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Concerned About Your Infant or Toddler?
This video is close captioned.
When parents are worried that their child may have a developmental concern they could talk to their child's doctor as well as contact the early intervention agency.
The good news is that the earlier parents and providers recognize children who are delayed in reaching a milestone, the more intervention may help them to reach their full potential. All children develop at their own pace, and many reach particular milestones slightly late or early.
Each State in the U.S. has an early intervention system. In Michigan, it is called Early On®.
How Early On® Michigan Helped One Family (video)
Don't Worry, But Don't Wait
1-800-Early-On
Early On
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Kids grow fast, don't they? And early intervention is designed for children from birth up to age three. At that point, services under early intervention end. A transition plan to make the change/transition from Early On to something else, is part of the Individualized Family Service Plan process. Where your child goes and what he/she does after Early On is an individualized decision. Your transition plan will include what you want next and how to make it happen, and ways to help your child be ready for these changes.
Your service coordinator will schedule a meeting to develop the transition plan (sometimes called a transition conference). There are specific important dates so that all the activities can be completed before your child's third birthday. Early On has a transition guidebook, and Michigan Department of Education also has a guidebook with frequently asked questions available.
If your child has caught up to other children his/her age and services are no longer needed, or your child is not eligible for special education, get connected with local resources within your community. Wherever your child goes, the State of Michigan has compiled Early Childhood Standards of Quality for parents to consider when making their choice.
If your child needs continued supports and is eligible for Part C services, you can access the same community resources available to other families, along with your child's transition to receiving services through Michigan Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE).To learn more or to ask for help, contact Michigan Alliance for Families at 1-800-552-4821 or your local ECSE coordinator.
ECSE services include special instruction and related services provided to young children, ages three through five, who qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act 2004 (IDEA '04). There are many differences between Early On® (Part C) and Special Education (Part B) including:
- Instead of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), you and your child's team will develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- What was referred to as natural environments in the Early On system is called Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). LRE means that children with disabilities should receive services in typical community-based early childhood settings and programs whenever possible, and only go to more restrictive/specialized settings if a child's individual needs require it.
This is a time when many parents start thinking, even worrying about their child's future. Now is the time to start developing a vision for your child's future. It is hard to think of your 3 year old as a 4th grader or their first year in high school. You might have heard the word inclusion. For children with developmental delays and/or a disability, inclusion is the concept that supports the idea that they are more like their non-disabled peers, then they are different.
Think positive! Think possible! Research shows children with disabilities who are educated along side their non-disabled friends have better outcomes for both!
Michigan Alliance for Families can help you connect with families and organization the support inclusion in school and community. Additional resources for information on inclusion:
- Considering LRE in Placement Decisions
- Preschool Inclusion Manual: Ten Chapters and How-To's
- NICHCY: School Inclusion
- NICHCY: Placement Short and Sweet
Being prepared and planning to make your child's transition smooth is another way that you help your child develop and learn. For disability specific information, contact Michigan Alliance for Families.
Related Videos & Handouts:
- Overview of the desirable outcomes of transition, research identifying effective transition practices, as well as the legal requirements of early childhood transition (video)
- Overview of inclusion legal and policy foundations and inclusion research, as well as a definition, the desired results and defining features of inclusion in early childhood (video)
- A learning module about Transitioning out of Early Intervention and into the preschool years (multi-media)
- A learning module about Transitioning out of Early Intervention and into the preschool years (Spanish multi-media)
Michigan Alliance for Families, in partnership with Early On® Michigan, is working together to increase the involvement of Michigan families in the growth and development of their infants and toddlers. Visit the Michigan Alliance for Families website:
