If you are concerned that your child may have a disability or developmental delay you should discuss your concerns with your G.P., public health nurse or another member of your local primary care team. Depending on the concerns, they may refer your child to an Early Intervention or School Age Team, or may recommend that another service is more appropriate.
Early Intervention Teams provide services to children under 6, not yet attending school, who have (or are at risk of having) a disability or developmental delay. Each Early Intervention Team delivers services to children and their families within a specific geographical area. Details of the areas covered by each team are available here.
School Age Teams provide services to school-age children who have a disability or developmental delay and who require a specialist team approach to intervention. Each School Age Team delivers services to children and their families based on the child’s school address. The list of primary and post primary schools served by each team is available here.
If your child was born after 1st June 2002, he/she may be eligible to apply for an assessment of need under the Disability Act 2005. You can find out more about this process here.
If you make an application for an Assessment of Need under the Act, an Assessment Officer will arrange to have your child’s needs assessed. Depending on the concerns identified, the Assessment Officer may request that some or all assessment is carried out by an Early Intervention or School Age Team.