Advanced Training: Early Intervention Evaluation,Assessment, and Eligibility Determination

Trainer’s Guide and Activity Key

Advanced Training:

Early Intervention Evaluation, Assessment, and Eligibility Determination

December 2011(Revised August 2012)

Guidance for the Trainer

The purpose of this training course is to provide information and training specific to the process of evaluation, assessment and eligibility determination in the NYS Early Intervention Program (EIP). The curriculum content is based on regulatory requirements, New York State Department of Health (SDOH) Policy Documents, Clinical Practice Guidelines issued by SDOH, and generally accepted concepts of Best Practice. It has been developed in conjunction with the full-day, basic training on evaluation and eligibility. Participants are highly encouraged to attend the introductory training on evaluation and eligibility prior to attending this advanced course.

The primary audience is qualified professionals involved in the Early Intervention (EI) evaluation process. The secondary audience consists of families, service coordinators, Early Intervention Officials and/or their designees (EIO/Ds), and other individuals interested in learning more about EI evaluation process. During registration, trainers should get an idea of the background of their audience. They should then tailor their presentation of the training (e.g., topics to spend a little more time on, specific questions to pose), to ensure that all materials are covered in such a way that participants leave with an understanding of the entire EI evaluation process.

This curriculum has been developed to convey accurate and needed content. Participants are more likely to remember, use, and want to learn more information when information is presented in meaningful, interesting ways. In other words, make the content “come alive.” You do this when you:

Weave family scenarios throughout the curriculum putting content into a “real-life” context that participants can relate to.

Invite participants to share their own experiences and stories, as time may allow – taking care to avoid putting them on the spot.

Make the group a safe place to explore, question and learn. Remind participants about the importance of confidentiality and respect.

Watch for the participant who tends to dominate the discussion. Make sure everyone has the chance to participate – if and when they wish.

Build on what participants know.

Offer clear definitions of EI terms. Create a “parking lot” for acronyms that participants are not familiar with. This will assist you in being able to explain them without distracting participants from the main messages you are conveying or overwhelming them.

Since there is a great deal of information to present, it is important to stay within the time frames set for each session. Avoid diverting session time into discussions of specific county protocols or practices. While various regions of the state may differ and may have their own “culture,” it is important to provide consistent information and best practice statewide. The trainer should refer participants to the municipalities where they provide services for county-specific information, policies, and procedures. Specific questions regarding statewide early intervention policy, requirements, or interpretation of regulations should be referred by the training contractor to SDOH for clarification. Encourage participants to write their questions down on an index card or piece of paper.

This “Trainer’s Guide and Activity Key” contains:

all handouts provided to trainees
trainer answer keys to activities
additional trainer notes for leading discussions

A number of SDOH guidance and other documents are referenced during this training. They are not provided as handouts. Some of these materials are available on the Bureau of Early Intervention Web page, some on the Department of Health’s Website, and others can be obtained by contacting BEI by e-mail or phone. Be sure to read the “Important Notes to Training Participants”below.

GROUP SIZE AND DISTRIBUTION

The training group size should ideally be no more than 32 participants.

To help participants identify their respective roles and get to know one another, participants should use name tags with information that includes their role in the EI system such as family member, specific disciplines (e.g., Speech Pathologist, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Special Educator, etc.), service coordinators, EIO/Ds, and others.

MATERIALS and EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Laptop and LCD Projector
PowerPoint Slides
Flip Chart Paper and Marking Pens
Index Cards
Name tags (with participant’s abbreviated role, e.g., EIO/D, PT, etc.)
Participant Training Handout Packets
Participant PowerPoint Slide Packets

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

Each participant will receive two Training Packets:

PowerPoint Slides – contains all slides used during the training with room for note taking
Handouts – contains handouts that the trainer will either review or use to conduct an activity, and other resource materials that may be useful to review after the training

The Trainer is provided with a copy of the training curriculum in PowerPoint form with trainer notes on each page. The trainer is also provided with this document, “Trainer’s Guide and Activity Key.”

Important Notes – Please Read to Training Participants:

This is a programmatic training that is intended to provide early intervention stakeholders with the information they need to perform evaluations and make eligibility determinations in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. This is not intended to be a clinical training and does not replace professional development or continuing education training required by the New York State Education Department for some of the licensed professions. All licensed professionals have an obligation to understand and adhere to the laws, rules, and regulations that apply to their profession. This information can be obtained by contacting the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. Contact information is provided on Handout #17, Additional Resources. It is anticipated that participants at today’s training have already attended the introductory training for evaluation and eligibility.

