{"id":64,"date":"2025-08-02T22:54:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T02:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/early-intervention\/?page_id=64"},"modified":"2026-02-27T21:44:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T02:44:33","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/early-intervention\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Early Intervention?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Early Intervention?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Early Intervention or &#8220;EI&#8221; is a supportive program designed for babies and toddlers\u2014from birth to age three\u2014who may be experiencing or are at risk for developmental delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because every child is unique, <strong>EI is never one-size-fits-all.<\/strong> Depending on your family\u2019s needs, services may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Therapeutic Support:<\/strong> Speech, feeding, physical, or occupational therapy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Specialized Tools:<\/strong> Access to adaptive equipment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Family Guidance:<\/strong> Direct support and resources for parents and caregivers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This list is not expansive, EI looks different for every child!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The best part? It\u2019s a right, not a privilege.<\/strong> Under Part C of the <em>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)<\/em>, states are federally mandated to provide these services at <strong>no cost to families.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most states do have similar criteria for services, they do vary. This website hopes to make the process of accessing EI easier. You can find your state&#8217;s information by visiting the <a href=\"http:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/early-intervention\/find-your-state\/\">EI by State<\/a> page. See the <a href=\"http:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/early-intervention\/glossary\/\">glossary<\/a> to find definitions of key terms related to early intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading64_a2f673-63, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading64_a2f673-63[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading64_a2f673-63\"]{font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-lg, 2rem);font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading64_a2f673-63 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading64_a2f673-63[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading64_a2f673-63\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h2 class=\"kt-adv-heading64_a2f673-63 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading64_a2f673-63\">Your Rights as a Parent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), you are a vital member of your child\u2019s team. Federal law guarantees you the following protections:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. The Right to &#8220;Prior Written Notice&#8221;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You must be notified in writing <strong>before<\/strong> the EI program makes any changes. This includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When they want to start, change, or stop an evaluation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When they propose a change to your child\u2019s services or placement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If they <strong>refuse<\/strong> a service or evaluation you have requested.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should always know what is happening and <em>why<\/em> before it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. The Right to Parental Consent<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Early Intervention is a <strong>voluntary<\/strong> program. Nothing happens without your written &#8220;OK.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You must give written consent before any screening, evaluation, or service begins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You have the right to <strong>accept some services and decline others.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can <strong>revoke (withdraw) your consent<\/strong> at any time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. The Right to Confidentiality &amp; Privacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your family\u2019s information is protected by federal privacy laws (IDEA and FERPA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your child\u2019s records cannot be shared with outside agencies (like a school or a doctor) without your written permission.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You have the right to <strong>inspect and review<\/strong> your child\u2019s records at any time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can request to <strong>amend (change)<\/strong> any information in the record that you believe is inaccurate or misleading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. The Right to Understandable Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All information\u2014both written and spoken\u2014must be provided in your <strong>native language<\/strong> or preferred mode of communication (such as Sign Language or Braille), unless it is clearly not possible to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. The Right to Dispute Resolution<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you and the EI program disagree, you have a legal path to resolve the conflict:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Administrative Complaint:<\/strong> You can file a written complaint with the state lead agency if you believe the program has violated the law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mediation:<\/strong> A neutral third party helps you and the state reach an agreement (at no cost to you).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Due Process Hearing:<\/strong> A formal legal proceeding where an impartial officer makes a decision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Early Intervention? Early Intervention or &#8220;EI&#8221; is a supportive program designed for babies and toddlers\u2014from birth to age three\u2014who may be experiencing or are at risk for developmental delays. Because every child is unique, EI is never one-size-fits-all. Depending on your family\u2019s needs, services may include: This list is not expansive, EI looks&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-64","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is Early Intervention? - Guide to Early Intervention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/websites.emerson.edu\/early-intervention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Early Intervention? - Guide to Early Intervention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is Early Intervention? 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