10-Minute Speech Practice That Doesn't Require Sitting Still

Last updated 2026-07-11

What is an early intervention evaluation and what are your rights?

Early intervention (EI) is a federal program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C. Every state has to provide free evaluations and, if a child qualifies, free or low-cost services to kids from birth through age 2 years, 11 months ^[1]. The day your child turns 3, that window closes and the case shifts to the school district under Part B. That timeline matters more than most parents realize.

Your rights here are broad. You have to give written consent before any evaluation happens, and the evaluation must be finished within 45 days of your initial referral in most states (a handful use shorter windows) ^[1]. The evaluation is free no matter your insurance or income. You can see all records, sit in on every meeting, bring a support person, and disagree with the results in writing.

The team has to assess your child in every area of development that's suspected to be delayed, not only the one you called about. You called about speech? They still have to look at motor skills, cognition, adaptive behavior, and social-emotional development if there's any reason to think those are affected ^[1]. Insisting on a full evaluation instead of a quick screen is one of the smartest moves you can make on day one.

If English isn't your primary language, the program has to provide an interpreter and send documents in your preferred language. Ask for it on your first call so nobody forgets.

How do you actually request an early intervention evaluation?

Call your state's EI program yourself, or ask your pediatrician to refer you. Both work. Calling yourself is faster. You can find your state's program through the CDC's Act Early state contact list ^[2]. The moment you call, the 45-day clock usually starts.

Follow up every phone call with an email or letter the same day. Keep it plain: "On [date] I called to request a free evaluation for my child, [first name], born [date]. This email confirms that request in writing." That timestamp protects you if scheduling drags. Save a copy somewhere you'll find it.

Some parents get pushback at this stage. "Let's just wait and see." "He's probably a late talker." You are not required to wait. You have an absolute right to request an evaluation no matter what a nurse, pediatrician, or intake coordinator thinks ^[1]. Try this: "I understand that's your opinion, but I'd like to formally request the evaluation. Can you note that in the file?"

If your pediatrician referred you and you haven't heard back in a week, call the program directly. Referral paperwork gets lost constantly. Being the squeaky wheel here doesn't make you difficult. It makes you effective.

What should you bring to the evaluation appointment?

Preparation changes what the evaluators actually see and write down. Bring everything that shows what your child does at home, because kids perform differently in a clinic. A quiet, fluorescent-lit office with a stranger is not where most toddlers show their real communication, good or bad.

What to bring:

• A written list of your concerns, in plain language, ranked from most to least worrying
• Video of your child communicating (or not) at home. Thirty seconds of your child ignoring their name, or a two-minute clip of a meltdown, beats any verbal description
• A log of words your child says consistently versus words they said once and dropped
• Growth and health records if you have them, including any history of ear infections, which can affect hearing and speech ^[3]
• Any previous speech screenings, M-CHAT results, or notes from daycare or preschool teachers
• A list of languages spoken at home and roughly how much of each your child hears per day

Don't edit the video down to your child's best moments. The evaluators need representative behavior. Show the hard stuff, the frustration, the times communication breaks down. That's the footage that gets a real gap documented instead of missed.

If your child has sensory needs, tell the team before the appointment starts. Ask whether you can bring a comfort object, dim the lights, or let your child sit in your lap for parts of the assessment. Most evaluators will work with you. The point is to see what your child can actually do, and a dysregulated kid can't show you much.

How do early intervention evaluations work and who does them?

A multidisciplinary team runs the evaluation, meaning at least two professionals from different disciplines. Depending on your concerns, that might be a speech-language pathologist (SLP), a developmental pediatrician, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a psychologist, or a special education teacher ^[1].

The SLP usually looks at expressive language (what your child says or communicates), receptive language (what your child understands), speech sound production, and pragmatics (the social use of language). They pair standardized tests with observation and your report. Common tools include the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, the Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale, and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, though the exact battery changes by state and evaluator ^[4][10].

Most evaluations take one to three hours, sometimes split across two visits. Your child will probably play with toys while the evaluator watches, get prompted to follow directions, and be observed interacting with you. Your account of what happens at home carries real weight in IDEA evaluations, not as a courtesy but as a required data source ^[1].

At the end, the team writes an evaluation report and schedules an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meeting. The IFSP describes your child's current development, the goals you and the team agree on, and the services your child will get. You're a full member of the IFSP team, not a bystander. Your signature is required before services begin, and you can negotiate the goals and service hours written into that plan.

What does it mean to qualify, and what if your child doesn't?

Eligibility rules differ by state. IDEA sets the federal floor but lets states define what "delay" means ^[1]. Most states qualify children who score at least 25 to 33 percent below average in one or more developmental areas (some use standard-deviation cutoffs instead). Some states also qualify kids who have a diagnosed condition that usually causes delay, like Down syndrome or hearing loss, regardless of current test scores.

