Early Intervention
Eligibility
An eligible child is an infant or toddler with a disability and/or developmental delays as measured and verified by appropriate diagnostic instruments, and administered by qualified examiners. In Tennessee the term “infant or toddler with disability” means an child from birth through age two who needs early intervention services because he/she meets the criteria for Tennessee’s Definition of Developmental Delay which consists of: Developmental Delay (Part A) or Diagnosed Condition (Part B), or Informed Clinical Opinion.
A child from birth through age two years of age may be eligible for Early Intervention services by meeting either DMR or Part C eligibility criteria. Children who meet Part C criteria will be automatically deemed eligible for DMR-funded services, relieving the agency of the need to obtain a separate eligibility statement.
Eligibility Criteria
A child from birth through age two is considered eligible for services when one of three conditions is present:
(1) The child has an identified syndrome which is associated with impaired intellectual functioning OR
(2) The child’s neurological development is significantly delayed OR
(3) Development is delayed by 20% or more of child’s chronological age in one or more developmental areas.
Conditions 1, 2, and 3 may be identified by a physician. Condition 3 may also be identified by a psychologist or psychological examiner. Eligibility must be supported by documentation describing the deficits observed and the testing instrument used. The eligibility document must be signed by the diagnostician.
Part C Eligibility Criteria (Per IDEA)
Part A of Tennessee’s Definition of Developmental Delay
A child, from birth through age two, who is eligible for early intervention services because he/she is experiencing developmental delays and appropriate diagnostic instruments indicate that the child is functioning at least 25% below his or her chronological age in two or more developmental areas,
OR
is functioning at least 40% below his or her chronological age in one developmental area.
A child with suspected delays, but no diagnosis of a condition or syndrome which is known to result in developmental delay or has a high probability of developmental delay will be considered appropriate for evaluations to determine eligibility. The evaluation process must be multidisciplinary – at least 2 disciplines must be involved in determining eligibility with tools approved by the state.
Part B of Tennessee’s Definition of Developmental Delay
A child, from birth through age two, who is eligible for EI services because he/she has a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay, i.e. known, obvious, or diagnosable conditions such as sensory losses and severe physical impairments.
The eligible condition must be verified through appropriate documentation including the name and title of the professional verifying the condition. Clinical findings may be documented by medical reports, physician written statement, and/or genetic reports. The child must also receive appropriate evaluations/assessments to determine the level of functioning in each area of development.
Informed Clinical Opinion
A child, from birth through age two, who is eligible for EI services because he/she has been determined eligible based on informed clinical opinion procedures. Informed clinical opinion is the use of qualitative and quantitative information to assess a child’s development when standardized measures will not accurately reflect the child’s developmental status.
