Eligibility

Under the Individuals with Diabilities Education Act, each state sets its own definition for "infants and toddlers with disability." This definition is submitted to the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for approval. Utah's definition has been approved by OSEP as meeting the requirements of the law.

In Utah, a child under age 3 is found eligible for Early Intervention Services in two ways:

Diagnosis

A child must be diagnosed with a physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay. KOTM does not provide diagnostic services. If a child is eligible by diagnosis, a statement of the diagnosis must be available from a professional who is qualified to make such a diagnosis (such as a physician, psychologist, etc.). If the family does not have a written copy of the diagnosis, KOTM can, with parent permission, request a copy of the diagnosis directly from the physician or other professional. There is a list of diagnoses (under "BWEI Forms") which establish eligibility. However, this list is not all-inclusive. If you believe your child would qualify by diagnosis, talk about it with KOTM staff.

Significant Developmental Delay

In Utah, a child has a "significant delay in development" if they are (1) at or below the 7th percentile in at least one area of development, or (2) 1.5 standard deviations or more below the mean in at least one area of development. In order to find out if the child's development is delayed, KOTM will provide a FREE developmental evaluation for children who are under 3 and reside in our service area. If the evaluation indicates that the child is at or below the 7th percentile in an area of development, or 1.5 or more standard deviations below the mean in any area of development, the child will be eligible for services. The areas of development that are evaluated are: