Assistive technology, like other Part C services, can only be identified through the Individualized Family Service Planning (IFSP) process. Assistive technology devices may be considered a Part C service if there is documentation in the child’s record that other modifications, adaptations and strategies have been tried, but have not been successful in assisting the child in making  progress towards achieving a functional outcome of his/her IFSP.  If progress is being made without the assistive technology device, WV Birth to Three is not responsible for providing the device as a Part C service. Assistive technology may not be considered a Part C service if identified within six months of the child turning three, as there would be little opportunity for the equipment to be used to achieve an outcome while the child is still participating in WV Birth to Three.  The WV Birth to Three team, in this situation, would assist the family in looking at other funding sources for the purchase of assistive technology needed for the next environment.

(Remember – IFSP outcomes should never be written solely to get a piece of equipment.)

WV Birth to Three is responsible for providing services to assist the family to be able to support improvement in their child’s development and progress toward achieving their IFSP outcomes. When the IFSP team, including the family, determines that progress cannot be made towards an identified IFSP outcome without assistive technology, the team is responsible for evaluating an option that is cost effective and fits within the family’s daily routine. It is important that families understand the nature of any device that is recommended, especially as it relates to how the device is used and the size and weight of the device.

The IFSP team, including the Service Coordinator, will decide if there is a member of the current IFSP team who already has the knowledge and skills to complete the assistive technology assessment or if the family needs to select an additional practitioner to assist with assessing the child’s participation needs.  An assessment of possible appropriate assistive technology begins with the evaluation of low tech adaptations and modifications before exploring more complex devices.  

All team members need to participate in the selection process, as there may be implications across the child’s development.  Team members can participate and give input via phone call or email, as long as there is documentation that a conversation has occurred and consensus has been reached in regards to the recommendation.  The Service Coordinator, with the assistance of the team, then completes the Assistive Technology Request and Service Authorization Request forms, along with appropriate supporting documentation, and mails or emails them to the WV Birth to Three State Office. 

 

Equipment purchased by the WV Birth to Three System is the property of the State WVBTT System.

Loaned equipment and/or devices must be returned to the WV Birth to Three System when:

1.) The child no longer needs the equipment;

2.) The child turns three (refer to long term loan agreement for conditions when child may

      maintain use of the equipment after age three); or

3.) The child moves to another state.

The child/family’s transition plan should identify whether the child/family needs to maintain use of the equipment/device after the child exits the WV Birth to Three System at age three.  The Service Coordinator and family are responsible for ensuring that the equipment is returned under the terms of the WV Birth to Three Assistive Technology Loan Agreement. 

WV Birth to Three, as the lead agency for Part C, is responsible for assuring that professionals who provide Part C services are qualified.  Individuals with expertise in assistive technology assessment and implementation should present that information on the Service Directory. This ensures that families are able to select practitioners with the appropriate expertise to evaluate the child’s functional limitations and to determine if the IFSP outcome can be achieved with modifications or adaptations prior to the need for assistive technology. 

There may be situations where WVBTT will look to see if someone with this appropriate expertise participated in the determination of the need for assistive technology, such as: requests for devices that manipulate a child's posture, gait or alignment; requests for alternative communication options; or devices to be used with children with Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI) or hearing loss.

Please see the Technical Assistance Bulletin on Clarification of Requirements for Completing WV Birth to Three Evaluation and Assessment Activities.   

 

The 15-day timeline begins on the date the Service Coordinator confirms the availability of a practitioner.

 

Yes, Federal law allows participation in one of four ways: attendance face-to-face, telephone conference call, written report, or authorized representative.  Each team member is responsible for coordinating their participation with the Service Coordinator and other team members. At least one member of the multi-disciplinary evaluation/assessment team must be available face-to-face or by phone during the eligibility determination meeting in order to answer questions the family may have. A Service Coordinator must be present face-to-face for the eligibility determination meeting to occur.

 

The IFSP team, including the family, may determine the intensity and frequency of needed services if the formal evaluation/assessment report provides sufficient information to enable the IFSP team to arrive at such a decision.  If the IFSP team does not have sufficient information to determine whether a service is needed to achieve the identified outcomes, then the team will reconvene at a later date to further evaluate the need for such a service.