That variability creates real inequity. A child who sails past the cutoff in one state might land just above it next door. If your child doesn't qualify and you think the evaluation missed something, you have options:

1. Ask for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. Under IDEA, if you disagree with the results, you can request that the state pay for an independent evaluation by a qualified professional of your choosing ^[1]. The program can contest your request, but it has to do that through a hearing, not a phone call. 2. Request a re-evaluation. If your child's skills shift or you gather new documentation, you can ask for another evaluation. 3. Ask about "informed clinical opinion." Some states let evaluators qualify a child on professional judgment even when test scores miss the numerical threshold, if the team genuinely believes the child needs services ^[1]. Ask whether your state allows it and, if so, ask the team to document their opinion. 4. Get a private evaluation from an SLP or developmental pediatrician. This costs money (roughly $300 to $1,500 depending on your area and provider) but gives you an independent baseline you can sometimes submit to the EI program as extra evidence.

Not qualifying doesn't mean your child has no delays. It means the evaluation, in that state, on that day, didn't find a gap big enough to trigger services. Trust your gut and keep watching.

How do you speak up effectively during the IFSP meeting?

The IFSP meeting happens after the evaluation, usually within that same 45-day window from your referral ^[1]. This is where you negotiate services. Walk in knowing that the hours on the first draft are often lower than what a child needs, partly because programs run short on staff. What's written there is a starting point, not a fixed offer.

Ask these before you sign:

• "How many hours of therapy per week does this recommend, and how did you land on that number?"
• "What does the research say about dosage for a child with this profile?" (For speech therapy, ASHA's position is that frequency and intensity should be individualized, with more severe delays generally warranting higher frequency ^[5].)
• "What specific goals are we targeting, and how will we know if they're met?"
• "What happens if my child isn't making progress in three months?"
• "Can services be delivered where my child actually spends time?" (IDEA requires services in the child's natural environment whenever possible, which usually means your home or their daycare, not a clinic ^[1].)

You can take the document home and return it signed. You can cross out a goal you don't agree with and write in a different one. You can bring a friend, a family advocate, or a private SLP you've hired to consult. You can ask that a parent counseling and training component be added, because under IDEA that's an available service many programs never mention on their own ^[1].

Sign the IFSP only when you're satisfied with it. Services don't start until you sign, so there's zero benefit to signing something you're unhappy with under time pressure.

What if you think the evaluation missed something or was done poorly?

Evaluations aren't always done well. An evaluator might rush. Your child might have been sick or off that day. The team might have tested only the area you called about and skipped the rest. It happens, and you can push back.

If you think the evaluation was incomplete, put it in writing within a few days: "I believe [specific area] was not fully assessed. I'm requesting that [name of evaluator] document why that area was excluded, or schedule an additional assessment." Programs are required to respond to written complaints.

If you think the evaluation was conducted improperly, start with a written complaint to the program's supervisor. If that goes nowhere, file a formal complaint with your state's lead agency for Part C (usually the state health or education department). The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) sets the complaint resolution procedures every state has to follow ^[6].

You can also request mediation, which is free and voluntary under IDEA. A neutral mediator helps both sides reach an agreement without a formal hearing. Or you can request a due process hearing, a more formal legal proceeding. Most disputes settle before that stage, but the door is yours to walk through.

Bringing a parent advocate or attorney to any meeting is legal. Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs), funded by the federal government, exist in every state, give free advocacy support, and can often send someone to sit with you at the IFSP meeting ^[7]. This is one of the most underused resources parents have.

What speech and language milestones should you actually be tracking?

Knowing the milestones hands you specific language to use in the evaluation, instead of "I'm worried about his speech."

The American Academy of Pediatrics and ASHA use these general benchmarks ^[3][5]:

These are medians, not bright lines. But if your child is well behind in more than one column, say so plainly. "My child is 22 months, has fewer than 10 consistent words, and I have not yet heard a two-word combination" tells an evaluator far more than "he seems a little behind."

Flag any regression too, meaning words or skills your child had and then lost. Regression, especially paired with social communication differences, is a clinical red flag evaluators need to hear about ^[8]. Write it down before the appointment so you don't blank on it under pressure.

For what early intervention can look like once services start, see our guide to early intervention.

What questions should you ask the speech-language pathologist specifically?

If an SLP is on your evaluation team (and for speech and language concerns, one should be), treat the visit as a two-way conversation. You're gathering information too.

