Empowering Families During the Early Intervention Planning Process

Parents play important roles as advocates for their child with a disability. Advocacy is the process of striving to improve the quality of life for someone else. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires parents and professionals to work together to design a service delivery plan for children with disabilities. An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed for children from birth through age 2, and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed for children from 3 through 5 years of age. The IFSP differs from an IEP as the IFSP revolves around the family, targets the natural environment, and provides service coordination of multiple agencies to assist the family. Moving from an IFSP to an IEP can be a challenging and stressful time for parents of children with disabilities as the focus moves from the family to the educational setting. IDEA Parts B and C emphasize the importance of family involvement and family-centered practices for both the IFSP and IEP. This article intends to strengthen the understanding of the importance of family-centered practices during the IFSP or IEP planning process, to present strategies that professionals can use to empower families, and to share ideas on how to convey a personalized view of the child to team members. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)