• Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

    What is Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education?

    Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education services (EI/ECSE) are provided free to families with eligible infants, toddlers and preschoolers who have special needs in the areas of speech, language, motor, learning, hearing, vision, self-help and/or socialization.

    Who Should Be Referred?

    Children birth through five years of age showing delays in:

    Developmental Delays
    Vision
    Hearing
    Speech and Language
    Motor-Orthopedic Impairment
    Specialization Behavior
    Learning-Cognitive
    Self-Help
    Severely Emotionally Disturbed
    Other Health Impaired
    Autism
    Traumatic Brain Injury

    Who Is Eligible For Services?
    The eligibility criteria for Early Intervention (0 through 2 years) and Early Childhood Special Education (3 through 5 years) are established by the state. In general, children qualify for these programs when an evaluation shows that their skills are delayed to a certain degree in one or more of the following development areas:

    Cognitive: How a child learns new things, remembers, plays with toys, solves problems

    Adaptive: How a child eats, dresses, generally takes care of him/herself

    Social/Emotional: How a child interacts and plays with family members and with other children/adults

    Physical: How a child uses his/her body, arms, hands, legs, feet to move around, play, and manipulate objects

    Communication: How a child understands, how a child expresses himself with sounds, words and gestures

    What Services Are Available?
    Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education services include a combination of the following as needed by the infants, toddlers, or preschoolers:

    Referral
    Evaluation
    Identification
    Case Coordination
    Preschool
    Family Consultation
    Physical Therapy
    Occupational Therapy
    Speech & Language Therapy
    Audiological Management
    Equipment Loaning Bank
    Sign Language Instruction
    Orientation and Mobility Training
    Materials and Adaptation
    Consultant
    Infant Toddler Group

    How To Refer?
    The Hood River County School District EI/ECSE Program maintains a "single point of entry" procedure for referral into the program. Families, friends, physicians, any community agency can make a referral by calling 541-386-4919. Evaluations are typically conducted in the child's home or the program office but can be arranged at another location if more convenient for the family.

    There is NO cost to families for the eligibility evaluation or for the services provided to children who are eligible for either program.

    The EI/ECSE Programs are administered through Hood River County School District. The EI/ECSE program employs teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school psychologists and instructional assistants to provide a full range of services to eligible children. EI/ECSE staff work closely with the following agencies in providing these services:

    • Families First Network
    • Hood River County Health Department
    • Regional Programs
    • Head Start/Early Head Start/Migrant Head Start
    • Local Preschool Programs
    • New Parent Services
    • Local Physicians - Health Care Providers

    The Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education administrators can be contacted at:

    Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
    1011 Eugene St
    Hood River, OR 97031

    Physical address of Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education is:

    2405 Eastside Road
    Hood River, OR 97031
    Phone: 541-386-4919
    Fax: 541-387-5041


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