A PARENT’S GUIDE
Finding Help for Young Children
I
with Disabilities (Birth-5)
A publication of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
C
baby comes to your house, family, dent in your ability to provide for
and neighborhood. It is a time for your special child’s needs. The
joy and celebration. Family mem- professionals and families you
bers look at the new child and contact will introduce you to many
wonder: Will he be a football star, possibilities. NICHCY also can put
will she be a famous musician, will you in touch with a wide range of
he discover the cure for cancer, will resources and supports.
she become President of the United
States! Read on, contact the groups and
organizations that are appropriate to
But what happens when this your child and family’s needs, and
H
new child has a disability? What if come to NICHCY if you
there are health problems? What if need more assistance.
there are questions about the We are here to help
special needs this child may have? you.
What happens now, and who can
help?
In fact, there are many supports
for infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers with disabilities. If you
C
are concerned about your child’s Table of Contents
development or suspect that your
child may have special needs, this A— Early Intervention Services
Parent’s Guide can help. It’s designed (Children Birth Through
to help you get started learning Two Years Old). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
what your child may need and
finding professionals and other B— Special Education Services
families who can help along the (Children 3 through 5) . . . . 8
way. The guide is a bit technical—it
C— Services for Rural, Native
offers the nuts and bolts to build- American, Foster/Adoptive,
Y
ing support systems for your child and Military Families . . . . . . . . 11
and your family.
D— Selected Web Sites . . . . . . . . . 14
Emotional support is, of course,
also important. Finding the re- E— Sample Parent Worksheet. . . . 15
sources in your community is a first
A. Early Intervention Services
✰—Children Birth Through Two Years Old—✰
decision to have qualified people who have different With your consent, your family’s
areas of training and experience. needs will also be identified. This
a child—that’s Together, they know about children’s process, which is family-directed, is
speech and language skills, physical intended to identify the resources,
momentous. abilities, hearing and vision, and priorities, and concerns of your
other important areas of develop- family. It also identifies the supports
It is to decide ment. They know how to work with and services you may need to en-
children, even very young ones, to hance your family’s capacity to meet
forever to have discover if a child has a problem or is your child’s developmental needs.
your heart go developing within normal ranges. The family assessment is usually
Group members may evaluate your conducted through an interview
walking around child together or individually. with you, the parents.
Evaluation refers to the procedures When conducting the evaluation
outside your
used by these professionals to find and assessment, team members may
body. out if your child is eligible for early get information from some or all of
intervention services. As part of the the following:
evaluation, the team will observe
your child, ask your child to do • Doctor’s reports;
—Elizabeth Stone
things, talk to you and your child, • Results from developmental tests
and use other methods to gather and performance assessments
information. These procedures will given to your child;
help the team find out how your
child functions in five areas of • Your child’s medical and develop-
development: cognitive develop- mental history;
ment, physical development, com-
• Direct observations and feedback
munication, social-emotional devel-
from all members of the
opment, and adaptive development.
multidisciplinary team, including
Following your child’s evaluation, you, the parents;
you and a team of professionals will
• Interviews with you and other
meet and review all of the data,
family members or caretakers; and
results, and reports. The people on
the team will talk with you about • Any other important observa-
whether your child meets the criteria tions, records, and/or reports
under IDEA and State policy for about your child.
If you think your child needs As was said above, special educa-
special help, you should get in touch tion is defined as instruction that is
with the special education system in specially designed to meet the
your area. The easiest way to do this unique needs of a child with a
is to call your local elementary disability, or a child experiencing
school. Ask to speak to someone developmental delays. Specially
who knows about special education designed instruction may include
services for children ages 3 through adapting the content, methodology,
5. or the delivery of instruction to
address the unique needs of an
—Edward A. Guest
The sample record-keeping • Notes from meetings about Make sure you get copies of all
worksheet below can help you your child; written information about your
start a file of information about child (records, reports, etc.). This
• Therapists’ reports;
your child. As you contact different will help you become an impor-
people and places, it’s a good idea • IFSP and IEP records; tant coordinator of services and a
to keep records of the people better advocate for your child.
you’ve talked with and what was • Your child’s developmental Remember, as time goes on, you’ll
said. As time goes by, you will history, including personal probably have more information
want to add other information to notes or diaries on your child’s to keep track of, so it’s a good idea
your file, such as: development; to keep it together in one place.
• Letters and notes (from doctors, • Records of shots and vaccina-
therapists, etc.); tions; and
Problem/Topic:
Results of discussion:
NICHCY thanks our Project Officer, Dr. Peggy Cvach, at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP),
U.S. Department of Education, for her review and many helpful suggestions.
This information is copyright free. Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the Na-
tional Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). Please share your ideas and feed-
back with our staff by writing to the Editor.
Publication of this document is made possible through Cooperative Agreement #H326N030003 between the
Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of
Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of
Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the
U.S. Government.
The Academy for Educational Development, founded in 1961, is an independent, nonprofit service
organization committed to addressing human development needs in the United States and
throughout the world. In partnership with its clients, the Academy seeks to meet today’s social,
economic, and environmental challenges through education and human resource development; to apply state-of-
the-art education, training, research, technology, management, behavioral analysis, and social marketing tech-
niques to solve problems; and to improve knowledge and skills throughout the world as the most effective means
for stimulating growth, reducing poverty, and promoting democratic and humanitarian ideals.