Copper Country “Early On”
Early On is a program for children birth to age 3 who have a disability or developmental delay, or a health condition that might lead to a developmental delay.
Early On Michigan is mandated by Part C of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997. Early On Michigan provides a statewide system of coordinated, early identification and intervention services to families with infants and toddlers who have special needs. The Michigan Department of Education, Department of Community Health and the Family Independence Agency are participating agencies in Early On.
Children from birth through age two can be eligible to receive Early On Services if they have:
An established condition (physical, health or mental) that will likely lead to a developmental delay
A developmental delay of any degree in one or more of the following areas:
Determination of delay is based on the following: a recent health status appraisal, a developmental history, parent/child observation, development assessment of all areas using multiple sources, and informed opinion.
Any degree of delay will entitle the child to Early On
Early On is an entitlement for any child eligible for Children’s Special Health Care Services
Early On is an entitlement for any child who has been or is currently technology dependent with a developmental delay (i.e. a delay in one or more of the following areas: physical, to include vision, hearing, fine motor, gross motor; adaptive behavior, to include self-care; cognition; communication; or social-emotional)
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.
- social work services
- service coordination
- occupational therapy
- special instruction
- family training
- physical therapy
- 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