IDEA Part C referrals, determination of eligibility, and services recommended for infants and toddlers affected by illegal substances: A policy implementation study

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C requires early intervention programs to develop procedures for ensuring the referral of infants and toddlers who are affected by illegal substance abuse to Part C services. There are no approved regulations for implementing Part C under IDEA 2004. This study utilized the Part C Online Database for a Mid-Atlantic state to describe the data from a large urban jurisdiction during the period of 2003-2009 that pertains to infants and toddlers affected by illegal substance abuse. The following research questions guided the investigation: What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for referrals to the local ITP for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse? What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for determination of eligibility for Part C services for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse? What were the reasons, counts, and trends over time for services recommended for infants and toddlers who were documented to be exposed to and/or affected by illegal substance abuse?

Analyses included examination of frequencies, percentages, chi squares with phi adjustment for associations, and trends. Results indicate that though the total number of referred infants and toddlers steadily increased from 1,426 in 03-04 to 1,833 in 08-09, referrals for infants and toddlers referred to Part C for reasons related to substance abuse peaked in 04-05 (13.95%), then steadily declined to a low of 2.73% of total referrals in 08-09. Reasons for referral related to substance abuse were significantly associated with referrals due to delayed and atypical development in communication and motor skills. Over 60% of infants and toddlers who were referred for reasons related to substance abuse had services listed on their IFSPs, as did over 96% of infants and toddlers who were determined eligible due to the high probability condition effects of intrauterine drug exposure. For infants and toddlers who were referred for reasons related to substance abuse, significantly associated services included special instruction, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, and family counseling/training.