Early Intervention Program

Early Intervention Programs (EIP) in Nova Scotia deliver family centred services to children with special needs, from birth to when they enter school. The goal of these programs is to create positive outcomes for children with special needs through consultation, information, support and services designed to meet the individual needs of the child and family.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an EIP, a child must be younger than school age and

• have a developmental delay of 6 months or more, in two or more areas of development
• or
• be at risk for developmental delay due to a diagnosis or health history.

Next steps

Referral to an EIP can be made by a member of the child's family or a representative acting on behalf of a child's family, (if the family has given consent to make the referral) such as a family physician, speech/language or early childhood specialist.

Following the referral, the EIP will contact the family by telephone to arrange a home visit to discuss the program and plan what supports and services will be required.

Currently, there are 17 Early Intervention Programs in the province. For more information regarding the location of the EIP's, please contact your local District Office of the Department of Community Services or visit the Early Intervention Association of Nova Scotia website.