You can find important resources on this page including frequently asked questions, parent guides, helpful links and professional forms and resources. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you.
Here are the most commonly asked questions and answers
1. How do I find information on Early Intervention Process?
Check out The Parents Guide
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/0532/
Department of Health Q&A
https://www.health.ny.gov/community/infants_children/early_intervention/parents_questions_and_answers.htm
2. How do I find a Universal Preschool Program?
Department of Education Website
https://maps.nyc.gov/upk/
http://schools.nyc.gov/schoolsearch/
3. How do I refer a child?
For private referrals contact our offices at 718-899-9060.
For children ages birth – 3 years old call 311 in NYC for the Early Intervention Program.
For children ages 3 – 4 contact your local school district to begin the referral process through
Preschool Special Education. http://schools.nyc.gov/academics/specialeducation/default.htm
4. How long does it take for the evaluation process?
Most evaluations can be completed within a few weeks, and then a meeting is scheduled to review the results and determine if your child is eligible to receive services.
5. Where are Evaluations conducted?
Evaluations of your child’s progress which are done in your home or a community setting if 0-5 and in the school system if 5 and above.
6. What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is defined as the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba
7. I am not sure my baby needs an evaluation, she seems fine to me but the pediatrician has recommended?
The decision to have an evaluation is up the parent. The process is completely voluntary. Further, when the evaluations are completed, the decision to have your child receive services is also completely voluntary. If you suspect that your child may need extra stimulation or services that will increase their development in one or more areas, then it is advisable to have an evaluation. Then, you decide if you wish to accept the recommendations of the evaluation team.
8. Will my child “grow out of it?”
Shouldn’t I just wait and see if my child improves? You can wait and see if your child improves or catches up, even if they are somewhat behind in a developmental area. However, our approach is to be proactive. Our philosophy is when in doubt, check it out. An evaluation can tell you if an early childhood professional believes your child needs any extra help in an area of development, or not. Having a professional opinion can ease your mind and answer your questions.
9. Does intervention really help? If your child is found to need services, it has been proven that most children improve with the help of intervention. Some children improve very quickly, and some more slowly. If you have concerns that your child is not learning quickly enough then share that as well to determine if other therapies may also be needed.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=efficacy+of+early+intervention&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjKydeE7rHNAhUG5SYKHa_aAHUQgQMIGjAA
The Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a public program funded by New York State and county governments for children under the age of three who are either suspected of having or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. Potentially eligible children must be referred to the county program to receive EIP services:
New York City
311
Someone else can help you make the referral to the Early Intervention Program if you wish. If your child is found to be eligible for services by someone approved to perform this evaluation, you, county staff, and other team members will make a plan to help your child – and your family.
Early intervention services in your plan and authorized by the county are provided at no cost to you. The county will arrange for the services to be provided and will choose the provider based on the needs of your child and family. Your child’s health insurance may be used to cover some of the costs. All other costs for EIP services are paid for by your county and New York State.
Early intervention services are provided where it’s best for the child – in places such as your home, day care, or other community settings. The EIP covers the cost of early intervention services only. The EIP does not pay for day care or other fees charged by community settings.
Emilia’s Kids is approved by New York State and has contracts with New York City to provide early intervention services.
PARENTS GUIDE and DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD NEEDS HELP?
Is your child reaching Developmental milestone?
https://pathways.org/milestones/
Is your child progressing in sensory motor skills?
https://pathways.org/milestones/sensory/
Is your child progressing in communication skills?
https://pathways.org/milestones/communication/
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/chart/
Printable checklists
https://pathways.org/milestones/checklists/
http://www.asha.org/SLP/schools/prof-consult/norms/
Early Intervention The Parents Guide
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/0532/
Department of Education Parents information
http://schools.nyc.gov/ParentsFamilies/default.htm
Early Childhood Links
https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/
Apply for a NPI number.