No.  The Service Coordinator is responsible for ensuring the family’s procedural safeguards throughout the family’s participation within the WV Birth to Three System. 

No. The team, including the family, should first consider whether anyone currently involved with the child/family has the expertise/knowledge needed.  This may include WV Birth to Three practitioners on the child/family’s team, or other agencies/individuals currently supporting the child/family. If other resources currently exist in the child/family’s life, the family may want to invite them to be part of the IFSP process in order to help the family and other team members address the concerns.  If no one currently involved with the child/family have the additional expertise that is needed, the Service Coordinator will assist the family to select an appropriate enrolled WV Birth to Three practitioner to complete an assessment to address the family’s concerns.  Once the assessment is complete, the Service Coordinator should reconvene the IFSP team to determine if modifications to outcomes, services or strategies are needed.

Yes. Parents should always be involved in the implementation of the IFSP.  The family evaluates the effectiveness of services.  Even though the child care provider may need assistance to help the child achieve an IFSP outcome, the team should also be working in conjunction with the parents and child to support the family in promoting the child’s development.  

WVBTT services could be provided in a child care setting if the IFSP team determines that the child care provider needs assistance in modifying or adapting the environment and activities to promote the participation of the eligible child. It seems unlikely that most licensed child care providers would need this assistance long term, since they are in the business of knowing and promoting child development for all children in their setting.

Yes, that would be fine as long as there is documentation of the need for the support and the parent’s request. 

 

In this circumstance, even though the grandmother is a very important member of the early intervention team, the Service Coordinator will discuss with the parents what information they would like to be shared with the grandparent and then request written permission. You must use the Consent for WV Birth to Three to Release Information form.

The Reciprocal Consent for the WV Birth to Three Team to Share Information is used to obtain the family’s written permission for the enrolled WV Birth to Three team members to communicate when they are selected as part of the multi-disciplinary evaluation/assessment team, as part of the IFSP development team, or selected to provide ongoing IFSP services.

In this circumstance, the mother requested that the boyfriend act in the role of a parent for this one home visit. If the boyfriend has been actively involved in the child’s care and was able to provide information as to how the child is progressing and how the strategies are working, then you were okay to go ahead and provide service on that day. You should include in your documentation of the visit that the mother requested the visit to occur with the boyfriend. If on the other hand, the boyfriend is not able to talk about how the strategies are working, any new concerns, etc., then you should reschedule the appointment, since you would not be able to carry out the Part C service. In either circumstance, you should call the Service Coordinator to inform them of the situation.  The Service Coordinator needs to check with the mother to see if she wants the boyfriend to be involved in the early intervention strategies, and if so, then the Service Coordinator will have the mother sign a Consent for WV Birth to Three to Release Information form in order to share information with the boyfriend.

Since the purpose of providing services in the child care center is to assist the child care providers in modifying or adapting activities to promote the child’s participation, the child care center should have been involved in decisions to provide services at the center. As such, the parents likely would have identified them as important to invite to the IFSP meeting. The parents would sign the Consent for WV Birth to Three to Release Information form in order to share information with the child care center staff. 

In this circumstance, you need to use the Consent for WV Birth to Three to Release Information form.  Transition procedures require the Service Coordinator to request the family’s written permission to release relevant information from the early intervention record (a copy of pertinent evaluation/assessment reports, a copy the IFSP and the Transition Summary Update form) to assist in the smooth transition of the child to preschool services.  The child’s WV Birth to Three team members may also need to have on-going communication with possible receiving program. If so, check “Other” and write “on-going communication with ________________ in regards to Johnny’s transition into the Pre-K classroom”.  

If the complaint is regarding the implementation of a Part C regulation, please refer to pages 16 and 17 of the printed Procedural Safeguards Booklet or pages 8 and 9 on the electronic version posted on the WVBTT website. 

Sometimes, WV Birth to Three receives written complaints that are not in regards to a violation of a Part C regulation, such as issues with quality of documentation, billing irregularities, practitioner disagreements, etc.  For these types of concerns, the CQI Coordinator investigates and responds as appropriate.

No. The selection of a practitioner for IFSP services occurs only after the IFSP outcomes and strategies have been identified. 

