Charting the Course- Integrating the IFSP with Early Childhood Outcomes

in West Virginia

Vision• All children leave WV

Birth to Three with a way to communicate, move and interact within their environment and have positive and supportive relationships

• COST process assists in informing the development of the IFSP, and on going assessment of intervention strategies

The WV Birth to Three System

• Interim Service Coordinator assists family from referral to IFSP

• Family selects evaluation/assessment team based on CPRs

• On going services are determined via IFSP team process

Referral/Initial Contact• Provides the first

opportunity to assist families in understanding that WV Birth to Three is a comprehensive system of services and supports designed to enhance the family’s ability to support their child’s development within the daily activities and routines of the child and family

Intake

• Family Interview to gather family demographics, health history, priorities, concerns and resources

• Family is provided a brochure on child outcomes and information on the importance of this initiative

How the Intake Conversation Can Inform the COST Decisions

• Family Demographics

• Health History

• Who do we need to gather information from? With whom does the child spend time each day?

• Are there medical conditions or concerns that are or will impact development?

How the Intake Conversation Can Inform the COST Decisions

• Priorities, concerns and resources

• Daily activities and routines

• How will the family’s values, challenges, ability and willingness to access support impact the child’s development?

• Where does the child spend time, with whom, what are they doing and what are the challenges?

Evaluation/Assessment

• Family is assisted in selecting team members who are most closely related to their concerns and a Developmental Specialist who is trained in the COST

Assessment Tool Box

Evaluation/assessment team members are required to select assessment tools that will most appropriately assist them in providing information for the determination of eligibility and identifying the child’s functional abilities and challenges within the daily activities and routines

How the Eligibility Determination Conversation Can Inform the COST Decisions

• Is there an Established Condition

• Is the child experiencing developmental delay? Present levels of development in all five areas

• Is the child or family experiencing risk factors?

• What does the research say about how this diagnosis can impact the child’s development?

• To what extent is the child experiencing delay? How is the delay (s) impacting the child’s ability to participate?

• How are these risks factors impacting the child and family?

Completing the COST• COST is completed following determination of

eligibility and prior to writing IFSP outcomes• Developmental Specialist facilitates the

conversation based on all the information that has just been shared through the review of pages 1 – 7 of the IFSP

• WV does not use numbers but uses language from COST (foundational, emerging, some what)

• Use naturally occurring opportunities for exit ratings

COST into IFSP Outcomes/Intervention

• Provides a better understanding of the child’s functional skills and abilities across settings

• Provides a better understanding of the child’s functional limitations and need for assistive technology

• Limits teams from suggesting the next test item as outcomes/interventions

• Helps the family know what is expected at that age and where the child is at now

• Focuses the conversation on functional skills not isolated skills

Next Steps in WV

• Review COST form for possible revisions• Revising training to full day with more practice

activities• Continue training to the field on

typical/atypical development, assessment of infants and toddlers and appropriate intervention strategies/assistive technology

• Continue technical assistance activities

Thank you!