All screening and evaluation for services is conducted by local school districts. If you are concerned about your child’s development, contact your local school district’s Early Childhood Special Education program to find out if he or she is eligible for early intervention services. Screening and evaluation are provided at no cost to you.
Early Childhood Special Education number for each Dakota County School District
- Help Me Grow Minnesota: 1-866-693-4769
- District 191 Burnsville/Eagan/Savage: 952-895-6652
- District 192 Farmington: 651-463-5067 (0-3); 651-463-5066 (3-5)
- District 200 Hastings: 651-480-7446
- District 199 Inver Grove Heights: (age 0-3) 651-306-3606; (age 3-5) 651-306-7313
- District 194 Lakeville: (age 0-3) 952-469-7740; (age 3-5) 952-469-7192
- District 195 Randolph: 507-645-7409 ext. 212
- District 196 Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan: 952-431-8700
- District 06 South St. Paul: (age 0-3) 651-306-3606; (age 3-5) 651-457-9496
- District 197 West St. Paul: 651-403-8369
Make an Online Referral to Help Me Grow Services
http://parentsknow.state.mn.us/parentsknow/Newborn/HelpMeGrow_SpecialNeeds/ReferChild/index.html
Screening
A screening is a quick look at how a child is learning and growing. Screenings are done by early intervention professionals using simple questionnaires or talking with you about your child’s development. If there are concerns a child may have a delay in development or a condition that might result in a delay, an evaluation can be done.
Multidisciplinary evaluation/assessment
The purpose of a multidisciplinary evaluation/assessment is to find out:
- The nature of your child’s strengths, delays, or difficulties, and
- Whether or not your child is eligible for early intervention services.
Multidisciplinary means that the evaluation group is made up of qualified people who have different areas of training and experience. Together, they know about children’s speech and language skills, physical abilities, hearing and vision, and other important areas of development. They know how to work with children, even very young ones, to discover if a child has a problem or is developing within normal ranges.
Evaluation refers to the procedures used by these professionals to find out if a child is eligible for early intervention services. These procedures will help the team find out how the child functions in five areas of development: cognitive development, physical development, communication, social-emotional development, and adaptive development.
Helpful Links for Parents
Minnesota Parents Know-Trusted parenting information, resources and activities to help your children grow, develop, and learn birth through high school
http://www.mnparentsknow.info/
Help Me Grow Minnesota (Minnesota Children with Special Health Needs)
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/mcshn/ecip.htm