N.Y. Public Health Law 2554 – Local early intervention coordinating councils
§ 2554. Local early intervention coordinating councils. 1. A local early intervention coordinating council shall be established in each municipality. The council shall consist of members appointed by the early intervention official. At least four members of each council shall be parents of infants or toddlers with disabilities or of children aged three through twelve with disabilities. Each council shall also include at least three public or private providers of early intervention services, at least one child care provider or representative of child care providers, the chief executive officers or their designees of the municipality's departments of social services, health and mental hygiene, a representative from the local developmental disabilities services office and a representative from one or more committees on preschool special education of local school districts in the municipality. A local body which has been previously constituted may serve this purpose if it has the appropriate members. The commissioner, in his or her discretion, may waive one or more of the foregoing membership composition requirements in those municipalities where such requirements cannot reasonably be met.
Terms Used In N.Y. Public Health Law 2554
- Council: means the early intervention coordinating council established under section twenty-five hundred fifty-three of this title. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2541
- Early intervention official: means an appropriate municipal official designated by the chief executive officer of a municipality and an appropriate designee of such official. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2541
- Early intervention services: means developmental services that:
(a) are provided under public supervision;
(b) are selected in collaboration with the parents;
(c) are designed to meet a child's developmental needs in any one or more of the following areas:
(i) physical development, including vision and hearing,
(ii) cognitive development,
(iii) communication development,
(iv) social or emotional development, or
(v) adaptive development;
(d) meet the coordinated standards and procedures;
(e) are provided by qualified personnel;
(f) are provided in conformity with an IFSP;
(g) are, to the maximum extent appropriate, provided in natural environments, including the home and community settings where children without disabilities would participate;
(h) include, as appropriate:
(i) family training, counseling, home visits and parent support groups,
(ii) special instruction,
(iii) speech pathology and audiology,
(iv) occupational therapy,
(v) physical therapy,
(vi) psychological services,
(vii) case management services, hereafter referred to as service coordination services,
(viii) medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes, subject to reasonable prior approval requirements for exceptionally expensive services, as prescribed by the commissioner,
(ix) early identification, screening, and assessment services,
(x) health services necessary to enable the infant or toddler to benefit from the other early intervention services,
(xi) nursing services,
(xii) nutrition services,
(xiii) social work services,
(xiv) vision services,
(xv) assistive technology devices and assistive technology services,
(xvi) transportation and related costs that are necessary to enable a child and the child's family to receive early intervention services, and
(xvii) other appropriate services approved by the commissioner. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2541 - Municipality: means a county outside the city of New York or the city of New York in the case of a county contained within the city of New York. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2541
- Year: shall mean the twelve-month period commencing July first unless otherwise specified. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2541
2. The local early intervention coordinating council shall meet, in open forum, at least four times a year for its first two years of existence.
3. The council shall advise the early intervention official regarding:
(a) the planning for, delivery and assessment of the early intervention services for eligible children and their families, including the transition from early intervention services to services and programs under § 4410 of the education law and other early childhood programs;
(b) the identification of service delivery reforms needed to promote the availability of early intervention services within natural environments;
(c) the coordination of public and private agencies; and
(d) such other matters relating to early intervention policies and procedures within the municipality as are brought to its attention by parents, providers, public agencies or others.
4. The council will report annually to the early intervention official on the adequacy of the early intervention system to ensure the availability of family centered, coordinated services; and interface with other existing planning bodies that serve like populations.