1.  Contact the county in which you reside to request an evaluation of your child's development.

2.  The county will assign a service coordinator for your child, who will contact you to schedule a visit to come to your home to complete intake paperwork (information about your child and family) and explain the early intervention program in more detail.

3.  A Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation (MDE) will be scheduled with an independent evaluator and will also be conducted at your home.  It is a developmental evaluation that looks at the following 5 areas of development:

• • • Physical Development (Gross and Fine Motor)

    • Speech and Language Development (Receptive and Expressive Communication)

    • Cognitive Development

    • Adaptive Development / Self-Help Skills

    • Social and Emotional Development

4.  The evaluator and service coordinator will go over the results with you and determine if your child's delays meet the state's eligibility requirements to receive therapy services.  The child must have a 25% or higher delay in one or more of the 5 developmental areas assessed.

• • • A child may also qualify for services if he or she has a diagnosis or condition that puts the child at risk for high probability of developmental delay

5.  If the child is found eligible for services, the family will be given a choice of agencies that are available to provide the services needed.  You are also able to request a specific provider at this point.

6.  If the child does not qualify based on the initial evaluation, the family has the right to request a more specific evaluation be performed.  They could also wait for a short period and then request that the evaluation be performed again if the child continues to exhibit delays (the delays may become more evident and easier to detect with the evaluation as he or she gets older).