A clinic setting does not meet the criteria for a natural environment. Natural environments as defined by federal regulations, reads “to the maximum extent appropriate to meet the needs of the child, (1) early intervention services must be provided in home and community settings in which children without disabilities and their families participate and (2) settings that are natural or normal for the child’s age peers who have no disability.” 

Service Coordinators are responsible for learning about services and supports that are available statewide, or that may be unique to the community where infants/toddlers and their families live.  This may include preschool special education services through the local school system, Early Head Start and Head Start, child care, private preschool, Parents as Teachers, Mommy and Me groups, YMCA, Family Support Councils, and Advocacy groups such as WV Parent Training and Information.     

The Central Directory in each RAU region should include resources specific to the counties in that region, providing a basic description of the resources and contact information.  Other options include checking out both the DHHR and WV Birth to Three website for links to resources.  The DHHR website includes links to important financial resources such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), HealthCheck, Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN), Children with Disabilities Community Service Program (CDCSP), Medicaid, and Child Care.

Yes. The Service Coordinator serves an integral role to the children and families of WV Birth to Three (WVBTT).  Service coordination is the critical link to ensuring each child and family is helped to understand their procedural safeguards and that services provided in a timely fashion.   Please refer to the Technical Assistance Bulletin - Understanding the Different Roles of the Interim and Ongoing Service Coordinator in the WVBTT System. 

Monthly or weekly visits are not required. Decisions about the intensity of service coordination services, as with any IFSP service, should be made on an individualized basis, depending on the circumstances and needs of the child and family.  The IFSP should record the frequency/intensity in a manner that it is clear when the service will be provided. A frequency of ‘six times per year’ does not indicate when the visits are to occur. The frequency should be recorded as to how many visits will occur in a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.

Each individual team, including the family, will decide what method of communication is most effective for members on that team. The frequency and methods by which team members will communicate should be discussed and determined at the child and family’s initial IFSP and on an ongoing basis.

 

Yes.  All children and families are to have a 90-Day Face-to-Face Transition Planning meeting. The Service Coordinator is responsible for sending written invitations to all IFSP team members, the family, and others that may be involved in supporting the child after age three, if the family chooses to invite them.

Yes. If the Service Coordinator has completed and documented all activities to ensure the invitation of the school system representative, and the invited person does not attend, the meeting may proceed without them. If the school system personnel decide at a later date that they are available, the WV Birth to Three team has the option to schedule an additional meeting prior to the child turning three in order to assist with the successful transition of the child. 

The Service Coordinator is  responsible (with the family’s written consent) for contacting the representatives of the agencies that the family chooses to invite to the meeting, in order to: 1) determine dates and times that persons may be available, 2) coordinate a meeting date, 3) send a written invitation letter, and 4) if appropriate, make a follow up call before the meeting.  The Service Coordinator should provide documentation in the child’s record that these activities occurred. 

Based on input from the Transition Steering Committee, WV Birth to Three will allow options for how/when our folks complete the form.  The RAU has an assigned person responsible for developing transition procedures with each county school system. You could contact the RAU to see how the respective county prefers to complete the document.  

As of January 1, 2008, the Child Outcomes measurement process was implemented statewide.  The COST should be completed 1) at initial eligibility/IFSP meeting; 2) at annual IFSP meeting, if a COST has been previously completed; and 3) at exit, if a COST has been completed previously and the child has an active IFSP for 6 months or more.  If the child is 31 months of age or older at the time of referral, the COST is not required. 

No. If a child is already enrolled in WV Birth to Three, but a COST has never been completed, you do not need to have the family select a trained Developmental Specialist (approved COST Facilitator).

Yes.  If the child has received six months or more of early intervention services, the COST should be done as part of the IFSP review. 

The US Department of Education requires all state Part C early intervention systems to develop and implement a child outcome measurement system which includes reporting on the three child outcomes at entry and at exit from the system. In WV, the Developmental Specialist is the lead facilitator for this process. The Interim and/or Ongoing Service Coordinator will assist the family in selecting a trained Developmental Specialist to facilitate the COST at initial, annual and exit phases. The Interim and/or Ongoing Service Coordinator who is coordinating the eligibility/IFSP meeting will need to make a good faith effort to coordinate and schedule the meeting well in advance, so that all members of the team can attend, including the Developmental Specialist. The Developmental Specialist can participate face-to-face or by phone.

