Basic Steps of the Early Intervention Process

Useful  when introducing families to the process involved in accessing early intervention services for an infant or toddler with delays or disabilities

This 5-page handout from the CPIR shows the 8 basic steps of early intervention, with brief summaries of each step. In a nutshell, the 8 steps are:

1 | An infant or toddler may have a developmental delay or disability. Concerned, someone refers child to Part C.

2 | The infant or toddler is evaluated to determine eligibility.

If child is found eligible for early intervention services, then…

3 | Initial IFSP meeting is held, & the initial IFSP is written.

4 | Early intervention services are provided.

5 | Every six months IFSP is reviewed and revised, as needed.

6 | The IFSP is reviewed annually.

7 | A transition plan for the child’s exit from Part C is included in the IFSP at least 90 days before the child’s 3rd birthday.

For children potentially eligible for Part B services | Lead agency must notify the SEA & the child’s LEA. The LEA must take specific actions before the child’s 3rd birthday.

8 | Child exits early intervention.

Read and/or download the handout:

• as an accessible PDF
• as an accessible Word file

This handout was created as part of CPIR’s training curriculum on early intervention, Building the Legacy for Our Youngest Children with Disabilities. Module 1 of the curriculum provides Parent Centers and others with detailed training materials on the Basics of Early Intervention, including Powerpoint slides, a trainer’s guide, and handouts and activity sheets for participants. This is Handout 1 of that module. CPIR is pleased to update it to 2022 and provide it anew, as an accessible PDF and in Word.