A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 318

Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

(CFDA No. 84.181)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, P.L. 102-119, Part H (20 U.S.C. 1471-1485) (expires September 30, 1995).

Purpose: To provide Federal assistance to States to establish early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth through age 2, and their families. Funds are to be used to plan, develop, and implement a Statewide comprehensive, coordinated, interagency multidisciplinary system for providing early intervention services. States may also use funds to provide direct services that are not otherwise provided from other public or private sources and expand and improve current services.

By the beginning of the fourth year of its participation, a State must have in effect a Statewide system and must have established a policy to serve all eligible children from birth through age 2, in order to receive funds under this program. The original legislation required that, by the beginning of the fifth year, States must serve all eligible children. However, the Congress amended the law to allow States up to two additional years (called extended participation) to prepare for full implementation.

Some States have made good faith efforts to adopt policies consistent with Part H, but have been unable to implement the program according to schedule because of legislative or other delays, States describing why they have been unable to meet the timeline for policy adoption may apply for waivers of the policy adoptions requirement for the third year. Many States (36) applied for extended participation, and, differential funding was awarded to those States.

Funding History

Fiscal Year Appropriation
1987 $50,000,000
1988 67,018,000
1989 69,831,000
1990 79,520,000
1991 117,106,000
1992 175,100,000
1993 213,280,000
1994 253,152,000

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

This program serves children who are experiencing developmental delays or who have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay. The children may be delayed in one or more of the following areas: cognitive, physical (including vision and hearing), communication, social, or emotional development, or adaptive development. States must serve children with developmental delays or who have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in delay. At their discretion, they may serve children at risk of developmental delay.

Services

Early intervention services may include family training, counseling, and home visits; special instruction; speech-language pathology and audiology; vision services; social work services; occupational therapy; physical therapy; psychological services; service coordination services; diagnostic and evaluative medical services; assessment and evaluation services; nursing; nutrition; transportation and related costs; assistive technology devices and services; and health services needed to enable the child to benefit from the other early intervention services.

Program Administration

Grants are based on the proportion of children ages birth through 2 in the general population, except that no State receives less than 0.5 percent of the total funds available to States.

The Governor of each State must designate a lead agency for administration of this program. The State must also establish a State interagency coordinating council with 15 to 25 members--to include at least 20 percent parents, 20 percent public or private service providers, one representative from the State legislature, and one person involved in personnel preparation. One member must be from the agency responsible for the State governance of insurance, and others represent the appropriate agencies for early intervention services. The State education agency must also be represented.

In FY 1992, all but one State participated in the program. Twelve States applied for extended participation and are not yet fully implementing the program. About one-third of the States designated the SEA as lead agency for the program, another third selected the State department of health, and another third selected the State department of social or human services.

States continued to organize interagency coordinating councils at the State and local levels to design their Statewide systems, and to establish common eligibility criteria among various State agencies serving infants. Some States provided funds for direct services to the children. The reliability of information on the numbers served is questionable, given that many States were unable to establish an unduplicated count.

III. Sources of Information

  1. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1991, P.L. 102-119.

  2. Fourteenth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 1992).

  3. Program files.

IV. Planned Studies

None.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:
Jim Hamilton, (202) 205-9084

Program Studies:
Susan Thompson-Hoffman, (202) 401-3630

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