http://www.nysmandatedreporter.org/Default.aspx
Free Mandated reporter training.
www.childwelfare.gov
Spanish-language resources on child abuse and neglect, prevention, child protective services, foster care, permanency, and adoption. Selected publications are available in both Spanish and English. Many can be viewed or ordered directly from this site.
www.childmind.org
Childmind.org is a comprehensive destination for scientifically sound, parent-friendly information on child and adolescent mental health. On childmind.org you’ll find the latest information on signs and symptoms of psychiatric and learning disorders, as well as interactive tools for parents to investigate specific concerns they have about kids, from difficulty in school to disabling anxiety to disruptive behavior. You’ll also find advice, and strategies for parents dealing with hot-button issues like bullying, body image, self-esteem, substance abuse, social media, sex, and discipline.
www.cerebralpalsyguide.com
Cerebral Palsy Guide provides parents with information on cerebral palsy causes, symptoms and the treatments that are available.
www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com
Cerebral Palsy Guidance is a comprehensive informational website of cerebral palsy.From information on cerebral palsy symptoms to financial assistance to daily living articles, CerebralPalsyGuidance.com covers all aspects of cerebral palsy.
advocatesforchildren.org
For over 35 years Advocates for Children of New York, Inc. (AFC) has worked in partnership with New York City’s most impoverished and vulnerable families to secure quality and equal public education services. AFC works on behalf of children from infancy to age 21 who are at greatest risk for school-based discrimination and/or academic failure.
www.ecehispanic.org
The National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics was established in May 2004 for the purpose of identifying major educational challenges facing Hispanic children throughout the United States from birth through the primary grades and making recommendations for actions.
www.sleeplady.com
Kim West is known as the Sleep Lady and has developed a number of resources including a book on how parents can help their children get enough sleep and the importance of sleep in daily functioning.
www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/child
The Early Intervention Program: A Parent’s Guide For Children With Special Needs – Birth to Age Three.
www.earlychildhood.com
The Professional Resource For Teachers And Parents
www.kidsource.com
We are a group of parents who want to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of parents and children. We’ve created an online community that shares our values and goals in raising, educating and providing for our children.
www.eitrainingcenter.org
Early Intervention Training Center, enhancing the quality of supports and services provided to families of infants and toddlers through ongoing support, training and other professional development activities for families receiving early intervention services, early intervention personnel, and other associated early childhood personnel.
www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/earlyint/earlydirectory.shtml
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene list of Early Intervention Provider directories, updated March 2007.
www.aecip.org
New York Association for Early Childhood and Infant Psychologists website. This group has a directory of early childhood psychologists and produces a journal and provides trainings/workshops.
www.dec-sped.org
Division of Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. A website of this professional national organization comprised especially of special education teachers working with young children.
www.zerotothree.org
A nonmembership organization of those working on behalf of young children through social policy, research, and training.
www.naeyc.org
A national association of early childhood professionals, especially representing teachers of early childhood programs such as head start, early head start, pre-k programs. They boast the largest early childhood conference in the world.
www.nyasp.org
The New York State Association of School Psychologists representing the interests of this professional group.
www.isisweb.org
International Society on Infant Studies – a not-for- profit professional organization devoted to the promotion and dissemination of research on the development of infants.
www.srcd.org
Society for Research in Child Development – multidisciplinary, not-for- profit professional association with an international membership of researchers, practitioners and human development professionals.
www.msu.edu/user/waimh
World Association of Infant Mental Health – international interdisciplinary association that promotes education, research and study of social development and mental health of infants, parents and caregivers.
