Parents! It's never too late to identify what your child needs

Hi Parent!  And yes, I'm talking to you :)  I must say one of the most frequent calls I receive is from a parent that is "beating" themself for not having their child evaluated sooner.  Well, rest assured, it is ok.  I know the feeling (in some ways).  My precious 15 month old son had an ear infections (unbeknownst to me); my wife fortunately recognized it and we got my son treatment.  However, hindsight, we felt awful that he was pulling at his ears and did not look at it as a sign as to what was going on (obviously we're new parents). But it is easy to get down on ourselves for not acting sooner.  And it is common for parents to call me wishing they would have acted sooner for an evaluation (i.e., to identify their child's academic difficulties).  Well, rest assured, regardless of whether or not your child has (or needs an IEP), schools that receive federal funding are obligated to meet children's needs.  So even without a label or being identified, your child's teacher was/is likely everything they could/can to help your child succeed. If your child is under the age of 3, The Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP) is Arizona’s statewide interagency system of services and supports for families of infants and toddlers, birth to three years of age, with disabilities or delays. AzEIP is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides eligible children and their families access to services to enhance the capacity of families and caregivers to support the child’s development. In Arizona, a Team-Based approach is used to provide early intervention services. AzEIP contracts with private providers, known collectively as Team-Based Early Intervention Services (TBEIS) providers; to provide individualized support to all potentially-eligible and eligible children, and their families, within a given geographic region in Arizona. TBEIS providers work collaboratively with the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and the Arizona Schools for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) to provide services for children eligible for these service providing agencies.