Early Intervention Services for Amaya- Applying IDEA Legislation

Early Intervention Services for Amaya- Applying IDEA Legislation

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act refers to a law that facilitates free and suitable public education to children with disabilities in the nation and makes certain that these eligible children have access to special education and any services needed (US Department of Education, n.d.). The IDEA is concerned with the governance of the public and state agencies to offer early intervention special education and related services to over 7.5 million eligible youth, infants, children, and infants with disabilities. Toddlers and infants with disabilities at age two or below, together with their families, receive early intervention services provided under part C of the IDEA. Given that Amaya is 23 months old, she can receive such services together with her family.

Purpose of the IDEA

The purpose of the IDEA is to make sure that every child with disabilities gains access to free and suitable public education that focuses on special education and related services that are designed to meet their unique needs and equip them with relevant skills and knowledge for independent living, employment as well as further education. Before the IDEA, the American Psychological Association (2021) revealed that more than 4 million children having any form of disability were denied required access to public education, others were put in segregated classrooms, entry into public schools was denied for some, and those who were allowed in regular classrooms lacked sufficient support for their special needs. The IDEA strives to correct such things by ensuring that parents and educators have access to the relevant tools to enhance educational outcomes for children with disabilities by supporting activities like media and technology development services, personnel preparation, coordinated research, and coordinated technical support.

The IDEA also makes certain that the rights of children having disabilities together with their parents are safeguarded. It also assesses and ensures the effectiveness of efforts made to educate children with disabilities. The IDEA aims to assist educational service agencies, federal agencies, localities, and states in providing the needed education for every child with a disability. Lastly, the IDEA aids states in implementing a state-wide, multidisciplinary, comprehensive, inter-agency, and coordinated system of early intervention services for toddlers and infants with disabilities together with their families (US Department of Education, n.d.).

Part C of the IDEA

In part C, the IDEA identifies the need to find and reach very young children with any disability. Various services and funding should be provided to children at or below the age of 2. Under Part C, every family is entitled to timely, relevant, and multidisciplinary identification and intervention services needed for the young child. All families with toddlers and infants need to have access to these services. Families also need to receive an Individualized Family Service Plan that outlines the family’s priorities, concerns, and resources. Additionally, the IFSP describes the child’s goals, the required services, and steps to facilitate the transition into formal education. Under part C, families have a right to take part in the IFSP creation and should give consent before any intervention services are initiated. Finally, parents have a right to timely resolution of every complaint or conflict about the services offered to the child.

Rationale for Reauthorization

The IDEA was initially endorsed in 1975 but has been subjected to various reauthorizations to extend various services to kids with disabilities. The most recent one was done in 2004 and recorded certain urgent and substantial needs. From Chapman (2015), it can be deduced that the first rationale for the urgent and substantial need for the reauthorization of part C under the IDEA was to emphasize children’s brain development during their initial years of life. Congress now recognizes the crucial brain development that takes place during the first three years of life as a reason for the IDEA Part C (Dragoo, 2014).

The second rationale was to place emphasis on effective early intervention services in order to lessen future educational costs (Chapman, 2015). These early intervention services should be based on peer-reviewed research. The third rationale was to offer support to families to make it possible for them to better prepare to meet their children’s needs. Such support included offering the needed services to facilitate their children’s transition into schools and other activities.

Natural Environments under Part C of the IDEA

Natural environments under Part C of the IDEA are the settings that are typical for a toddler or infant of the same age and without a disability. These settings may include the community or home settings. Early intervention services should be offered to the maximum extent fitting in natural settings (The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2021). In the event that services cannot be offered in a satisfactory manner within a natural environment, then other settings can be used. By providing services in natural environments, parents and guardians are given an opportunity to be actively involved in the services provided, and they are also able to learn the required strategies to support their children at home.

Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) under Part C of the IDEA

The Individualized Family Service Plan is considered the heart of early intervention. The IFSP is a written plan that is developed by a team of individuals who record the outcome of the family and the child. The plan includes the early intervention services that will help attain those outcomes and describes how, where, and when these services will be delivered. The IFSP needs to be a result of cooperative planning between the parent and the professional team who intend to learn more about the child with a disability. The team needs to talk about factors such as the needs and strengths of the child, the concerns, and the present developmental level that the child is in. Generally, the written document contains a statement of the current developmental level of the child, with consent, information about the family and its current concerns and resources, clearly defined outcomes for the child, and a discussion of when, how, and where the services will be offered a service coordinator and a plan that will help in the transition of the child to preschool or any other services (Chapman, 2015). The parent’s priorities, concerns, and ideas will be sorted, and their values, beliefs, and priorities will be honored.

Amaya Jones’ History

Amaya Jones is currently 23 months old and is the oldest of two children. She was carried to term without any complications. Her mother claims that they strive to keep a regular routine to prevent tantrums from Amaya since she is distraught by changes in the routine. The family’s concerns are that Amaya fails to make use of expressive or receptive language to communicate her needs and wants. She fails to engage in eye contact with people, and any alterations to her routine make her very upset, and it takes time for her to return to normalcy. She also bites her arms, which leaves marks, and when frustrated, she throws herself to the ground. Lastly, in the presence of toys, she fails to use the items in play chains and instead repeatedly taps or spins such objects.

