From birth to age 3, children served by the board receive Early Intervention, which involves service coordination as well as service provision.
Early Intervention
Early intervention (also known as EI) is a statewide program for infants and toddlers — birth to age 3 — with a developmental delay, disability or a medical condition likely to result in a delay.
We truly believe that children learn best from people they are familiar with in places where they are comfortable. That’s why services are provided in the home and community at times that are convenient for families.
We use coaching that empowers parents to build their capacity to meet their child’s unique developmental needs. Services focus on what is important to your family.
All children in Early Intervention receive service coordination at no cost to their families. LCBDD also provides many of the services that are the foundation of EI, such as occupational, physical and speech therapies at no cost to the family. If your child’s team determines there’s a need for other options, beyond those core services your SC will work with your family to obtain those services.
To learn more about Early Intervention in Ohio, visit ohioearlyintervention.org.
How do I make a referral?
If you have questions about your child’s development, we will arrange for your child to be assessed and/or evaluated in your home to determine eligibility. There is no charge to you for the evaluation/ assessment or ongoing services provided by our Board if needed.
Anyone can make a referral to Licking County’s Early Intervention program. You will need the child’s name, date of birth, address, parent’s name and contact information. To make a referral, please call 1-800-755-4769. You can also make a secure online referral at http://bit.ly/ReferToHMG.
Recent update: The state of Ohio recently made a virtual version of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire available. Now families have the opportunity to fill out a short, free developmental screening about their child (age 3 and under) online! It provides families another way to identify if their children have delays or disabilities in the critical early years before they start school.
Click on this link: https://www.helpmegrow.org/ASQ to access the assessment. Once a screening is completed, someone from Help Me Grow will contact the family to discuss the results. That could lead to a referral to Early Intervention, or another support program, depending on the family’s interest and eligibility.
What can I expect if my child is eligible for services? Click here to learn more.
This video can also provide more information about how EI services are provided in Licking County.
EI Service Coordination
Every child and family served by EI will have a team of professionals supporting them. Part of this team is the EI Service Coordinator (EISC). They have specific training and certifications to work with children, from birth to age 3. One of the roles of the EISC is to create, monitor and update your child’s Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) — a legal document that will reflect services your child will receive.
Parents and caregivers are one of the most valuable members in this process. You will work with the rest of your support team to create the goals in your plan — updating it as needed to reflect your child’s growth or needs. Your EISC will also provide case management services to your family such as resources and referrals to other agencies in our community. They will also play a vital part in helping you transition your child into preschool or a community program once they turn 3.
Your EISC can also help with:
- FSS requests- Family Support Services (FSS) is a program to help offset the cost of services and supplies for your child. If you have a question about what it can be used for, Click here to visit our FSS page.
- Connecting you with resources in the community and local activities for your toddler.
- Information about preschool options.
- Connecting you with information about assistive technology. Click here to go to our assistive technology page.
Can my child get a waiver?
Ohio has implemented a new assessment to determine waiver eligibility. Your child’s Service Coordinator can coordinate getting the assessment completed. For more information, visit our waiver page.
Can my child get Medicaid or SSI?
Medicaid and SSI are income-based programs, so not everyone will qualify. If you want to find out if your child qualifies you can apply at the Department of Job and Family Services for Medicaid and the Social Security office for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Your SC can assist you in the application process.
Online resources
LCBDD has an Early Intervention Youtube channel and you can check out the library of videos by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-yrq1o_2hr7mNx2j0ne-vqm9F0Q9guuk
You’ll see members of our Early Intervention team sharing fun activities, suggestions for things to do out in the community and strategies for you to engage your child and understand their development. You can subscribe or find videos by searching our hashtag: #lickingcountyEI
Click here for more resources specifically targeted to children on the autism spectrum.
Did you know that LCBDD has Pinterest pages focused on many areas of early childhood development? Check out the links below:
Autism https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/autism-early-childhood/
Behavior https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/behavior-early-childhood/
DIY https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/diy-early-childhood/
Fine Motor https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/fine-motor-early-childhood/
General Development https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/general-development-early-childhood/
Gross Motor https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/gross-motor-early-childhood/
Oral Motor https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/oral-motor-early-childhood/
Resources for Parents https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/resources-for-parents/
Sensory https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/sensory-early-childhood/
Speech https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/speech-early-childhood/
Vision https://www.pinterest.com/lcountydd/vision-early-childhood/
Safety Concerns
If you are concerned that a person with developmental disabilities is being abused or neglected, please contact us at 740-349-6588. If it is after regular business hours, please call 740-345-4357 (211 if local) and ask for the Licking County Board of DD on-call service coordinator.