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The Early Intervention
Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
of the IDEA (Part C) is available in all 50 states
and 7 territories. Therefore, any child under the
age of three in the U.S. or its territories who has
a disability or significant delays in development
is entitled to receive early intervention services.
In eight states, the program also includes children
who are at-risk for delays in development. The
federal law is fairly specific about parents'
rights, the types of services to be provided, the
types of person who are qualified to deliver
services, how services are to be provided and how
they are to be coordinated. However, even within
the structure of the law and its regulations, there
is much state discretion in each of those areas. In
each state and territory there is a lead state
agency to administer this program and within that
agency is a person designated as the program's
"Coordinator." It is the coordinator's
responsibility to administer the program within the
state and territory in such a way that it complies
with all federal and local requirements in meeting
the needs of infants and toddlers and their
families.
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