Our Individual Family Service Plan

When Maggie first started in the Early Intervention Program, we had no idea what an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) was. We were mostly focused on Maggie's developmental assessments and her recent diagnosis of Prader-Willi. (Maggie's intake evaluation was before we learned she had Angelman Syndrome.)

Our Service Coordinator and the therapists involved in the evaluation were very helpful in drafting our first IFSP. We didn't know what to expect or what kind of servies to ask for. The IFSP is the official plan for early intervention therapy. If it was not in the IFSP, we did not have access to those services. We also quickly learned to use the IFSP to advocate and ensure that Maggie got the level of services whe was entitled to according to the IFSP.

These are some of the key elements to a good IFSP:

• Request f ull range of services - Get familiar with the types of therapies services available through the State's early intervention program. At first we got PT and Special Instruction. We phased in OT and Speech, but we also later learned that we could get Respite Care and a Social Worker. Even if you don't use every service, it is good to have them all in your plan in case you do need them.
  
• As many contact hours per week or month as possible - Maggie has a total of eight therapy sessions per week. That level may not be right for every kid or family, but we are convinced that the more contact hours the better. Our first PT refused to schedule more than one session per week. We were entitled to two sessions per week according to our IFSP and our Service Coordinator matched us up with a different PT who has been wonderful, and she comes twice a week.