Last Updated:
01/14/09 11:00:55 AM
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Nevada Bureau of Early Intervention
Services |
Mission Statement |
The
mission of Nevada’s Early Intervention Services is to
identify infants and toddlers who are at-risk for, or
who have developmental delays; provide services and
supports to families to meet the individualized
developmental needs of their child; and facilitate the
child’s learning and participation in family and
community life through the partnerships of families,
caregivers and service providers.
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Guiding Principles
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Children Are Special and
Unique |
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All children are
unique, with their individual strengths and
talents. The presence of a disability or special
need is not the defining characteristic of a child.
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Children grow, develop
and learn in the context of relationships with their
families and other caregivers in everyday routines,
activities, and community settings.
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Early Intervention
enhances and supports community partners’ capacity
to serve and include young children with
disabilities and their families as all children have
the right to belong, to be welcomed and to
participate fully in their community.
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Families are central to
decision making:
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Each
family’s priorities, values, hopes and diversity are
honored.
Families are
partners and decision-makers in all aspects of services,
as they are the experts about their child’s and family’s
needs.
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The Early Intervention Role |
Service providers across all disciplines value family
participation and collaboration.
Mutual trust,
respect, honesty and open communication characterize the
family-provider relationship, building on family
strengths.
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Services and Supports |
Services, supports and
resources need to be timely, flexible, individualized and
responsive to the changing needs of children and their
families. |
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What is Early Intervention? |
Family-centered
early intervention during the first three years of a
child's life - sometimes starting even before your
newborn infant with special needs comes home for the
hospital - can make a profound difference in a child's
future.
Early intervention is a system of coordinated services
that promotes the child's growth and development and
supports families during the critical early years. Early
intervention services to eligible children and families
are federally mandated through the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act.
Starting with a partnership between parents and
professionals at this early stage helps the child,
family and community as a whole. Early intervention
services delivered within the context of the family can: |
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Improve both
developmental and educational gains;
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Reduce the future
costs of special education, rehabilitation and
health care needs;
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Reduce feelings of
isolation, stress and frustration that families may
experience; and
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Help children with
disabilities grow up to become productive,
independent individuals.
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The earlier children with
or at risk of disabilities receive assistance and the
sooner their families receive support towards their
children's development, the farther they will go in
life. |
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What Does Early Intervention
Include? |
Early intervention
services are determined through an Individualized Family
Service Plan (IFSP) that is developed for your child and
family. By working closely with the family, early
intervention professionals ensure that both services and
community supports, including family supports, are
brought together to meet each child's and family's
unique needs. Early Intervention services are provided
at no cost to the family and include: |
- Assistive
technology devices/services
- Audiology
(hearing) services
- Family training,
counseling and home visits
- Health services
- Medical services
for diagnostic or evaluation purposes
- Nutrition
counseling
- Occupational
therapy
- Physical therapy
- Psychological
services
- Service
coordination
- Social work
services
- Special
instruction
- Speech and
language services
- Transportation
services
- Vision and
orientation and mobility services
- Others as needed
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Babies Can't Wait! |
Because all
babies are different, they rarely do the same thing at
exactly the same age. As a result, it's not unusual for
families to have questions or concerns about their child's
development. You may wonder;
- Why isn't my son sitting up?
- Why isn't my daughter crawling?
- Why doesn't my son talk like other children his age?
It's important to keep in mind that all children develop
differently and at their own pace. If you have concerns
about your child's development, call your health provider or
local early intervention program. Or you can call
Project ASSIST toll
free for contact information. |
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Contact Information |
Project ASSIST
1-800-522-0066
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