NJ's Service Delivery System for Children Under Age 3 and on the Autism Spectrum

The Division of Family Health Services, which is a division within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the agency responsible for Early Intervention (EI) in New Jersey. The Division of Family Health Services has established several Regional Early Intervention Collaboratives (REICs), which assist with local EI administration.

If during an eligibility evaluation an evaluator has concerns that a child may have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the evaluator must tell the family. However, the evaluation team cannot make a formal diagnosis of the child and will refer the child and family to a pediatrician. If a child in New Jersey already has a diagnosis of ASD when they are referred to EI, the child is deemed automatically eligible for EI services. Nevertheless, the child will still be required to undergo an evaluation to help develop an Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP) for the child and family.

The delivery of EI services in New Jersey is somewhat different than the delivery of services in other states. New Jersey has adopted a "gradual implementation of services" model. This means, in New Jersey, services don’t begin all at once and may start slowly to allow the child and family to adjust and to give the IFSP team time to document the effects of services. During the gradual implementation phase, Service Coordinators and service providers take data, which can then be used to support the need for additional (or sometimes reduced) services and supports. Gradual implementation may take a few weeks or even a few months in some cases.