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/ehsnrc
Early Head Start National Resource Center
www.rti.org
Early Childhood Resource Center – promotes optimal development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers through training and other assistance.
www.apa.org/divisions/div7
American Psychological Association – Developmental Psychology Division– promotes research in the field of developmental psychology and high standards in the application of scientific knowledge to educational, child care, policy and related settings.
www.clas.uiuc.edu
Culturally & Linguistically Appropriate Services – Early Childhood Research Institute – collects and describes early childhood/early intervention resources that have been developed across the U.S. for children with disabilities and their families and service providers.
www.circleofinclusion.org
Circle of Inclusion – for early childhood service providers and families of young children, birth to age 8.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/eip/index.htm
New York State
Early Intervention Program official website with state regulations, developmental checklist and other information.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/earlyint/earlyint.shtml
New York City Early Intervention Program official website with provider directories and important memos.
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
The center supports the implementation of the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through five) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.
http://www.nhsa.org/
The National Head Start Association is a private not-for- profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families. It represents more than 1 million children, 200,000 staff and 2,700 Head Start programs in the United States.
www.saveheadstart.org
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for Americans to let Congress and governors know that they support the important mission of Head Start and do not want to see this program serving nearly 1 million at-risk children destroyed.
www.nyscccc.org/
The New York State Child Care Coordinating Council (NYSCCCC) has been working to make quality, affordable child care available to New York’s families since 1975. Rooted in a statewide network of child care resource and referral agencies, the membership of NYSCCCC includes wide representation from child care providers, parents, businesses, community organizations, and other individuals.
www.ciccparenting.org
CICC, the Center for the Improvement of Child Caring, offers a web site of numerous programs and materials to help parents become more effective and numerous continuing education programs and materials for professionals who work with children and families.
http://www.nyzerotothree.org/
The New York Zero-to- Three Network promotes the optimal development of young children, their families, and their communities in the New York region. The Network provides support and information to professionals who work with New York’s youngest children and their families by creating opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.
www.consumerdangers.com/products
Our children’s safety team at www.consumerdangers.com/products/ strives to provide a comprehensive free resource for the public to learn more about defective children’s devices such as baby strollers, high chairs, and drop side cribs that can potentially cause harm and even death.
http://www.quitday.org
QuitDay.org helps protects infants from cigarette smoke at home and in daycare.
Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorder Links
www.autismspeaks.org
Autism Speaks Family Services offer a number of Spanish-language resources. They include: Autism Speaks Manual de los 100 Dias (100 Day Tool Kit), Autism Speaks Autismo Respuesta Linea Directa (Autism Response Team Hotline): 1-888-772-9050, Autism Speaks Biblioteca de Recursos (Autism Resource Library)
www.autismoutreachsocal.com
Autism Outreach Southern California, LLC is a San Diego based company that provides one-on-one Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to children ages 12 months to 18 years and their families who are impacted by autism and related disorders. We service families across the great San Diego metropolitan area. We use the evidence-based principles and methodologies of ABA to increase acquisition of language, cognitive, adaptive and social skills while decreasing engagement in maladaptive behavior across all environments.
www.phdinspecialeducation.com/autism-aspergers/
A list of the 101 best Autism and Asperger’s resources on the web . The complexity and shifting definitions of the term autism spectrum disorder and other related conditions makes this an important subject for anyone working with students or clients with these diagnoses. These sites are broadly categorized in no set order, and they offer information, from scientific data to personal anecdotes, that makes it easier to understand autism spectrum disorders, Asperger’s Syndrome, and other relevant disorders.
www.playproject.org/
A wonderful certificate program for parents or professionals who want to learn Floortime strategies in the DIR model which has been developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and expanded by Dr. Rick Solomon.
www.firststeps.org
This website is devoted to information helping the parent first learning about autism or suspecting autism in their young child.
www.autism-society.org
The mission of the Autism Society of America is to promote lifelong access and opportunity for all individuals within the autism spectrum, and their families, to be fully participating, included members of their community.
www.autism-resources.com
A site offering information and links regarding the developmental disabilities autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
www.autism.org
The Center for the Study of Autism provides information about autism to parents and professionals, and conducts research on the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions.