In an exceptional circumstance, when a Developmental Specialist is unable to attend, the team will proceed with the eligibility determination/IFSP. The IFSP team should reconvene as soon as possible to complete the entry COST rating. This would be considered an IFSP review meeting.

As a reminder, the exit COST rating is only completed if the child has had a previous COST measurement, and if the child has had an IFSP in place for at least six months. If the child/family unexpectedly exits the system and the team had not been able to complete the exit COST rating, the Service Coordinator would ask the trained Developmental Specialist (approved COST Facilitator) to gather information from the other team members and complete the COST. If there is not a trained Developmental Specialist (approved COST Facilitator) on the team, then the Service Coordinator would gather information from the other team members and complete the COST. The Service Coordinator is responsible for assuring that the COST is submitted to the RAU for entry in the child’s record.

If a child has already had a COST completed previously and there is not a trained Developmental Specialist on the team for ongoing services, the Service Coordinator will assist the family in selecting a trained Developmental Specialist (approved COST Facilitator) to participate in the annual eligibility re-determination/IFSP meeting and to facilitate the team’s completion of the COST.

If a child has already had a COST completed previously and there is not a trained Developmental Specialist on the team for ongoing services, the Service Coordinator will inform the other IFSP team members that a COST will be completed at the closure meeting, and the Service Coordinator will facilitate the team’s completion of the COST.
This would be considered an IFSP review meeting.

The purpose of the Child Outcome Summary Tool is to provide the team a process to record the child’s functional abilities as compared to their same-age peers at that point in time. There is no requirement for the IFSP team to have a copy of the Child Outcome Summary Tool. The IFSP team does not need to consider the previous rating when completing the Child Outcomes Summary Tool on an annual basis. Each rating is based on the developmental expectations for a child of the same age in the three outcome areas. It would be appropriate to provide the family with a copy so that they will have documentation of the conversations the IFSP team conducted with the family in regards to the determination of the child’s current functional abilities in the three outcome areas. The IFSP team will document their conversation on the teaming note, with any additions as necessary. The rich conversations around the rating should provide the family and other team members with important information for IFSP planning.

Each Service Coordinator is responsible for documenting important dates on the first page of the IFSP (e.g. Referral Date, Intake Date, Initial IFSP Meeting, Transition Plan, etc). Interim Service Coordinators may now add the COST date on the first page where it says “Other”, in order to assist IFSP team members in knowing if this child had an entry Child Outcome Summary Tool rating completed. As annual COST ratings are completed, the Service Coordinator will add that date to the first page of the IFSP.

The evaluation and assessment team for all children will include a trained Developmental Specialist who is an approved COST Facilitator. If the COST Facilitator is also enrolled under another discipline and is serving as that discipline on the E/A team, the person may complete the responsibilities of the COST Facilitator. It is the responsibility of the COST Facilitator to make sure they 1) bring the Child Outcome Summary Tool to the meeting; 2) facilitate the full team’s conversations around the child's current functional abilities and the rating of the child's progress; and 3) ensure the Child Outcome Summary Tool is completed accurately and submitted to the Service Coordinator for entry into the child's early intervention record.

If an approved COST Facilitator is enrolled under more than one discipline, the person can facilitate completion of the COST, even if he/she is participating on a child/family's team under a discipline other than Developmental Specialist, when there is not another approved COST Facilitator on the team.

No, the COST is an information gathering tool to assist the child’s early intervention team, including the family, in identifying the child’s functional abilities across the three child outcome areas and then rating how the child is doing as compared to his/her same age peers. Practitioners may use information gathered via formal/informal assessment tools, developmental checklists, parent interview, observation and review of the early intervention record as part of the discussion around the child’s strengths and needs.

The Early Childhood Outcomes Center is a wonderful resource for information on appropriate developmental assessment tools and current research on development in young children. 

Review the Age-Expected Child Development from Birth to 5 Years document by the Early Childhood Outcomes Center.