Transferring a Child to one of the Hearing Specialty Programs When it has been determined that a parent wants to transfer to one of the programs that specialize in working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, the service coordinator should give them Service Guideline #5 “Young Children who are Hard of Hearing or Deaf”. The service coordinator should encourage the parent to call each of the programs serving their town to ask questions before selecting one.
Transferring a Child to one of the Autism-specific Programs If an eligible child is referred to an autism-specific program by a general Birth to Three program for an autism assessment due to red flags on an autism screening instrument and the child is determined to have an autism spectrum disorder, the family may wish to transfer to the autism-specific program. The autism-specific program can give the family general information about their preferred methodology and the general IFSP process used to determine types and frequencies of services. Specific information about what their IFSP will include for services and supports can only be discussed at the IFSP meeting. Families should be encouraged to also talk to other programs (general or autism-specific) that serve their town and make sure that they know that their current general program is responsible for making any transfers in accordance with this procedure.
This process should also be followed when a child is determined not eligible by a general Birth to Three program (no significant delay), is referred for an autism assessment due to red flags on an autism screening tool, and is subsequently determined to have an autism spectrum disorder. If the child does not have an autism spectrum disorder, then the child is not eligible for Birth to Three and the family may contact CDI in three months for another eligibility evaluation. Until the determination about an autism spectrum disorder is made, the child’s eligibility status is “pending”.