www.canfoundation.org
Cure Autism Now is an organization of parents, physicians, and researchers, dedicated to promoting and funding research with direct clinical implications for treatment and a cure for autism.
www.caring4ourkids.com
Group of parents who have children on the Autism Spectrum or who suffer from inflammatory diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia. Recent studies suggest a link between these conditions. We each know how overwhelming it can be when your child is first diagnosed. As well, we understand the daily struggle as well as the joys of raising these very special children. We have come together to curate and create resources that have been helpful to us in the hopes that these will help other parents struggling to care for and to help their children thrive.
www.autism-pdd.net
The purpose of this site is to guide you to the key issues associated with autism spectrum disorders.
www.naar.org
The National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) is the first organization in the U.S. dedicated to funding and accelerating biomedical research focusing on autism spectrum disorders.
www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
National Institutes of Mental Health publications and FAQs regarding autism.
www.feat.org
FEAT is a non-profit organization of parents, educators, and other professionals dedicated to providing world-class Education, Advocacy and Support for the Northern California Autism Community.
www.asuonline.asu.edu
Arizona State University’s online certification program for autism spectrum disorders – a helpful resource for educators and family members who want to prepare for working with children and adults who have autism spectrum disorder.
www.autism.net
Since 1974, Geneva Centre for Autism has been the leader in developing and teaching the most effective techniques for those affected by Autism/P.D.D. The Centre delivers services to enhance the lives of people affected by Autism/P.D.D.
www.autismuk.com
Society For The Autistically Handicapped. The Society exists to increase awareness of autism, together with well established and newly developed approaches in the diagnosis, assessment, education and treatment. The main goal is to improve the quality of life for persons with Autism.
www.autism.about.com
Links and resources regarding autism and pervasive developmental disorders.
www.patientcenters.com/autism/
Patient-centered guides, books, and articles regarding autism.
www.autismchannel.net/
The Autism Channel is a friendly place for the discussion of Autism and related disorders such as PDD, Aspergers Syndrome, etc. We discuss therapies, treatment options, what has worked, what hasn’t, and just chat with other people who understand our lives. (Live chat).
www.autcom.org
This is the only autism advocacy organization dedicated to “Social Justice for All Citizens with Autism” through a shared vision and a commitment to positive approaches.
www.ani.ac
Autism Network International, an autistic-run self-help and advocacy organization for autistic people.
www.futurehorizons-autism.com
We became the leading publisher in the world in autism/Asperger’s primarily because my son, Alex, was diagnosed with autism. This event led me to write a charming little book, “Laughing and Loving with Autism.”
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html
National Library of Medicine / Medline links regarding autism.
www.autismconnect.org
autismconnect is a FREE web site, which aims to be the first port of call for anyone interested in autism, providing news,events, world maps, and rapid access to other web sites with information on autism.
www.worldautism.org
The World Autism Organisation (WAO), officially announced on November 21 1998 in Luxembourg, has for main goal to help making better the quality of life of autistic people and that of their families throughout the world.
www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/autism/
Vaccines and Autism Theory:At a glance: The weight of currently available scientific evidence does not support the hypothesis that vaccines cause autism
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/b/brocks/Workshops/NASP/Autism.pdf
The Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders; by Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., NCSP, Carolyn Chang, Vanessa Gatewood; California State University, Sacramento; Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology
http://www.ddhealthinfo.org/pdf/ASDGuidelines1.pdf
Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis and Assessment provides recommendations, guidance and information about current “best practiceâ€in the field. These Guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations and cannot be interpreted as policy or regulation, but as a tool designed to help health care providers and families make informed decisions regarding identification, diagnosis and assessment of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Additionally, these Guidelines provide a framework for the development and broad implementation of educational and training programs designed to reach professionals who in their day-to-day practice may encounter individuals suspected of having an ASD.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
TeachersPayTeachers® is an online marketplace where teachers buy and sell original downloadable educational materials, hard goods and used educational resources.