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EARLY INTERVENTION UNIT MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the early intervention unit is to promote the health and well‑being of infants and toddlers with special needs, and foster their optimum mental, physical, and emotional development by providing their families with educational resources and support in order to reach their desired outcomes. Our focus will empower families to develop collaborative relationships with professionals in the community, as well as address individual family needs and respect their cultural differences. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR EARLY START? Eligible children include those infants or toddlers (birth through 36 months) who meet one or more of the following criteria: Children who are Developmentally Delayed: Children whohave a significant delay (1/3 delay in age expectation) in at least one area of development in any of these five areas: - Physical - ability to move, see, hear
- Cognitive - ability to think and learn
- Communication - ability to understand, talk
- Social and emotional - ability to relate to others
- Adaptive - ability to eat, dress, and accomplish other self help tasks
Children who are at Risk:
Children are considered to be at risk for a developmental disability when they have a combination of certain medical conditions. Some of these medical conditions are*: - Central nervous system lesion or abnormality
- Central nervous system infection
- Prenatal substance exposure
- Severe and persistent metabolic abnormality
- Congenital anomalies and genetic disorders
- Clinically significant failure to thrive
- Biomedical insult (i.e injury, accident, illness)
- Small for gestational age
- Problems with muscle tone (not associated with a diagnosed condition)
- Assisted ventilation for 48 hours or more during the first month of life
- A child born to a developmentally disabled parent
- Prematurity: less than 32 weeks and/or birth weight less than 1500 grams
*For a complete list of high risk medical factors, call (626) 299-4777. Children who have an Established Risk Condition:
Children who have a condition with a known probability of causing a disability or delay, or are at high risk of having a developmental disability. Developmental Disabilities are identified in the Lanterman Act as conditions that originate before the age of 18, and can be expected to continue, indefinitely and constitute a substantial disbility for an individual. This term includes Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Mental Retardation, Epilepsy, and disabling conditions found to be closely related to mental retardation or require treatment similar to that required for mentally retarded individuals. This term does not include disabilities that are solely physical in nature. Early Start Website Links: Resource websites for parenting and to encourage parents to be involved in their child’s development: |
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