Risk Factors for use in determining eligibility for ongoing Help Me Grow Services for Infants and Toddlers at Risk

Eligibility for ongoing Help Me Grow Services for Infants and Toddlers At Risk means that four or more risk factors are present in the child and/ or family which may interfere with the caregiving, health, or development of the child.

The Risk Factors are:
-Acute family crisis

-Adolescent mother (age 20 or younger)

-Asphyxia

-Blood lead level of 10ug/dL or higher

-Aypical Infant Behavioral Characteristics- e.g. excessive irritability, crying or tremulousness, infant is not responsive to usual comforting measures

-Atypical or Recurring Accidents involving the child

-Chronic otitis media

-Chronically disturbed family interaction, including domestic violence

-Demographic characteristics- e.g. one or more specific demographic indices that are typically found to be highly interrelated: families where either parent has less than a high school education, families where neither parent is employed, or families where there is only a single parent

-Family has inadequate health insurance or no health care insurance

-Family income up to 185 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines

-Family medical / genetic history characteristics

-History of child abuse or neglect, including physical neglect, emotional neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse

-Lack of stable residence, homelessness or dangerous living conditions

-Limited prenatal care- e.g. four or fewer visits prior to 34th week of pregnancy or whose prenatal care was not initiated until the third trimester of pregnancy

-Maternal prenatal substance abuse

-Parent has four or more preschool age children-Parent or primary caregiver with chronic or acute mental illness, developmental disability or mental retardation

-Parent or primary caregiver with a developmental history of loss and/ or abuse

-Parent or primary caregiver with a drug or alcohol dependence

-Parent or primary caregiver with severe chronic illness

-Parent/Child separation

-Physical or social isolation and/or lack of adequate social support

-Serious concern expressed by a parent or provider regarding a child's development, parenting style or parent-child interaction (in relation to e.g. child's physical health status, emotional well being, atypical development).

-Severe perinatal complications-e.g. prematurity, RDS; does NOT include very low birthweight

-Severe prenatal complication-e.g. toxemia, placenta previa, abrupt placenta, more than one infant in a pregnancy

-Small for gestational age

-Very low birthweight (less than 1500 grams)

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Part C eligibility

Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), requires that states provide services to two groups of infants and toddlers birth to age three.

- Infants and toddlers who are experiencing a developmental delay

- Infants and toddlers who have a diagnosed medical condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay, or who are "at risk of having substantial developmental delays" if Part C specialized services and supports are not provided.

A cautionary note: It is impossible to provide an all inclusive list of every diagnosis that may qualify an infant or toddler for Part C services.

Part 1: List of Diagnostic Categories

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