Copper Country Early On
Early On is Michigan’s system for helping infants and toddlers, birth to age 3 and their families who have developmental delays or are at risk for delays due to certain health conditions. It’s designed to help families find the social, health, and educational services that will promote the development of their infants and toddlers with special needs.
Early On emphasizes early identification and early referral to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities, to minimize their potential for delay, and to recognize the significant brain development that occurs during a child’s first three years of life.
The goal of early intervention is “To enable young children to be active and successful participants in the early childhood years and in the future in a variety of settings…”
How Is A Child Determined Eligible for Services?
To be entitled to comprehensive early intervention services through Early On in Michigan under Part C of IDEA, children must meet one or both of the following eligibility criteria:
- Infants/toddlers are eligible for Early On if they have an established condition and/or a developmental delay of 20 percent or more in one or more developmental domains or a score of one standard deviation below the mean
- Established Conditions: Children with established conditions are those from birth through age two who have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay
- Categories of Established Conditions:
- Congenital Anomalies
- Chromosomal Anomalies
- Infectious Conditions
- Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders
- Other Diseases
- Hearing Deficiency
- Other Fetal/Placental Anomalies
- Exposures Affecting Fetus
- Chronic Illness
- Developmental Disorders
- Mental Health Conditions
Early intervention services for an eligible child and family are designed to meet the developmental needs of the child and the needs of the family in relation to enhancing the development of their child. Services are selected in collaboration with and consent from parents. Services are provided at little or no cost to the family. The services a family and child are to receive are documented through the development of an “Individualized Family Service Plan” or IFSP, which is reviewed and revised once every six months. Early On services are family-centered, strength-based, multidisciplinary and interagency focused.
Early On includes a range of services to help children from birth through age two who have special needs. Early On includes all the programs and services in a community, both public and private, that help families promote the development of their infant or toddler. Parents and agencies work together to find and provide needed services within their local communities. Early On is based on a collaboration among providers of services and on partnerships with families.
The following types of services can be available through Early On and the various agencies participating in early intervention services. Many of these services are free, some are on a sliding scale and others are on a fee-for-service basis.
- audiology
- speech/language
- therapy
- social work services
- service coordination
- occupational therapy
- special instruction
- family training
- physical therapy
- transportation
- counseling
- nutrition services
- diagnostic services
- home visits
- vision services
- service coordination
- health services
- assistive technology
- development of the IFSP
- nursing services
- psychological services
Early On Helps Families:
- see their child’s strengths
- find and use informal supports
- locate needed resources and services in the community
- coordinate services through one plan
- learn to advocate for their child
Early On Helps Agencies/Hospitals/Schools:
- reduce duplication and fragmentation of assessments and services
- use existing resources more efficiently
- identify and address gaps in services
- link families with services more quickly
- work together better and support each other’s work