About Brighton's Early Childhood Intervention Program

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is a statewide program that serves families with children from birth to 36 months with developmental delays or disabilities. ECI services are provided in places that are familiar to your child and family.  Though most ECI services happen at home, they can also take place in other locations. These can include places that your family and child are used to, like a childcare center, library, park, etc.

ECI supports families like yours and service can include:

• Case Management and Specialized Skills Training
• Deaf education and vision services
• Physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Nursing and nutrition services
• Social work and counseling services

• If you suspect problems with your child’s abilities and growth, don’t delay calling Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services. This is not a time to wait and see. As a parent, you can make a referral yourself – call ECI and see what they can do to help. When you call, staff will explain ECI services, talk with you about your concerns, and answer any questions that are important to you. Together you can decide if you want to continue with ECI and get your child evaluated.
• If you decide to have an ECI evaluation, you will be assigned a service coordinator who will support you during the ECI evaluation and planning process – tell you your rights, make sure you know you can invite other people to the evaluation visit, explain what’s going on, and more.
• The service coordinator can also help you right away if you have a problem or concern and need help for your child now.
• The service coordinator will schedule the evaluation visit with the team that helps figure out if your child is eligible to get ECI services. This visit usually happens in your home, but you can ask for it to be anywhere you and your child are most comfortable.
• Once approved for ECI, you and your child’s ECI service coordinator and therapist will create an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). It will include services based on the strengths and needs of your child and family. You are a key part of this plan.
• The ECI staff will teach you how to work with your child to support their development during daily activities such as bath, play, and meal times.

Brighton Center’s Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program provides evaluations, at no cost to families, to determine eligibility and the need for services. We will conduct your evaluation either in person or via telehealth and will need your active participation as a licensed therapist and a certified developmental specialist works with you to find out the nature and extent of his or her abilities, delays or difficulties.  During the evaluation appointment, we will look at the overall development of your child, not just a specific area of concern.

What to expect during your evaluation appointment:

• Your evaluation appointment can typically take between 1.5-2 hours
• During the evaluation, ECI staff will ask you about concerns you have for your child.
• Therapists will be asking you to use different toys or things around your house during the evaluation to test all areas of development as well as asking you many questions about your child and their routines.

The ECI team cannot complete the evaluation and assessment without you. You know your child best! You may be asked to answer questions and provide information about:

• Your child’s development
• Your concerns about your child’s development
• Your child’s health status
• Any problems or issues related to the pregnancy and birth of your child
• Any family history of vision or hearing problems
• Any priorities you have for your child
• Any resources you might already have for assisting your child and family

If Your Child Qualifies for Services:

If your child qualifies for therapies and intervention services based on the results of the evaluation and assessment, Brighton will develop a plan for services, also known as the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Brighton’s therapist and developmental specialist will work together to create an IFSP that provides appropriate services based on the unique strengths and needs of the child and family.  The Brighton team will then work with you to schedule ongoing therapy and intervention services.

Also during this time, the Brighton team will ask you if you need any additional resources like:

• Medical insurance
• Medical/dental providers
• Finding a Primary Care Physician
• Medical equipment or supplies
• Medicaid waiver programs
• Prescriptions
• Other resources like: diapers, food, etc.

To be eligible for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Services, your child must be under the age of 36 months and meet one of the following three criteria:

Medically Diagnosed Condition: If your child has a medically diagnosed condition that is likely to cause a developmental delay and has a need for services, he or she will qualify for ECI services. Click here to see a link of ECI Qualifying Diagnosis’s 

Auditory or Visual Impairment: A child who has an auditory or visual impairment as defined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) qualifies for Early Childhood Intervention. This is determined by a team that includes certified staff from your local independent school district.

Developmental Delay: A child who has a developmental delay of at least 25 percent in one or more areas of development – social emotional, self-help, communication, motor functions or cognitive skills – qualifies for ECI services. If the only delay is expressive language development, there must be a 33 percent delay to qualify.

Evaluation

Your child will be evaluated to find out the nature and extent of his or her abilities, delays or difficulties. The therapy team will use a tool called the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2nd edition; (BDI-2) to gather information in each of the developmental areas. If your child qualifies for services, your Brighton Team will then identify your family’s daily routines and your child’s strengths and needs and then create a plan for services.  This plan is known as the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

A team of licensed or credentialed providers evaluates your child and then provides the plan of treatment and follow through on services.  This team may include:

• Early Intervention Specialists (EIS)
• Speech and language pathologists
• Physical and occupational therapists
• Psychologists
• Dietitians

Early Childhood Intervention asks families who can afford to do so to share in the cost of services.  This is called the Family Cost Share.  The amount a family pays for services is determined using a sliding-fee scale and is based on family size and income.  However, no child or family will be turned away because of their inability to pay.

Your family can get the following services at no cost to you:

• Evaluation of your child and full developmental assessment
• Case Management Services to get you connected to other resources your family might need
• The creation of an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), a plan that identifies services that might benefit your child’s development
• Translation and interpreter services, including sign language

These initial services help identify your child’s strengths and needs, as well as locate resources to meet those needs.  You may be asked for permission to bill your your or your child’s insurance for these services.

The fee for other services depends on your family’s situation – See below for more information or Click here to learn more about paying for ECI Services.