delay;
• motor delays continue to be identified through toddlerhood;
• more males receive early intervention services; and
• families receiving early intervention services are more likely to be receiving some form of public assistance.

This report is available on-line at www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/2000/index.html. The report is also available for free from ED Pubs.

ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Md. 20794-1398, 877.4ED.PUBS (voice), 877.576.7734 (TTY/TDD), 301.470.1244 (fax), www.edpubs.org (web), CustomerService@inet.ed.gov (e-mail).