What is Early Intervention?
How do I learn more about Early Intervention (find an office near you)?
Early Intervention Services
What you can expect from Early Intervention

What is Early Intervention?

The Early Intervention program in Illinois is a collection of services for infants and toddlers and their families who have delays in development or who are at risk of developmental delays. The Early Intervention program supports and teaches families how to play with their children in ways that will help them learn essential skills. Families are the key to successful early intervention. Families and service providers must work together as a team on behalf of children.

Parenting a child can be a challenge. There is a fine balance between hopes and dreams and ups and downs. During the first years of your child's life, Early Intervention can make a big difference. Beginning early to enhance your child's development has benefits for you, your child, your family and your community.

Early Intervention may:

• Help answer your questions about your child's development.
• Improve both developmental and educational growth.
• Help children with developmental delays become more independent.
• Help give your child the best possible start in life, preventing or lessening the need for more intervention in the future and reduce cost.
• Help communities become aware of the gifts and abilities of all their children.

How do I learn more about Early Intervention?

Children and families access the Early Intervention service system through one of 25 regional Child and Family Connections (CFCs). The CFCs serve as a family’s “front door” to the Early Intervention Program. For the name, address and telephone number of the Child and Family Connections office that serves your area, visit Illinois Department of Human Services Office Locator, enter your county (or zip code if you live in Cook County), and select “Child & Family Connections.”

CFCs assist the family through developmental evaluations to determine eligibility and services in the Early Intervention System. A child who is found ineligible for the Early Intervention Program is offered linkages to other community resources to help meet the needs of the child and family. A child who is found eligible is assigned to a service coordinator who is responsible for the following:

• Facilitating the development of a service plan (an IFSP) that meets the child’s individual needs and addresses the concerns and priorities of the family;
• Linking the family to service providers and offer information needed to make informed decisions; and
• Coordinating and monitoring the delivery of services to make sure that the family is receiving the services that it needs.

Early Intervention Services

Early Intervention services are developmental and are designed to meet an infant's and toddler's developmental needs in any one or more of the following areas:

• physical development (movement)
• cognitive development (learning)
• communication development (interaction)
• social or emotional development (behavior)
• adaptive development (use of existing skills)

Services include:

• assistive technology devices and services
• early identification screening and assessment services
• family training, counseling and home visits
• health services necessary to enable the infant or toddler to benefit from the other early intervention services
• medical services (only for diagnostic or evaluation purposes)
• nursing services
• nutrition services
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• psychological services
• service coordination
• social work services
• special instruction/developmental therapy
• speech language pathology and audiology
• transportation and related costs
• vision services

Early Intervention services are available statewide through a network of Early Intervention providers who have met state qualification requirements and service standards and provide services as designated in a child’s IFSP. Services are available to children and families through individual and agency providers. Examples include your physician, speech therapists, occupational therapists, developmental therapists, in addition to many other provider types. The service provider is:

• an educator and resource provider,
• a hands-on link to services,
• your partner in your child's services, ready to discuss what's important to your family, and
• an assistant to your family who can give advice about how to integrate activities into your daily routine that will enhance your child's development.

What You Can Expect From Early Intervention

The following statements reflect the values that make up the foundation of the Early Intervention Services System:

• All activities will be individualized and will consider the uniqueness of every child and family, will respect the decisions of families and will be designed to enhance the development of the child.
• Families will be regarded as consumers who are entitled to be fully informed and to be active participants in the process.
• Individual family strengths, dreams and hopes will be recognized, respected and encouraged.
• The process used to support each family as they enter the system will be individualized and family-centered.
• The needs and concerns identified by the family will be those addressed first.
• Practices will support the inclusion of all children and their families within the community.
• The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) will be developed by a team that includes the parent as an equal partner and will be based on identified strengths and needs of the child and family.
• Families will be offered a full and complete list of eligible services based on the needs of the child.
• Assessment practices will be age appropriate.
• Only qualified staff will participate in the services system.
• Private insurance must be used for Early Intervention services, with safeguards for families and exemptions under certain circumstances.
• Families will be expected to participate through the payment of a family fee based on an annual income sliding fee scale. Although the family fee is an annual assessment, payment expectations will never exceed the amount the EI program has paid to the family's service providers.
• Services are provided using a multidisciplinary approach. A team is built which includes the family and others who may be involved with the child's daily care (e.g., individuals providing child care) as well as teachers and therapists. This team provides information and teaches intervention techniques to each other, thereby promoting consistency for each child across daily activities.