Amaya qualifies for Early Intervention Services under Part C of the IDEA because, first and foremost, she is below the age of 2 (23 months) and has developmental delays. Amaya has problems with her communication and language development and needs help with her emotional and social faculties. She fails to communicate her needs and is unable to communicate her emotions, such as frustration, in an appropriate manner. Furthermore, she experiences trouble adjusting to any new routine, and this calls for help too. By obtaining the early intervention services under Part C of the IDEA, Amaya will be able to receive the relevant help to help in her normal functioning, and her family will also obtain the necessary help to enhance her development.

Relevant Service Settings

To adhere to the natural environment setting advocated for in Part C, it would be important for Amaya to receive her services at home and in a community group. Given Amaya’s objection to a change in her routine, it would also be nice to ensure that she is engaged in a setting that she would be comfortable in. The family claims to receive support from the extended family nearby, and given Amaya’s comfort at home, it would be important to offer these services at home. The family also receives support from a nearby community group, and therefore, familiarity with these environments will also enhance the efficacy of the services.

Family Directed Assessment

Family Resources

Family and community support.

Safe and stable home for Amaya.

Parents should be actively involved in Amaya’s care.

Family Concerns

Communication and language delays.

Delay of play and social interaction.

Restriction on regular routines.

Family Priorities

Increase Amaya’s language and communication skills.

Develop relevant strategies to aid in better reception or reaction to changes in a regular routine.

Improve play and social interaction with others.

Ethical Issues’ Consideration

My responsibilities as the service coordinator will be to advocate for relevant services and coordinate and help in planning for the transition of Amaya to Part B. Issues of informed consent will be of high value, particularly while obtaining information about the family and providing different services to Amaya. It will also be important to ensure the confidentiality of information. Ensuring positive relations with both Amaya and the parents will be important, and this would mean engaging the family in various decisions about the required services and ensuring Amaya’s dignity and rights are upheld.

Conclusion

IDEA strives to ensure that every child with a disability has access to relevant and free public education in order for them to meet their unique needs and be better prepared for independent living, employment, and education. Part C of IDEA ensures that infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth to 2 years receive the relevant services to aid in their development and transition into preschool. Amaya, a 23-month-old baby with developmental problems in emotional, social, communication, and language aspects, can benefit greatly from early intervention services offered under Part C of IDEA.

References

American Psychological Association. (2021). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). https://www.apa.org/advocacy/education/idea

Chapman, R. (2015). The everyday guide to special education law: A handbook for parents, teachers, and other professionals. Denver, CO: Mighty Rights Press.

Dragoo, K.E. (2014). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C: Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R43631.html

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2021). IDEA Part C Issue Brief: Natural Environments. https://www.asha.org/advocacy/federal/idea/idea-part-c-issue-brief-natural-environments/

US Department of Education. n.d. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/

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Throughout the first two weeks of class, you have built a solid foundation of the different special education laws and legislation that will influence your work with young children. In this assignment, you will apply this knowledge to a case study about Amaya. Amaya is a 23-month-old girl who has recently been referred to the early intervention program by her pediatrician. Amaya’s case will be revisited throughout the course so that you can track how her services will change as she ages. This week, you will use the information you learn from Amaya’s case study and your required readings to write a three- to four-page paper describing her services under the IDEA. You will assume the role of Amaya’s early intervention service coordinator.

To prepare for this assignment,

Please refer to the Week Two Guidance for further tips and examples that will support your success on this assignment.
Read Chapter 9: Back to the Beginning: Part C Early Intervention Services (pages 135-143) of the Chapman textbook.
Read A Case for Amaya (Links to an external site.).
Review the ECD 330 Week 2 Assignment Template download and ECD 330 Week 2 Assignment Sample Download.
As part of this assignment, you will be required to submit to your instructor AND to the Writing Center.
First, submit your assignment to the Writing Center. To complete this step, go to the Writing Center & Library tab. There is a link to the Writing Center’s Paper Review service.
The Writing Center will include a tracking number beginning with “ntp” at the top of your reviewed paper. Add this tracking number to the top of your assignment.
The Writing Center will provide feedback within 24 hours of submission. To be sure you have the required tracking number for your assignment, submit your paper to the Writing Center by the end of Day 6.
In your paper,

Summarize the purpose of the Individuals with Disability Act (IDEA). Refer back to your Week 1 Discussion: Special Education Timeline and your Week 2 Discussion: Understanding the Lingo for support when crafting your answer.
Explain Part C of the IDEA and describe at least three rationales for the “urgent and substantial need” of the reauthorization of Part C under the IDEA 2004. Refer back to your Week One Discussion: Special Education Timeline and your Week 2 Discussion: Understanding the Lingo for support when crafting your answer.
Describe Natural Environments under Part C of the IDEA.
Summarize Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) under Part C of the IDEA.
Describe Amaya Jones’ history and why she qualifies for Early Intervention Services under Part C of the IDEA.
Discuss, based on the case study, at least two settings where Amaya’s services will be conducted. Provide a rationale for each choice that aligns with the history and family report provided within the Case Study.
Create, based on the case study, a bulleted list of three to five possible ideas for each category within the family-directed assessment component of the IFSP. These categories are as follows:
The resources of the family
The concerns of the family (not to be confused with the concerns identified during Amaya’s evaluation)
The priorities of the family
Describe any ethical issues to be considered and how you, as Amaya’s service coordinator, will advocate for Amaya and her family.