Use of Presumptive Eligibility for Enrolling Children in Part C Early Intervention

Abstract

The extent to which presumptive eligibility was used to enroll children in early intervention was the focus of this study. Participants were 180 children enrolled in early intervention in western NC during a 2-year period. Presumptive eligibility was defined as the process of determining a child's eligibility for IDEA Part C early intervention based on information about the child and family available at the time of referral. Results showed that presumptive eligibility was used for only 18% of the children, but could have been used for an additional 66% of the children. Eligibility determination took more than 45 days for over 40% of the children; developmental evaluations were needed to determine eligibility for 24% of the children, but an additional 31% of the children received developmental evaluations not needed to determine eligibility; and 83% of delayed eligibility decisions were due to bureaucratic procedures or developmental evaluations not needed for eligibility determination. Findings are discussed in light of IDEA's emphasis on expediting early identification and enrollment of infants and toddlers in Part C programs.

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