To be eligible for services, children must be under 3 years of age and have a confirmed disability or established developmental delay, as defined by the State, in one or more of the following areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and/or adaptive.
Early Intervention Services
The Early Intervention Program offers a variety of therapeutic and support services to eligible infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, including:
- family education and counseling, home visits, and parent support groups
- special instruction
- speech pathology and audiology
- occupational therapy
- physical therapy
- psychological services
- service coordination
- nursing services
- nutrition services
- social work services
- vision services
- assistive technology devices and service
How to Apply for Early Intervention
A municipal Early Intervention Official (EIO) designated by the chief elected official of the municipality/county administers the Early Intervention Program locally. Contact your EIO for information about your local program or to refer a child. For information about the statewide program, contact the NYS Department of Health, Bureau of Early Intervention at (518) 473-7016 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Newborn Hearing Screening
The New York State newborn hearing screening law requires all maternity hospitals and birthing centers to administer newborn hearing screening programs. Parents are given information about newborn hearing screening prior to the screening. Then shortly after birth, the baby's hearing is screened and parents are given the result. If a baby does not pass the initial hearing screening, he/she may be re–screened prior to discharge. If the baby cannot be re–screened before discharge, or does not pass re–screening, the parents will be given a prescription for their baby to have an outpatient screening and a list of qualified infant hearing screeners.
Learn More About the Early Intervention Program
- Early Help Makes a Difference! (This brochure lists what you can expect your child to be doing, from birth to age three.)
- The Early Intervention Program – A Parent's Guide (This booklet describes the Early Intervention Program.)
- Municipal/County Contacts for the Early Intervention Program
- Early Intervention Program Mission and Goals
- State Performance Plan for the NYS Early Intervention Program FFY 2005 - 2010 (PDF, 999KB, 102pg.)
- Early Intervention Program Publications
Source: NYS Dept. of Health
http://www.health.state.ny.us