When your child has special needs, exploring the world of early intervention can feel overwhelming, right? Perhaps you’ve heard of an Individualized Family Service Plan or IFSP. What does that look like in real life, and how might it help your child and your family? Below, an IEP violation lawyer will break it down into simple, clear terms to help you understand how this plan supports not only your child’s development but also the needs of your family.
What Is An IFSP?
An IFSP, which is also known as the Individualized Family Service Plan, is an extremely detailed individualized plan intended to form the early intervention services that should be provided to the child who is not more than three years old.
Therefore, it focuses more on providing support and intervention services for children with developmental delay or disability by providing specific customized support tailored to these unique needs. However, it does not end there in addressing the child’s needs alone as our friends at K Altman Law can explain. It comprises your entire family and provides various services that enable you to support your child in his or her development.
Why Is Early Intervention Important?
The essence of early intervention comes from the timing of development. Between three years and birth, children’s brains are growing in an impressive manner. Early issues in development can then be catered for and completed in areas where the child is falling behind his peers. Early intervention has been proven to help children considerably on matters related to communication, motor skills, and social capabilities.
Who Is Eligible For An IFSP?
Generally, young children typically receive an IFSP when they have a developmental delay or have been diagnosed with some form of disability that has impacted their development. An eligibility decision is made based on an interdisciplinary evaluation. Providers evaluate different areas of your child’s development, including:
Cognitions
- Motor abilities, like crawling and walking
- Language and communication
- Social and emotional development
- Self-help skills, such as eating and dressing
If your child qualifies for the prescribed criteria, the next step involves creating the actual plan.
How Is An IFSP Created?
Preparation of an IFSP requires a team of specialists who help children when they are young. Here’s the entire process:
1. The Assessment And Evaluation: A panel of experts would consult and evaluate the status of your child’s development right now. This will lead to the types of support that a child requires.
2. Developing The Plan: After all the evaluation processes have been completed, the team writes an extremely detailed plan. A specific plan will focus on what your child should achieve, and it will indicate which services would allow him or her to meet those objectives.
3. Focus On Family: A central tenet of the IFSP is family involvement; the plan enables your child to receive not only the appropriate support and development, but it also helps you as a parent by providing resources in which to support your family during this period.
4. Periodic Reviews: As the child grows, every six months IFSP is reviewed to ensure relevance of the stated goals for the child. This flexibility helps to ensure that the plan develops with just the changing of your child.
5. Transition To School: the IFSP team helps in making a plan to transition into preschool services closer to the child’s third birthday, shifting focus towards school settings and quite possibly to an IEP.
What Services Are Provided Through An IFSP?
The services your child receives through an IFSP are designed to support different areas of development. Depending on what your child needs, these services might include:
- speech therapy
- assistance with movement and motor skills from physical therapy
- occupational therapy that focuses on daily living skills
- special instruction to enhance learning abilities
- auditory or vision services for your child who has an impairment
- parent training/parent counseling
These activities can take place in your home, a childcare center, or other comfortable setting you choose, so they are easy and convenient for you.
How Is An IFSP Helpful To Families?
The needs of a child with special needs tend to permeate every aspect of your life-from daily routines to long-term plans. One of the greatest advantages an IFSP offers is its focus on assisting the family as a unit. You are included in the plan, not just an observer. Here’s how the IFSP will assist:
1. Participation In The Decisions: You do not just receive a plan. Instead, you assist in developing goals and determining which supports will most appropriately assist your child.
2. Other Caregivers And Siblings Support: The IFSP also addresses the needs of other caregivers or siblings by offering them resources and support that can act to balance the tensions in family life.
3. Access To Available Resources: If you need more than immediate services related to a support group, financial aid programs, or respite care, the whole process of the IFSP will lead you to available resources.
4. Emotional Support: You won’t be left swinging in the wind. Service coordinators can provide you with emotional support in addressing your queries and guiding you through almost every challenge that arises.
Service Coordinator
The service coordinator is your lifeline when you are going through the IFSP process. Their role includes coordination, as they make sure all of the services you are eligible for are in place and coordinate various providers. If ever you get confused and do not know what is going on with your child’s plan, just a quick call to your service coordinator can answer everything.
IFSP Vs. IEP: How Are They Different?
Once they reach the age of three, the IFSP will transition into an IEP. However, each has a different purpose and, while both are used to help guide a child with special needs, they differ in function. The IFSP is geared toward early intervention and family involvement. An IEP is more school-based in nature, focusing primarily on academics once your child begins school.
In other words, an IFSP gets a jump on helping your child build that important stuff, while an IEP helps him or her succeed in school.
The IFSP is not a quick fix for developmental issues, but rather empowers you and your family with the tools and support to help your child thrive. With an IFSP in place, you have peace of mind knowing your child will get the early intervention they deserve — so that you can move forward with confidence, knowing that everyone is working together to reach the same goal. However, if you feel your student is not receiving proper support, contact a lawyer near you.