Good questions for the SLP:

• "Based on what you saw today and what I've described, what's your clinical impression?"
• "Is there a gap between what my child showed you today and what they do at home? How do you account for that?"
• "Which areas of language worry you most, expressive, receptive, or pragmatic?"
• "Could this pattern fit with [childhood apraxia of speech / autism / a processing issue]? Should we be looking at those?" (If you've seen signs that scare you, name them. The evaluator may agree and add an assessment area.)
• "What should I be doing at home right now, before services start?"
• "If my child qualifies, how often would you recommend therapy, and in what format, individual, group, or home-based?"

An SLP can't diagnose autism in an EI evaluation, and ASHA is explicit that diagnosis requires a qualified professional using recognized diagnostic criteria ^[5]. But they can note that a child's social communication pattern warrants further evaluation and refer you to a developmental pediatrician or psychologist. Ask whether that referral is being made.

For a closer look at what speech therapy involves, including what a good session looks like and what to ask a provider, our guide covers both.

If the evaluation raises questions about patterns like echolalia or motor-based speech difficulty, read up on apraxia of speech before your IFSP meeting so you can ask sharper questions.

What happens after the evaluation if your child qualifies?

Once the IFSP is signed, services should begin within 30 days in most states ^[1]. If they don't, call the program coordinator and ask why in writing.

The IFSP gets reviewed every six months and fully evaluated once a year. You can request a review anytime something needs to change: more hours, different goals, a different provider. You don't have to wait for the scheduled date.

Roughly four to six months before your child's third birthday, the program should start transition planning. If your child might need continued services under Part B (preschool special education), connect with your local school district early. The district runs its own evaluation, separate from EI, and it takes time. Parents who start the district process late sometimes hit a gap in services right around the third birthday. Don't let that happen by accident.

At home, you are your child's main communication partner no matter what services they get. EI therapy is often one to two sessions a week, a sliver of the contact your child has with family. What you do in the other 165-plus hours of the week is where most of the change comes from. Ask your child's SLP to show you specific strategies for meals, bath time, and play. If they're not coaching you, ask for it directly. Parent coaching is part of the IFSP menu of services.

Some families supplement structured therapy with tools built for daily use at home. Little Words is an AI speech companion app for neurodivergent kids that offers guided language practice between sessions. Take the quiz at /start to see whether it fits your child.

What are common mistakes parents make during EI evaluations?

These are the patterns parents name again and again when they look back on evaluations they wish had gone differently.

Waiting too long to request the evaluation. Research on early language intervention keeps pointing the same direction: earlier is better, with outcomes improving when services start sooner rather than later ^[9]. The system will not come knocking. You have to call.

Underselling the problem out of fear of over-labeling. Parents minimize during the evaluation because they don't want a label, or they're hoping it's nothing. The evaluation is the wrong place for optimism bias. Describe what worries you, accurately.

Letting a "good day" stand in for the typical day. If your child barely slept and is unusually calm in the clinic, say so. If they're normally louder, more avoidant, or more dysregulated, tell the evaluator that too.

Not asking for the report before the IFSP meeting. You have the right to receive the evaluation report ahead of time so you can read it, look up terms, and write down questions. Ask for it at least three business days early.

Signing the IFSP without reading it closely. Vague, unmeasurable goals make it impossible to hold anyone accountable. "Child will improve communication" is not a goal. "Child will use at least 3 spontaneous two-word combinations in a 30-minute play session" is.

Not following up when services stall. Referrals vanish, caseloads fill, staff go on leave. The parent who checks in is the one whose child gets scheduled first. That's an unfair reality. It's still reality.

Frequently asked questions

Is early intervention evaluation really free?

Yes. Under IDEA Part C, the evaluation itself is always free to families, no matter your income or insurance. Services after the evaluation can carry sliding-scale fees in some states, but states cannot deny services because a family can't pay, and the evaluation is always at no cost. Confirm it in writing with your state's program when you call.

Can I request an early intervention evaluation without a doctor's referral?

Yes. Parents can self-refer straight to their state's EI program with no physician referral. Call your state's program or ask your pediatrician, but you don't have to wait for a doctor. Either route triggers the same 45-day evaluation window. Your pediatrician's office may actually be slower than calling the program yourself.

What happens if my child is almost 3 and we haven't been evaluated yet?

Request the evaluation right now. If your child turns 3 before services can start, the EI window closes and services shift to the school district under IDEA Part B. Contact both your EI program and your local school district's special education office at the same time. Transition planning should begin no later than 90 days before the third birthday in most states.

Can I bring someone to the evaluation and IFSP meeting with me?

Yes. IDEA lets parents bring anyone they choose: a family friend, a private SLP you've hired for guidance, or a professional parent advocate. Parent Training and Information Centers in every state can send a free advocate to go with you. Having someone there to take notes while you talk to the evaluators is genuinely useful.

