Early Intervention in North Dakota: Part C Services for Infants and Toddlers (Birth to 3)

If your child is under three and you're noticing that something seems different — they're not meeting developmental milestones, their speech isn't developing as expected, they have sensory responses that concern you, or they received a diagnosis at birth or shortly after — North Dakota's early intervention program is where you start. These services are provided through North Dakota's IDEA Part C system, and developmental assessments and evaluations are provided at no cost to families. They are designed specifically for the period when early intervention can make a difference developmentally.

What Early Intervention Is

Early intervention is the Part C component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C covers children from birth through the second birthday — services stop when the child turns three, at which point responsibility shifts to the school system (Part B). The scientific basis for Part C is decades of research showing that the brain's capacity for change is greatest in the earliest years, and that therapeutic intervention during this window produces outcomes that are significantly harder to achieve later.

In North Dakota, Part C services are delivered primarily through the Infant Development Program (IDP), which is administered through a network of regional providers. Services are designed to be delivered in "natural environments" — the settings where children without disabilities would typically spend their time: home, family childcare, community programs. This natural environment requirement reflects both legal mandate and best practice; children develop in context, and embedding therapeutic support into daily routines produces more durable outcomes than clinic-based sessions.

Who Is Eligible

A child from birth through age two is eligible for Part C services in North Dakota if they have:

1. A developmental delay that meets North Dakota's criteria in one or more of the following areas: cognitive development, physical development (including vision and hearing), communication, social-emotional development, or adaptive behavior; or

2. A diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay (such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or a chromosomal condition)

North Dakota's criteria include a 50 percent delay in one developmental area, a 25 percent or greater delay in any two areas, a diagnosis or disability that impairs typical development, or a significant health condition that places the child at high risk for developmental delay. The evaluation team considers parent concerns, clinical observation, and standardized assessment, and you can request a free evaluation.

How to Request an Evaluation

Call your local Infant Development Program provider, your pediatrician, or North Dakota Health and Human Services — any of these can initiate the referral. You can also self-refer directly. The referral triggers the federal timeline: screening (if applicable), the initial evaluation, the initial assessments of the child and family, and the initial IFSP meeting must be completed within 45 calendar days of the referral, subject to limited documented exceptions.

Unlike the school system (where you submit a written request), early intervention referrals can be made by phone or in person. You don't need a physician's note or any documentation to make a referral — your developmental concern as a parent is sufficient.

After the evaluation, if the child is found eligible, a team creates an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) — the Part C equivalent of an IEP. The IFSP is family-centered, meaning it addresses the family's priorities and resources, not just the child's clinical needs. Services may include speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, developmental instruction, service coordination, audiology, nutrition services, social work, and psychological services.

What Services Are Free and What Aren't

Federal Part C allows states to charge families for some services on a sliding fee scale, but certain core services must always be free regardless of income:

• Child Find (evaluation and assessment)
• Service coordination
• Procedural safeguards
• Development of the IFSP
• Transition planning to Part B

In North Dakota, developmental assessments and evaluations through Early Intervention are provided at no cost to families. The cost of any direct therapy or other ongoing service can depend on the specific service and provider. Ask your service coordinator directly what, if anything, you will be charged — and understand that inability to pay cannot result in denial of services.

What Happens at Age Three: The Transition to Part B

The most significant moment in early intervention is the transition that happens on your child's third birthday. Part C services stop. If your child is eligible for Part B (school-based special education), an IEP must be in place and services must be ready to begin on the birthday.

This transition requires planning. Federal law requires:

• A transition conference to be held at least 90 days before the child's third birthday
• Notification to the school district of the child's upcoming age-three transition
• A written transition plan included in the final IFSP

In practice, the transition conference gives the family, Part C providers, and the receiving school district the opportunity to share information, complete evaluations for Part B eligibility, and ensure continuity. The evaluation for Part B eligibility can use data from Part C assessments as well as new evaluation components.

A critical risk at this transition: if the school district delays the Part B evaluation or IEP development, there may be a gap in services around the child's third birthday. Preventing this gap requires proactive coordination — starting at least six months before the birthday. If you haven't heard from the school district about transition before your child turns two and a half, contact them directly.

What to Do If You're Concerned But Unsure

Many parents worry about whether their concerns are "significant enough" to warrant a referral. The standard answer: if you're concerned, refer. Evaluations are free, and the team — not you — is responsible for determining whether your child is eligible. A child who is evaluated and found ineligible loses nothing. A child who needed services and didn't receive them because the parents waited loses developmental time that cannot be recovered.

Your pediatrician should provide developmental surveillance at every well-child visit and standardized developmental screening at 9, 18, and 30 months, with autism screening at 18 and 24 months. If your pediatrician has not raised concerns but you have them, trust your observation and make the referral independently. Parents know their children, and the research is clear that parents' concerns about language, social development, and developmental milestones have strong predictive validity.

The North Dakota IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook covers the Part B side of the transition in detail — what the school district must do, the evaluation timeline, and how to ensure your child's first school-based IEP reflects everything the Part C program documented about their needs. If your child is approaching three, start reading Part B before you need it.

See more North Dakota guides →