If a family has concerns about their child’s development or has been referred to early intervention, they may have questions about what the program entails and what happens next. Our Getting Started in Early Intervention: The Early Intervention Process page was designed to help answer those questions.
The Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse is happy to share that our Getting Started page has a new look and has been expanded to include information about the entire early intervention process – from referral to transition – in Illinois. Currently, the information is available in English, Spanish, Polish, and French, with additional languages coming soon.
On the main EI Process page, we have outlined the steps of the process and include an image that shows the steps of the process outlined in the family guide. Also included is a short video describing the Early Intervention Program in Illinois, how to make a referral to the program, and other information. In addition, we have included information on:
- making a referral
- the intake process
- evaluations
- eligibility criteria
- developing an IFSP
- program services
- the IFSP review
- transition
Each of these boxes includes a link to more details about that step in the process.
Within each step, we have provided additional important details and resources, including tip sheets, service descriptions, family rights, dispute resolution information, and definitions of commonly used terms in early intervention. A link to the next step is included at the bottom of each page.
In addition to our tip sheets, service definitions, milestones, and a glossary of terms are available in PDF to print and share with families. These are also found in The Illinois Early Intervention Program: A Guide for Families, which was revised in 2024 and is available in nine languages.
Feel free to bookmark this page and refer to it regularly as it answers many questions that families may ask.