Monitoring Children Who Are At Risk for Delay

States may choose to offer Part C Early Intervention (EI) services to children who are "at risk." In Pennsylvania, children under age 3 who are deemed "at risk" for a developmental delay but who do not have a qualifying diagnosed disability or a developmental delay of 25% or 1.5 standard deviations below the norm must be tracked and periodically tested to determine if they have become eligible for services. Examples of "at risk" children include children who have low birth weights , children who were in hospital neonatal care units, children born to chemically dependent mothers, and children with confirmed lead poisoning. Although siblings of children on the autism spectrum are known to have a significant increased risk for developing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other developmental disabilities, to date this has not triggered the requirement of tracking of these children in most regions of the country.

New Jersey does not provide EI services for children deemed "at risk."

Delaware offers EI services for children with certain established conditions with high probability of developmental delay. However, if a child has one of these conditions but is not currently showing a 25% delay in one area of development, the child must be tested every six months to determine if the child has become eligible for services.