CSIU Early Intervention Preschool - Special Education Ages 3-5

The CSIU’s Preschool Early Intervention Program provides services for children ages three to five with disabilities who require specially designed instruction in order to participate in typical preschool activities. The Preschool Early Intervention Program is designed to promote collaboration among parents, service providers, and others who are involved in a child’s life.

 

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for CSIU Preschool Early Intervention, a child must:

• Reside in Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, or Union Counties.
• Be between the ages of three and school-age eligible (age of beginners).

• Undergo a screening and participate in an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education services, in accordance with the criteria set forth in Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Pennsylvania Chapter 14 special education regulations.

Evaluations

A team of professionals will conduct a comprehensive evaluation that may involve observing the child in familiar settings, gathering input from parents and caregivers, and using standardized assessments and developmental checklists. The evaluation also includes a review of the child’s medical and educational history. The evaluation team collaborates with families to understand the child’s unique developmental and educational needs and to determine eligibility for services. (If it's not too much, you can also add this: The evaluation team will include individuals who have expertise in assessing young children and team membership will be based on referral concerns, results of the initial screening, and information provided by the family (including any medical reports submitted at the time of referral). Your child's team may include a developmental evaluator, speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and/or school psychologist.)

Children may qualify for Preschool Early Intervention under the category of Developmental Delay or under a disability as defined in the IDEA.

• Developmental Delay refers to delays in one or more of the following areas:
  • Cognitive development
  • Communication development 

  • Physical development 

  • Social-emotional development

  • Adaptive development

*These delays must be significant enough to require specially designed instruction.

IDEA disability categories are:

• Autism
• Deaf-Blindness
• Emotional Disturbance
• Hearing Impairment (including Deafness)
• Intellectual Disabilities
• Multiple Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Other Health Impairment
• Speech or Language Impairment
• Traumatic Brain Injury

• Visual Impairment (including Blindness)

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

For eligible children, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is created to outline the supports and services needed to address their unique developmental and educational goals.

Related services help eligible children benefit from their special education programs, and may include:

• Speech Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Hearing Services
• Vision Services
• Orientation and Mobility

Settings

IEP services are delivered in settings that best meet the child’s needs. Most commonly, services are provided at one of the CSIU center locations, a community location, childcare facilities, and preschool classrooms. 

Infant/Toddler Early Intervention Compared to Preschool Early Intervention  

The Preschool Early Intervention program differs from the Early Intervention program that serves infants and toddlers. Early Intervention for infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) are developmental in nature and provided on an individualized, family-centered basis. Preschool Early Intervention services are educational in nature and provided on an individualized basis. They are related to a child’s measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals, which are designed to:

1. Meet the child’s needs to enable them to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum or participate in appropriate activities.

2. Address the child’s other educational needs that result from their disability