Serving Children and Families in Natural Environments
An important purpose of Part C of the IDEA is to enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs
of their infants and toddlers. Providing services in natural environments creates opportunities to support
family members' helping their child learn through their typical routines and activities. The NECTAC
Keys to Natural Environments and Inclusion Web site
has examples of state policy and guidance, a searchable annotated bibliography, information for families and
many other resources to promote effective services in natural environments.
Enhancing Services in Natural Environments, a
web-enhanced conference call series, March - May, 2004, was sponsored by OSEP Community of Practice on Part C Settings. Nine
nationally known researchers / trainers described research-based approaches to providing services in natural environments.
Streaming audio, Powerpoint presentation files and links to other web-based materials on effective practice are available.
Although programs have different procedures, there are key steps in the IFSP process. The link shows a chart of a typical flow of
steps and responsibilities and indicates the activities that must be completed within 45 days, from referral to the IFSP meeting.
For convenience, the chart uses the term "service coordinator" as the person likely to be coordinating the process. More accurately,
it should say "service coordinator or other service provider" since states and programs may have different team members assigned to
such duties. Different roles may have different names as well, such as intake coordinator, family guide, primary service provider, etc.
The chart can be downloaded and adapted to better fit a given state or program.
Nevada
 (PDF: 402kb) and
Maine (PDF: 346kb)
have guidance materials for steps and procedures through the IFSP process, describing the key principles of providing early intervention
services (including teaming, gathering information from families) and how these principles are incorporated in practice.
The language in Part C requiring a "family assessment" does not imply that early intervention personnel should "assess" or evaluate
the family in any respect. Rather, family members are invited to share information, on a voluntary basis, to help service providers
understand their concerns, priorities and resources related to supporting their child's development and learning and any other issues
the family may want help to address.
Writing functional outcomes that reflect both the family's interests and priorities and professional
information from assessments is an important IFSP team activity. Outcomes are identified and written
before the discussion of the services, supports and strategies that will be used to achieve them.
Outcomes should describe the context (family routines or activities which will provide the opportunity
to work on them) and the "end point" (the measurable or observable skills and behaviors that mark
successful completion.)
Many types of information about the child and his/her family are gathered during a high quality assessment. The IFSP team
(including family members) uses the information as the basis for team decisions about priorities, outcomes, who will work
on each outcome, and the strategies, supports and services necessary to achieve outcomes. The link provides resources for
using information to develop the IFSP.
Several states have developed rating forms for evaluating the quality of IFSP's. Forms are used for accountability,
monitoring and self assessment by local programs or providers.
Many states have developed an IFSP format and either require its use statewide or allow local programs and providers the
option of using the state form. Help us keep the collection of forms up to date by e-mailing
Joicey Hurth if your form has been revised, or if you know of an online form
that could be added.
Several states have developed web-supported training materials, either for trainers use in face to face training sessions
or as on-line tutorials. A collection of these links is available on the NECTAC web page on service coordination.
Topics include issues related to the IFSP process and services in natural environments.
Links on this site are verified monthly. This page content was last updated on 05/09/2008 CF.
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