Transcript Part C Eligibility

Part C Eligibility
(Part H)
Eligibility Criteria:
• Children ages birth through two who are
developmentally delayed or are at
established risk for developmental delay
are eligible for early intervention
services
Definition of developmental
delay:
1. There is a discrepancy of 25% or more
between chronological age after
correction for prematurity, and
developmental age in any one area
(cognitive, physical, communication
social or emotional or adaptive); or
2. The child is functioning at 1.5 standard
deviations or more below the mean in
any one area;
Definition of developmental
delay continued:
3) Delays of at least 20% or at least 1
standard deviation below the mean in 2
or more areas are determined; or
4) Clinical judgment of the
multidisciplinary team (including the
professional in the area(s) of delay)
concludes a developmental delay exists
when specific tests are not available or
when testing does not reflect the child’s
actual performance.
Definition of established risk for
developmental delay:
• Children with a diagnosed mental or
physical condition that has a high
probability of resulting in developmental
delay; or based on informed clinical
opinion, are eligible for early
intervention services. The delay may or
may not be exhibited at the time of
diagnosis but the natural history of the
disorder includes the need for early
intervention services.
“At-risk for Developmental
Delay” does not qualify child for
services:
• Infants and toddlers who are identified
as biological or environmental risk for
developmental delay should be in the
screening and tracking process in order
that their development be followed as
closely as possible for immediate
eligibility identification as appropriate.
Informed Clinical Opinion:
• necessary safeguard against eligibility
determination based upon isolated
information or test scores alone
• may include:
– clinical interviews with parents;
– observation of parent-child interaction;
– information from teachers or child care
providers; and
– neurodevelopmental or other physical
examinations
Informed Clinical Opinion
Continued :
Appropriate documentation of the sources
and use of informed clinical opinion:
1. to provide a baseline against which to
measure the progress and changing
needs of the child and family over time;
2. to provide information to assure that
procedural safeguards were provided in
the evaluation and assessment process
and the determination of eligibility.
Informed Clinical Opinion
Informed clinical opinion is an opinion made by a multidisciplinary team using
qualitative and quantitative information in order to determine eligibility and
as a basis for planning.
Inf ormed Clinica l Opinion
means...
Inf ormed Clinica l Opinion
D OES NO T mean...
An opinion made by
practitioners qualified to
e valuate the child’s five
deve lo pme ntal do mains.
An opinion made by just
anyone.
An opinion is made based on
multiple sources of qualitative
and quantitative information
abo ut the child’s deve lo pme nt.
An opinion is
just a single
information,
information,
alone.
A conversation is held among
parents, service coordinators,
and the mul tidiscipl inary team
members who were a part of the
eval uation process accompanied
b y a written explanation of y our
rational e for using informed
cl inical opinion.
A team’s opinion that a child is
e ligible witho ut an
acco mpanying conversatio n
w ith the parents or a writte n
e xplanation.
Do cumenting a disability or
delay.
made based on
source of
isolated
o r test score s
Do cumenting a risk of having a
delay.
Ad apte d with perm issi on from Ea rly Child hood Conne cti ons. (200 1, May 9 ).
Colo rado service
coordi nati on traini ng m odul e 5: Info rmed cli nical o pini on
. Re trieved Ja nuary 6 , 20 04, from http ://
www.cde .sta te.co.u s/ea rlychi ldho odconne cti ons/scct.h tm