Federal law requires states to provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities, including those with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, and their families. The services, guided by an individualized family service plan (IFSP), are developed by parents and service providers working together. This entry looks at the history of this requirement, the process of determining eligibility for an IFSP, and how an IFSP is developed. It then discusses challenges facing early intervention professionals, how IFSP meetings are conducted, concerns about the implementation of the IFSP, criteria for evaluating the effects of early intervention provided through an IFSP, and the importance of the IFSP.

In 1986, amendments to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 established a policy of serving infants and toddlers with ...