EARLY INTERVENTION
The Northeast Bradford School District identifies and provides early intervention special education services to eligible young children who live in the school district through collaboration with our assigned intermediate unit (BLaST IU17). Early intervention special education services are available to children who meet the following criteria:
Ages 0 to 5 years old and not yet enrolled in kindergarten
Has a disability and/or exhibits a developmental delay of at least 25% in one or more of the following developmental areas: Cognitive (thinking and reasoning), Communication (speech production), Physical (fine and gross motor skills), Adaptive (self-help skills), and Social-Emotional (behavior and friendships).
and is in need of specially designed instruction
The process of determining that a child has a developmental delay usually includes:
An intake meeting is conducted by a member of the BLaST IU 17 early intervention team where they talk with the family about their child's development.
If an evaluation is needed, a permission to evaluate is issued.
An evaluation is only conducted upon receipt of the family's written consent;
Then the multidisciplinary team will begin the process of evaluation. Information provided by the family is an invaluable part of this process.
Children who are eligible for Early Intervention Programs and Services are determined by the team and the child's family who will then develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) together.
Early Intervention services for eligible young children are provided at no cost to families.