Early Intervention

Nassau County & Suffolk County - Long Island

Early Intervention Services

The first three years of life are the most crucial period of growth and development. It is during this time that young children explore and grow, learn to move, communicate, and develop a sense of independence. All children grow and learn at different rates however, some children may appear to achieve developmental milestones later than anticipated.

What are Early Intervention Services?

Programs that provide Early Intervention Services have been established across New York State to address the needs of infants and toddlers, ages birth to three years who are suspected of having developmental delays. Since 1988, Alternatives For Children has been an Early Intervention service provider, to countless children and families. Our Early Intervention evaluators and Early Intervention professionals help your child grow, explore, learn to move, communicate, and develop a sense of independence, while sharing with you the tools you need to support and promote your child’s development.
 

What Children Need Early Help & Early Intervention Evaluation

If you feel your child is delayed in achieving developmental milestones, you should speak with your child’s pediatrician about your concerns. Your pediatrician may tell you to call an approved Early Intervention evaluator and provider, like Alternatives For Children, or they may have you call the County Health Department - Division of Services for Children with Special Needs. Either way, know that your concerns regarding your child’s development will be heard, and action will be taken.

Referral Process

The Early Intervention Program process begins with a referral to the County Department of Health - Division of Services for Children with Special Needs. The referral can be made directly by a parent, or Alternatives For Children with parental consent, can make the referral for the parent on their behalf.

The Multidisciplinary Evaluation

Once a referral has been made to the County Department of Health - Division of Services for Children with Special Needs, you will be given information about the Early Intervention Program, and a multidisciplinary evaluation appointment will be made for you and your child. The multidisciplinary evaluation is conducted by an approved Early Intervention evaluation agency, such as Alternatives For Children, under contract with the county. The evaluation team includes two or more qualified personnel from different disciplines with at least one specialist in the area of the suspected delay or disability.

The Evaluation Includes

• A parent interview about the resources, priorities and concerns related to the child’s development.
• With consent, a review of pertinent records related to the child’s current health status and medical history.
• Testing and an evaluation, by qualified professionals, of the child’s level of functioning in each of the five developmental domains:
  • Physical development (growth, gross and fine motor abilities)
  • Cognitive development (learning and thinking)
  • Communication (understanding and using words)
  • Social-emotional development (relating to others)
  • Adaptive development (self-help skills such as feeding)
• With consent, findings from other current examinations, evaluations or assessments may be used to augment the evaluation to determine eligibility.
• An assessment of the unique needs of the child in each domain including identification of services appropriate to meet those needs.
• An evaluation of the transportation needs of the child, parent’s ability to provide transportation, the child’s needs to transportation and safety issues/concerns about transportation.

The Parent Interview

As part of the multidisciplinary evaluation, the parent interview, families are asked to describe their priorities, resources and concerns regarding their child’s development. The Parent Interview will also include a description of the pregnancy, delivery and medical history of the child. Some of the questions that might be asked include:
 

1. What are your concerns about your child’s development?
2. How does your child’s development compare to that of your other children at their age, or children who you know?
3. How does your child play?
4. How does your child indicate his needs and wants? Pleasure? Distress?
5. How do you spend time with your child?
6. Does your child feed well?
7. How does your child show affection?
8. Who spends the most time with your child and what kinds of activities do they do together?
9. How does your child react to new situations and people?
10. How do you provide opportunities for your child to learn and an environment in which to explore?