This training does not offer instruction on the functionality of NYEIS. As webinars are conducted to train NYEIS users on the functionality of the system, they are recorded and posted to the Department of Health’s web page. Announcements for these webinars and instructions for registering are sent to the NYEIS Listserv by email. Instructions for subscribing to the Listserv and for viewing recorded webinars are available on Handout #17, Additional Resources.

The adoption of new Federal Part C regulations in 2011 and the adoption of the 2012-13 State Budget require that the Early Intervention Program regulations be revised. Many of the Department's statewide training courses will be affected by these changes. Once the regulations are revised, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking process is complete, and new regulations have been adopted, all statewide trainings that are impacted will be updated by the Department.

Many statewide trainings incorporate Department-issued guidance into the curriculum. Once the revised EIP regulations are adopted, guidance documents will be updated to reflect all recent changes in federal and state laws and regulations. In the meantime, if you have questions about an existing guidance document, please contact the Bureau of Early Intervention at 518-473-7016.

Handout #1

Advanced Training: Early Intervention Evaluation, Assessment,

andEligibility Determination

Trainer’s Agenda

Total Training Time: 4 hours, including one 15-minute break

25 MinutesUnit 1 – Welcome, Introductions, Course Overview

25 MinutesUnit 2 – Review of MDE Requirements

25 MinutesUnit 3 – Components of an Evaluation

30 MinutesUnit 4 – Determining Eligibility

15 MinutesBreak – actual amount of time for break is at trainer’s discretion

40 MinutesUnit 5 – Reporting Results

20 MinutesUnit 6 – Ongoing Assessment and Continuing Eligibility

30 MinutesUnit 7 – Review Activity and Course Evaluation

30 MinutesQ and A

Note to Trainer:

30 minutes have been added to this training to allow more time for questions from course participants. You can use this time either at the end of the day, or in smaller amounts throughout the day if issuesare raised that requiremore time to discuss than the amount shown on this agenda for each unit.

Handout #2

Evaluation EssentialsCompare & Contrast Chart

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the statements below and mark the corresponding number on Handout #3 which accurately describes each box on the Compare & Contract Chart. The first statement has been completed for you on Handout #3.

A family directed process that enables families and professionals to share and gather information which the family decides is relevant to their ability to enhance their child’s development (must be offered; optional for families)
To determine if the child is eligible for the Early Intervention Program; to assess the status of the child’s functioning across the five developmental domains; identify areas of developmental strengths and needs; and, learn and understand the parent’s concerns, priorities and resources related to their child’s development
Not applicable
Evaluator is responsible for determining what type of screening should be conducted (whether a screening should address one or more domains of development or a specific concern)
Based on information provided by the family; incorporates the family’s description of and concerns, priorities and resources; includes formal and informal supports
Parent interview; review of pertinent records related to the child’s current health status with parent consent; evaluation of the child’s level of functioning in each of the five developmental domains. A health assessment, including documentation of diagnosis if applicable should be included; with parent consent, findings from current examinations, evaluations and assessments may be used to augment but not replace the MDE; assessment of the unique needs of the child in each developmental domain including identification of services appropriate to meet those needs; evaluation of child’s transportation needs; optional family assessment
A brief test to identify those with a potential problem from those who don’t. Standardized, reliable, known specificity/sensitivity; can be specific to a disorder or general, emcompassing multiple areas of concern.
Must be conducted by an approved evaluator (note: this is different from screening conducted for at-risk children or as part of child find)
The procedures used by appropriate qualified personnel to determine a child's initial and continuing eligibility for the Early Intervention Program, including determining the status of the child in each of the following areas of development: cognitive, physical, communication, social or emotional, and adaptive development. (required)
To determine whether an evaluation is needed; to identify specific areas that may need to be addressed in an evaluation
May be single domain or multi-domain
At a minimum, two differently qualified personnel, one with sufficient expertise to assess the area of specific concern at the time the child is referred, if known; sufficient expertise to assess all five areas; as needed, expertise to evaluate a particular domain in more depth
Must include all 5 domains (cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, adaptive)
Conducted by appropriately trained qualified personnel who is a member of the approved evaluation team
To assist the family in identifying their concerns, priorities, and resources related to enhancing their child’s development

Handout #3

Evaluation Essentials

Compare & Contrast Chart

Screening / Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE) / Family Assessment
Description / 1
Purpose
Domains
Required Components
Evaluation Personnel

EXAMPLE:

1. A family directed process of information gathering and identification of family concerns, priorities, and resources related to enhancing their child’s development (must be offered; but optional for families). ANSWER: This is a description of a Family Assessment.

