Administrative Hearing: a formal process with a neutral person, a hearings officer, who listens to the evidence and arguments of the parents/family and the agencies and decides who is right and who must do what.

Assessment: ongoing procedures used by qualified professionals throughout a child's early intervention experience to identify his or her unique needs; the family's resources, priorities and concerns related to his or her development; and the nature and extent of early intervention services required to meet these needs.

Assistive technology devices: any item, piece of equipment or product system used to increase, maintain or improve your child's ability to do things.

Assistive technology services: a service that directly assists a child with a disability to select, get or use an assistive technology device.

Baby Watch Early Intervention Program (BWEIP): A program within the State of Utah Department of Health that is responsible for the administration of the statewide early intervention service delivery system for children with disabilities under three years of age and their families.

Child Find: includes early identification, screening, referral, and initial service coordination.

Developmental Delay: 1.5 standard deviations at or below the mean, or at or below the 7th percentile in one or more areas of development.

Early Intervention: a collection of services provided by public and private agencies and designed by law to support eligible children and families in enhancing a child's potential for growth and development from birth to age three.

Evaluation: procedures used by qualified professionals to determine a child's initial and continuing eligibility which focus on determining the status of the infant or toddler in all of the developmental areas: cognitive, social/emotional, physical (including vision and hearing), communication, and adaptive.

Family Centered Care: the principle that promotes parents as the decision makers and builds parent/professional partnerships.

Family Statement: a family directed statement of family's concerns, priorities, and resources included on the Individualized Family Service Plan.

IDEA: The federal government legislation entitled the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP): the written plan for providing early intervention and other services to eligible children and families that: 1) is developed jointly by the family and appropriate professionals, 2) is based on a multidisciplinary evaluation and assessment of the child and family, 3) has a family directed statement of resources, priorities and concerns if the family wishes, and 4) includes services necessary to enhance the development of the child and the capacity of the family to meet the child's developmental needs.

Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities: children from birth through age two who are eligible for early intervention services because they have develomental delay in one or more of the following areas: cognitive, physical, communication, social/emotional, or adaptive; or has a diagnosed physical or mental condition that have a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay.

Mediation: an informal process in which a trained impartial person may help parties in conflict resolve their differences and find a solution satisfactory to all sides.

Multidisciplinary: the involvement of two or more disciplines or professions in the provision of integrated and coordinated services including evaluation and assessment activities, and the development of the IFSP.

Natural Environments: settings that are natural or normal for the child's age peers who have no disability. This may include the home, neighborhood, or community settings.

Outcomes: statements of changes as a result of early intervention services. These statements are part of your Individualized Family Service Plan.

Screening: a quick checklist or survey about a child's development to see if further evaluation is needed.

Service Coordination: activities carried out by a service coordinator to assist and enable a child eligible for early intervention services and the child's family to receive the rights, safeguards, and services that are authorized to be provided under Utah's delivery system.

Surrogate Parent: an individual appointed by the local or state agency to act in place of a parent or legal guardian in safeguarding a child's rights in the decision making process.

Transition Plan: the plan developed for a child when leaving early intervention services at age three.