The Early Intervention Program ("EI") is a federal entitlement to evaluation and services for children birth to 36 months with delayed development, implemented in every state under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In EI there is an emphasis on evaluation and service in "natural environments," which often leads to clinical service delivered in the child's home. Most provider agencies do not employ pediatricians or other medically trained staff. This raises potentially serious quality of care issues. We will present a study of infants and toddlers (n=612; mean age 19.6 months, range 1.5-35 months) referred for EI evaluation within a tertiary care hospital, detailing developmental functioning and co-existent medical conditions. More than half (55%) had a contributory medical diagnosis other than otitis media. For infants under 18 months, there was a significant association between diagnosed medical condition and developmental delay . Among referred primary care patients, 42% had a probable contributory medical condition including genetic syndromes. The prevalence of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was 7% (mean age of identification, 21.6 months). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development Mental Development Index (MDI) was used as a measure of overall cognitive functioning. The mean Bayley MDI for the sample was 64.9, nearly 2.5 standard deviations below the mean. There was very little variation of mean MDI as a function of age category, or medical diagnostic category (including "no contributory medical diagnosis"). Implications for medical involvement in the EI evaluation and service process are discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, each participant will be better able to: 1. identify medical conditions associated with developmental delay that may affect infants and toddlers; 2. recognize the individual needs of infants and toddlers with developmental delay; 3. assess the quality of service providers within the Early Intervention Program
Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Infant Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.