The Purpose of Evaluation for Early Intervention

You received a diagnosis from your doctor that clearly says your child has a medical condition, so what is the point of "evaluating" the child?  Shouldn't everyone just skip the evaluation (since you already have a diagnosis) and start providing services to address the condition?

No.  

At first glance, evaluation for early intervention services may seem like a purely administrative task--as if they don't trust your doctor and want to check for themselves.   But really the purposes of evaluation are completely different from medical diagnosis.  Early intervention evaluations are not conducted to 'diagnose' your child's condition.  

Ignoring the family directed assessment for the time being (be sure I'll talk about it later), evaluations are conducted to answer two questions:

1. Does the child qualify for early intervention services?
   
2. What should we include in the child's service plan?

The first question is one of eligibility.  A child (age zero to three) is eligible for early intervention if:

(a) The child experiences developmental delay in one of 5 categories (cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, or adaptive development).  IDEA also recognizes that some medical conditions make it likely that the child will experience developmental delay even if they are not presently experiencing it; these high risk children also meet the 'delay' requirement, but in either case, the child must also . . .

(b) . . . need early intervention services because of the developmental delay.  This means the delay experienced by the child (or that is highly likely to be experienced) is of a type that requires early intervention services to address the delay in addition to any medical care the child receives for their condition.  Sometimes, even though a child has a medical condition, the effects of that condition are not of a type that can be addressed through early intervention.  

The second question is about planning for the child's services.  Once a child is found eligible, the team in charge of creating the child's service plan, the IFSP team (which includes the parents), must:

• Create goals for the child's development and decide how progress toward those goals will be measured.
  
• Select the services the child will receive and determine the frequency, duration, and location for those services.   

The results of the evaluation is where the planning process begins.  The child will need to be evaluated in all areas of suspected disability to identify the child's needs, create appropriate goals, and select appropriate services.  Parents are themselves an 'evaluator' in that they have observed the child in more circumstances and for longer periods than anyone--they know their child and their thoughts, observations, and concerns are very important contributions that should be given significant attention in the planning meeting.

Evaluation is a crucial step in early intervention--it determines if the child needs and can benefit from services.  It lays the foundation for planning and delivering those services.  If done poorly, or inadequately, services are likely to be less effective and some needs may go completely unaddressed.  If done well, it ensures that services are tailored to your child's needs and provides a foundation for tracking your child's progress toward appropriate goals.