Allegan Area Educational Service Agency

Early On

Early On is a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated interagency system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers birth to age three with disabilities or delays and their families. Eligible children are infants and toddlers from birth to age three who need early intervention services because they are experiencing developmental delays and/or have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay.

Families often become aware of Early On through state or local child find efforts. Child find, public awareness, and referral are required components of early intervention systems. Any family in Allegan concerned about the development or health of their child can access Early On by contacting the Early On of Allegan County at 1-269-673-2161. Families outside of the Allegan county can locate their local Early On agency by calling the Early On referral line at 1-800-EARLY ON.

Early intervention services include family training, counseling, and home visits; special instruction; speech-language pathology and audiology services, and sign language and cued language services; occupational therapy; physical therapy; psychological services; service coordination services; medical services only for diagnostic or evaluation purposes; early identification, screening, and assessment services; health services necessary to enable the infant or toddler to benefit from the other early intervention services; social work services; vision services; assistive technology devices and assistive technology services; and transportation and related costs that are necessary to enable an infant or toddler and the family to receive another service described in this paragraph.

Early On is a family-centered system, with emphasis on family strengths and abilities, which requires the development of an individualized family service plan (IFSP) specific to each child and family. The IFSP is based on the priorities of the family and the results of the family interview and multidisciplinary evaluation. To the maximum extent appropriate, early intervention will occur in natural environments, including the home and community settings.

How does Early On Work?

When a parent, family member, physician, or childcare provider has a concern about a young child’s development, they are encouraged to contact Early On for additional information by contacting the Allegan Education Service Agency Early On program or by calling the Michigan Department of Education Early On referral line at 1-800-EARLY ON. An Early On Service Coordinator will obtain the appropriate information and set up an in-home evaluation. The evaluation is not a test. A child cannot pass or fail. During the evaluation, the coordinator will talk with the parents or guardian about the child’s development, and assess specific areas of concern, including:

What the family’s priorities and needs are for their child
The way the child moves, sees, or hears (physical development)
The way the child learns to think (cognitive development)
The way the child lets you know what he/she needs or feels (communication development)
The way a child relates to others and shows emotion (social or emotional development)
The way a child helps himself/herself (adaptive development)

What types of services does Early On coordinate or provide?

In-home evaluations and assessments
Coordination of services
Early identification and intervention
Home visits
Special instruction (teaching)
Linking parents with other parents who have been through a similar experience
Speech pathology
Audiology
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Vision services
Assistive technology devices
Assistance with locating play groups
Family counseling
Referrals to community agencies

How much does Early On cost?

There is no charge to families for the in-home evaluation, Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) development, or service coordination. If there are costs for services, the Early On Service coordinator assists families in locating financial resources, if necessary.