NEW
ELIGIBILITY DEFINITION FOR THE NC INFANT TODDLER PROGRAM
The
following eligibility definition for the NC Infant Toddler
Program for children aged birth to three under Part
C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) has been approved by both state (Commission for
Health Services and Rules Review Commission) and federal
(U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education
Programs) entities, with an implementation date of July
1, 2006.
The Early Intervention Program (NC Infant Toddler Program)
in the Early Intervention Branch and its Children's
Developmental Services Agencies appreciate the public
comment associated with this change in the eligibility
definition.
This change in eligibility definition means that eligibility
for children referred on or after July 1, 2006 will
be determined under the new definition. Children who
were referred to the program before July 1, 2006 will
have their eligibility determined by the “old”
criteria. Children who were determined eligible and
enrolled in the program under the “old”
eligibility criteria will continue to have their eligibility
determined by that criteria. They will not be subject
to the “new” criteria.
(a) Children from birth to age three (3) are eligible
for early intervention services under Part C of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) if they have been
determined by the Children’s Developmental Services
Agency to meet the criteria of one of the two following
categories:
(1)
developmental delay; or
(2) established conditions.
(b)
Developmental Delay.
(1)
A child is considered to have developmental delay
if the child’s development is delayed in one
or
more of the following areas:
(A)
Cognitive Development;
(B) Physical Development, including fine and gross
motor function;
(C) Communication Development;
(D) Social-Emotional Development; or
(E) Adaptive Development.
(2)
The specific level of delay shall be:
(A)
documented by scores of 2.0 standard deviations
below the mean of the composite score (total test
score) on standardized tests in at least one of
the above areas of development; or
(B) documented by a 30 percent (30%) delay on instruments
which determine scores in months
in at least one of the above areas of development,
or
(C) documented by scores of 1.5 standard deviations
below the mean of the composite score (total test
score) on standardized tests in at least two of
the above areas of development, or
(D) documented by a 25 percent (25%) delay on instruments
which determine scores in months
in at least two of the above areas of development.
(c) Established Conditions. A child is considered to
have an established condition if the child has a diagnosed
physical or mental condition which has a high probability
of resulting in developmental delay. Specific
conditions through which a child may be deemed eligible
in the established conditions category are as
follows:
(1)
Congenital Anomaly/Genetic Disorders/Inborn Errors
of Metabolism. These are children diagnosed with one
or more congenital abnormalities or genetic disorders
with developmental implications. Some examples are
Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, familial retardation
syndromes, and fetal alcohol syndrome.
(2) Congenital Infections. These are children diagnosed
with congenital infections with developmental implications.
Some examples are toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegelovirus,
and HIV.
(3) Autism. These are children diagnosed with autism
or autism spectrum disorders.
(4) Attachment disorder. These are children with a
diagnosed attachment disorder.
(5) Hearing Loss. These are children diagnosed with
unilateral or bilateral permanent hearing loss.
(6) Visual Impairment. These are children diagnosed
with a visual impairment that is not correctable with
treatment, surgery, glasses, or contact lenses.
(7) Neurologic Disease/Central Nervous System Disorders.
These are children diagnosed with a disease or disorder
known to affect the nervous system with developmental
implications, such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida,
Epilepsy, and Microcephaly.
(8) Neonatal Conditions and Associated Complications.
These are children diagnosed with one or more of the
following neonatal diseases or disorders known to
have developmental implications:
(A)
Gestational age less than 27 weeks or birth weight
less than 1000 grams;
(B) Neonatal encephalopathy with neurological abnormality
persisting at discharge from the neonatal intensive
care unit;
(C) Moderate to Severe Ventricular Enlargement at
discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit or
a ventriculoperitoneal shunt;
(D) Neonatal seizures, stroke, meningitis, encephalitis,
porencephaly, or holoprosencephaly;
(E) Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia requiring supplemental
oxygen at discharge from the neonatal intensive care
unit;
(F) Intrauterine Growth Retardation;
(G) Necrotizing enterocolitis requiring surgery;
(H) Abnormal neurological exam at discharge;
(I) Intraventricular hemorrhage III or IV; or
(J) Periventricular leukomalacia.
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