What if my child doesn't cooperate during the evaluation?

Tell the evaluator what you're seeing and whether it's typical. If your child shuts down, refuses tasks, or is unusually clingy, that behavior is useful clinical information on its own. A good evaluator will adapt, lean on observation, and weight your report heavily when formal testing isn't possible. You can also ask to reschedule if your child is sick or having an unusually rough day.

What if the evaluator says my child is "within normal limits" but I still think something is wrong?

You can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense if you disagree with the results. You can also get a private evaluation from an SLP or developmental pediatrician, and many families do both. A within-normal-limits result on one test, on one day, is not the final word on your child's development. Document your concerns and keep watching.

How many hours of speech therapy should my child receive through early intervention?

There's no universal number. ASHA's position is that frequency and intensity should match the child's individual needs, severity of delay, and goals. One to two sessions a week (30 to 60 minutes each) is common in EI, but a child with severe delays may need more. Ask the evaluator to justify the recommended sessions and what dosage the research supports for your child's profile.

Can I ask for autism to be evaluated at an early intervention assessment?

Yes. If you have concerns about social communication, eye contact, repetitive behaviors, or regression, say so at the start of the evaluation. The team should assess those areas. A formal autism diagnosis, though, needs a separate evaluation by a licensed psychologist or developmental pediatrician using recognized diagnostic criteria. The EI team can flag concerns and refer you, but they don't diagnose.

What is an IFSP and how is it different from an IEP?

An IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) is the planning document for children birth to age 3 under IDEA Part C. It centers on family outcomes and services in natural environments. An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is for children 3 and older under Part B and is education-focused. When your child turns 3, the IFSP transitions to an IEP through your local school district.

What are my rights if I disagree with my child's IFSP?

You can refuse to sign the IFSP, request changes to goals or service hours, request mediation (free and voluntary), or file a due process complaint. You can also file a written complaint with your state's Part C lead agency. Services can begin on the parts of the IFSP you agree with, even while other parts are disputed, if both sides consent to that arrangement.

Does early intervention therapy happen at home or in a clinic?

IDEA Part C requires services in the child's "natural environment" whenever appropriate, which usually means your home, childcare setting, or community. Clinic-based delivery is allowed when the team documents why the natural environment isn't right for specific goals. If you want home-based services, ask for them at the IFSP meeting and ask the team to document their reasoning if they push back.

What should I do if services haven't started 30 days after I signed the IFSP?

Contact your service coordinator in writing and ask for a written explanation of the delay plus a specific start date. If you don't get a satisfactory response within a week, escalate to the program's supervisor. If services still aren't beginning, file a written complaint with your state's Part C lead agency. Document every contact with the date and time.

How do I find a parent advocate or learn my rights before the evaluation?

Every state has a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) offering free advocacy support, coaching, and sometimes in-person representation at IFSP meetings. Find yours through the Center for Parent Information and Resources (parentcenterhub.org). It's a heavily underused resource. Call them before your evaluation if you have any doubts about the process.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Part C regulations (34 CFR Part 303): IDEA Part C requires free evaluations, 45-day timelines, multidisciplinary teams, natural environments, parent rights including IEE, and IFSP requirements for children birth to age 3
2. CDC Act Early, State Early Intervention Program Contacts: Parents can find their state's early intervention program contact through CDC Act Early resources
3. American Academy of Pediatrics, Developmental Milestones: AAP developmental milestones for language and communication across the first three years of life
4. Rossetti, L. (2006). Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale. LinguiSystems: The Rossetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale is a commonly used assessment tool in early intervention speech-language evaluations
5. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Early Intervention Practice Portal: ASHA guidance on SLP roles in early intervention, individualization of therapy frequency and intensity, and the distinction between screening and diagnosis
6. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), IDEA Complaint Procedures: OSEP oversees state compliance with IDEA and provides formal complaint resolution procedures for families who believe their rights have been violated
7. Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR), Parent Training and Information Centers: Federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers exist in every state and provide free advocacy support for families navigating IDEA evaluations and IFSPs
8. Zwaigenbaum, L. et al. (2015). Early identification of autism spectrum disorder: Recommendations for practice and research. Pediatrics, 136(S1), S10-S40.: Language regression combined with social communication differences is a recognized clinical red flag for autism spectrum disorder warranting prompt evaluation
9. Guralnick, M.J. (2017). Early intervention for children with intellectual disabilities: An update. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(2), 211-229.: Research consistently shows that earlier onset of early intervention services is associated with better developmental outcomes compared to later-starting intervention
10. MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, ASHA Practice Portal reference: MacArthur-Bates CDIs are validated parent-report instruments commonly used in early intervention speech-language assessments