(for Trainer Use only)

Trainer’s Answer Key

Evaluation Essentials

Screening / Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE) / Family Assessment
Description / 7 / 9 / 1
Purpose / 10 / 2 / 15
Domains / 11 / 13 / 3
Required Components / 4 / 6 / 5
Evaluation Personnel / 8 / 12 / 14

Handout #4

Evaluation Essentials Chart (Completed)

Screening / Multidisciplinary Evaluation (MDE) / Family Assessment
Description / A brief overview of a child’s functioning to determine whether or not a developmental problem is likely and if further in-depth evaluation is needed
(optional) / Comprehensive, in-depthreview of a child’s developmental and health history and assessment of current status in all developmental areas by two or more professionals from different disciplines
(required) / A family directed process that enables families and professionals to share and gather information which the family decides is relevant to their ability to enhance their child’s development
(must be offered; optional for families)
Purpose / 1. To determine whether an evaluation is needed
2. To identify specific areas that may need to be addressed in an evaluation / 1. To determine if the child is eligible for the Early Intervention Program
2. To assess the status of the child’s functioning across the five developmental domains
3. Identify areas of developmental strengths and needs
4. Learn and understand the parent’s concerns, priorities, and resources related to their child’s development / To assist the family in identifying their concerns, priorities, and resources related to enhancing their child’s development
Domains / Single or multi-domain / Must include all 5 domains (cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, adaptive) / Not applicable
Required Components / Evaluator is responsible for determining whether a screening should address one or more domains of development or a specific concern / 1.Parent interview
2. Review of pertinent records related to the child’s current health status with parent consent
3. Evaluation of the child’s level of functioning in each of the five developmental domains. A health assessment, including documentation of diagnosis, if applicable should be included
4. Assessment of the unique needs of the child in each developmental domain including identification of services appropriate to meet those needs
5. Evaluation of child’s transportation needs
NOTE: Optional family assessment / 1. Based on information provided by the family through interview
2. Incorporates the family’s description of concerns, priorities and resources
3. Includes formal and informal supports
Assessment Personnel / Must be conducted by an approved evaluator
NOTE: this is different from screening conducted for at-risk children or as part of child find / 1. At a minimum, two differently qualified personnel, one with sufficient expertise to assess the area of specific concern or suspected disability or delay, if known
2.Sufficient expertise to assess all five areas
3.As needed, expertise to evaluate a particular domain in more depth / Conducted by appropriately trained qualified personnel
who is a member of the approved evaluation team

Additional Trainer Notes for Leading Discussion of

Evaluation Essentials Activity

Handouts 2 and 3

•Clarify that screening is never used to reach a conclusion about diagnostic issues nor to establish eligibility.

•Parent can go on to a full evaluation by request even if the results of the screening detect no delay.

•Required components: Clarify that a health assessment includes the review of recent/current physical exam, routine vision and hearing screening and neurological assessment, where appropriate. A health assessment is required except when a physical exam has been completed within sufficient recency, and when no indicators are present to warrant a reexamination. A health assessment should be part of or attached to the MDE report and should be referenced in the report whenever possible. Refer participants to Memorandum 2005-02 Standards and Procedures of Evaluation and Eligibility (Appendix C) for information on recommendations for pediatric health care visits.

•Assessment Personnel: As a best practice, the evaluator is responsible for making sure that the evaluation team is comprised of professionals who can make the diagnosis if a condition is suspected. When this is not possible, the family may need assistance in obtaining a diagnosis from a professional qualified to make one. Evaluators can and should recommend neurological, psychological, or other medical or developmental evaluations as needed as part of the MDE or to include on the IFSP.

•The evaluation team member who conducts the family assessment should have relevant experience in conducting personal interviews, understand family dynamics, be familiar with the assessment tool, and have good interpersonal skills. The family assessment is voluntary for the family. It helps the family determine their concerns, priorities, and resources related to enhancing their child’s development.

•The purpose of the parent interview is to obtain information from the perspective of the child’s parents (and others who are familiar with the child with parent consent) regarding concerns about the child’s developmental status. It is a required part of the MDE.

Handout #5

New YorkStateEarly Intervention Program

Interim List of Developmental Assessment Instruments - June 3, 2010

Revised May, 2012

This list will not be updated each time a tool is reissued, however the most recent edition of an assessment instrument should be used as soon as it is available.

Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment- Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
Adapted Pattern Perception Test (Low Verbal Early Speech Perception Test-ESPT) *
Adaptive Behavior Assessment System - Second Ed.
Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional *
Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) *
Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale - 3rd Ed.
Assessment of Preterm Infants' Behavior (APIB) *
Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS)
Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS), Second Edition
Auditory-Verbal Ages and Stages of Development *
Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised (ADI-R)
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS-G, now ADOS-WPS)
Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning-Second Edition (ASIEP-2)
Battelle Developmental Inventory-2nd Edition *
Bayley Behavior Rating Scales (BRS)
Bayley Infant Neurodevelopmental Screener (BINS)
Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III) *
Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2)
Brigance Inventory of Early Development-Revised (IED)
Caregiver-Teacher Report Form
Carey Temperament Scales
Carolina Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs (CCITSN) *
Carolina Picture Vocabulary Test, 1985 *
Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) Preschool Performance Scale, 1984 *
Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1 1/2- 5 years Communicative Development Inventories (CDI)*
Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS and CARS - 2)*
Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale
Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (CSBS) (Wetherby, 2003)
Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales: Developmental Profile (CSBS DP)
Denver Developmental Screening Test: Denver II (DDST-II) *
Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC)
Developmental Observation Checklist
Developmental Pre-Feeding Checklist
Developmental Profile II
Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)
Differential Ability Scale (DAS)
Early Coping Inventory *
Early Language Milestones Scale- 2 (ELMS-2)
Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (ELAP)
Early Motor Pattern Profile (EMPP) *
Einstein Neonatal Neurobehavioral Assessment Scale (ENNAS) *
Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test- Revised (EOWPVT-R) *
Functional Emotional Assessment Scale
Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) *
Gesell and Amatruda Developmental and Neurological Examination-Revised *
Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS)- Revised*
Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2 (GFTA-2)
Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) *
Gross Motor Performance Measure, Quality of Movement (GMPM) *
Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP) *
High/Scope Child Observation Record Form for Infants and Toddlers
Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude, 1966 *
Humanics National Infant-Toddler Assessment
Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB) *
Infant Toddler Symptom Checklist
Infant/Toddler Checklist for Communication and Language Development
Infant-Toddler Developmental Assessment (IDA)
Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment
Infant-Toddler: Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (IT-MAIS) *
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), 1983 *
Learning Accomplishment Profile-D
Leiter International Performance Scale (LIPS) *
MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) *
Meadow-Kendall Social-Emotional Assessment Inventories for Deaf and Hearing *
Milani-Comparetti Motor Development Screening Test (M-C) *
Miller Assessment of Preschoolers (MAP) *
Movement Assessment of Infants (MAI) *
Mullen Scales of Early Learning *
Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, Brazelton (NBAS or BNBAS) *
Neonatal Neurobehavioral Examination, Morgan (NNE) *
Neonatal Neurological Examination (NEONEURO) *
Neonatal Oral-Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) *
Neurobehavioral Assessment of the Preterm Infant (NAPI) *
Neurological Assessment of the Preterm and Full-Term Newborn Infant, Dubowitz (NAPFI) *
Neurological Evaluation of the Newborn and Infant (Amiel-Tison) *
Neurological Examination of the Full-Term Infant (Prechtl) *
Oral-Motor Feeding Rating Scale *
Ordinal Scales of Psychological Development, 1989 *
Oregon Project for the Blind and Visually Impaired *
Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition (PDMS-2) *
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (PPVT-III) *
Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) *
Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory
Pre-Linguistic Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (PL-ADOS)*
Preschool Evaluation Scale
Preschool Language Scales, Fourth Edition and Fifth Edition (PLS-4 and PLS-5)
Pre-Speech Assessment Scale (PSAS) *
Primitive Reflex Profile (PRP) *
Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test (ROWPVT)
Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test (REEL-2 and REEL-3)
Reynell Developmental Language Scales *
Rossetti Infant Toddler Language Scale *
Schedule for Oral-Motor Assessment (SOMA) *
Sensory Profile (Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile)
Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development, Revised (SICD-R)
SKI*HI Language Development Scale (LDS) *
Smith-Johnson Nonverbal Performance Scale, 1977 *
Social-Emotional Assessment Measure (SEAM)
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (SB-IV)
Stuttering Severity Instrument for Children & Adults- 3rd Edition
Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS)
Test of Early Language Development- Third Edition (TELD-3)
Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) *
Test of Motor Impairment (TOMI) and Test of Motor Impairment-Henderson Revision (TOMI-H) *
Test of Sensory Function in Infants (TSFI) *
The Non Speech Test
The Ounce Scale
Toddler and Infant Motor Evaluation (TIME)*
Transdisciplinary Play Based Assessment (TPBS) *
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) *
Vineland Social-Emotional Early Childhood Scale *
Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III
Westby Play Scale
Wolanski Gross Motor Evaluation *
Woodcock-Johnson III

*Developmental Assessment Test from the NYS DOH Clinical Practice Guidelines