| Description |
This training provided an in depth discussion of infants who are automatically eligible, but appear to evaluation teams as functioning at age appropriate levels. This can present a dilemma for Service Coordinators in knowing how to proceed. Should the case be closed? Should the case be opened with direct services? Should the case be opened for monitoring? Three case studies were presented to highlight the issue. Case A involved an infant with Down syndrome who was referred just following his birth. Case B and C were premature childen with qualifying low birthweights. All 3 infants were automatically eligible due to their diagnosis but the evaluation team did not recommend services. In each case, the family also felt the baby was fine and was not interested in services. The strengths and weaknesses of whether to close or open the case were analyzed. Following the case discussion, an overview of Down syndrome and prematurity was presented, including the impact of early intervention on long term development. The training concluded with considerations of our future work with families and providers when automatically eligible infants appear on target at intake.
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