Who can receive Early Supports and Services?

Eligible are children from birth to their 3rd birthday who have a delay of at least 25% in development compared with their chronological age in any one area of development or who have atypical behaviors that interfere with development. For example, a child who is 9 months old and who cannot grasp and hold onto a toy would be eligible for services. The areas of development to look at include:

• Fine motor skills (hand skills such as holding and playing with a toy)
• Gross motor skills (crawling, walking)
• Receptive language skills (understanding a question or following a direction)
• Expressive language skills (speech)
• Cognitive skills (looking for a dropped toy, learning colors)
• Emotional/Social skills (hugging, cuddling)
• Self-help skills (feeding with a spoon, pulling off socks)
• Vision skills (visually following an object)
• Hearing skills (hearing all the sounds in each word spoken)
• Atypical behaviors that interfere with development (self-injury, inability to enjoy affection with family members)

Call the Early Supports and Services Intake Coordinator at Community Bridges. She'll ask you for basic information regarding the child and the developmental issues you've identified. In general, the referral phone call usually takes only 2-3 minutes.

What is required after I make the referral phone call?

The Early Supports and Services Intake Coordinator will have the parent of the child sign release of information forms that will be faxed to your office. Your prompt response to the requests for certain information will assure that the child receives a thorough assessment and, if eligible, appropriate services without delay. You will be asked for:

• A copy of the child's most recent physical examination report
• A copy of the child's immunization history
• Your signature on a prescription form that authorizes licensed and certified professionals to perform a thorough assessment

Where can I send parents for more information regarding Early Supports and Services and other resources to help them?

You can send them to this Web site, where there is detailed information regarding Community Bridges' Early Supports and Services, as well as links to a variety of local and national resource organizations and Web sites. You can also invite them to call us at 225-4153 to speak with our Early Supports and Services Intake Coordinator.