Early Intervention Program Services

After your child’s eligibility for Illinois Early Intervention Program services has been determined, your service coordinator will guide you through the development of your child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Within 45 days of your referral, the IFSP team will meet to develop this plan. You will be part of the IFSP team, along with your service coordinator and the early intervention professionals that evaluated your child. The IFSP outlines the services that your child and family will receive. The plan will include the types and frequency of services, the date that your child will transition out of early intervention services, and the statement or signature of consent.

Services provided by the Illinois Early Intervention Program include:

• Physical therapy
• Psychological services
• Service coordination
• Social work services
• Special instruction/developmental therapy
• Speech language pathology and audiology services
• Transportation and related costs
• Vision services

• Assistive technology, such as hearing aids
• Early identification screening and testing
• Family training, counseling, and home visits
• Health services necessary to enable a child to benefit from the other early intervention services
• Medical services (for diagnostic or evaluation purposes)
• Nursing services
• Nutrition services
• Occupational therapy to develop fine motor skills

How services are provided

The Illinois Early Intervention Program provides services in several ways.

A therapist may provide direct services through one-on-one interactions with a child and family to provide education, intervention, and environmental support. A therapist will interact with the family at least monthly.

Monitoring involves evaluation and re-evaluation of a child and family’s needs and may include assistance and review of activities for parents or caregivers to do with the child.

Consultation involves the therapist providing training, evaluation, or assistance regarding a specific challenge for a child.

Who provides services

Services are provided by qualified personnel including:

• Nurses
• Nutritionists
• Family therapists
• Orientation and mobility specialists
• Pediatricians and other physicians
• Optometrists

• Special educators (developmental therapists)
• Speech/language pathologists and audiologists
• Occupational therapists
• Physical therapists
• Psychologists
• Social workers

IFSP progress

After your child receives services for 6 months and again after a year, the IFSP team, including you, your service coordinator, and the Illinois Early Intervention Program team serving your child, will review your child’s care, progress, and needs. The IFSP team may meet more frequently if needed or upon your request. After a year, if your child is determined to still be eligible for services, the team will develop a new IFSP.

When your child turns 3

Upon reaching his or her third birthday, your child no longer will be eligible for Illinois Early Intervention Program services. For this reason, your service coordinator will begin to help you with transition planning at least 6 months in advance.

A common transition is moving from the Illinois Early Intervention Program to a program for 3- to 5-year-old children, such as a preschool, Head Start program, Preschool for All classroom, or an early childhood program offered by your school district.