Eligibility for FCESS

A child and family living in New Hampshire may be eligible for FCESS if their child is experiencing developmental delays or atypical behaviors, has a diagnosed or established condition that has a high probability of resulting in a delay, or is at risk for substantial developmental delays if early supports and services are not provided. There are no income guidelines for FCESS. The following are the eligibility categories for FCESS:

Established Condition

  • Established Condition – a physical or mental condition with a high likelihood of resulting in a developmental delay (even when there is no delay at the time of referral to FCESS). Examples include, but are not limited to: autism, lead poisoning, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, severe toxic exposure, spina bifida, blindness, hearing impairments and Down Syndrome.

Developmental Delay

Developmental Delay – a 33% delay in one or more of the following areas:

  • Physical Development – This includes movement, balance, fine and gross motor skills, and sensory development such as seeing and hearing.
  • Cognitive Development- This includes skills pertaining to learning and thinking
  • Communication Development – This includes your child’s skills in understanding the spoken word and ability to express themselves verbally.
  • Social or Emotional Development – This refers to your child’s ability to make and maintain relationships.
  • Adaptive Development – This refers to the skills used for daily living, such as dressing, eating, toileting and washing.

Atypical Behaviors

  • Atypical Behaviors – behaviors documented by the family or others (including the evaluation team) that are outside the parameters of typical child development.  Examples include:
    • Extreme fearfulness or other modes of distress that do not respond to comforting by caregivers;
    • Self–injurious behavior or extremely aggressive behavior;
    • Extreme apathy; and
    • Unusual and persistent patterns of inconsolable crying, chronic sleep disorder, regression in functioning, absence of pleasure, disinterest in adults and peers and inability to communicate emotional needs.

At Risk for Substantial Developmental Delay

Experiencing 5 or more of the following factors. These factors could affect your child or you (the parent) or a combination of your child and/or you:

  • Birth weight less than 4lbs
  • Respiratory distress syndrome
  • Gestational age less than 27 weeks or more than 44 weeks
  • Asphyxia (loss of oxygen at birth)
  • Infection
  • History of abuse and neglect
  • Prenatal drug exposure due to mother’s substance abuse or withdrawal
  • Prenatal alcohol exposure due to mother’s substance abuse or withdrawal
  • Nutritional problems that interfere with growth and development
  • Inter-cranial hemorrhage grade III or grade IV
  • Homelessness

Documented conditions, events, or circumstances affecting the family including:

    • Developmental disability
    • Psychiatric disorder
    • Family history of lack of stable housing
    • Education less than the 10th grade
    • Social isolation
    • Substance addiction
    • Age of either parent is less than 18 years
    • Parent/child interactional disturbances (example: failure to bond by parent or child)
    • Founded child abuse or neglect

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Please know that eligibility determination and development of the IFSP can occur during the same visit.

Next step: Developing the IFSP

Frequently Asked Questions

In the event that your child does not meet the eligibility criteria for FCESS, you will be provided with written notice explaining the findings of the evaluation and recommendations of the team. This will also include the names, addresses and phone numbers of other supports, services and advocacy groups within the community that can help meet the needs of your family. They will also inform you that you have the right to challenge the determination of eligibility results and offer you the steps on how to do this.

FCESS providers are developmental specialist with many different professional backgrounds. FCESS providers often work together providing each other strategies in one domain while providing therapy in another. Their approach is to work with you, the family, to address your child’s developmental needs. FCESS providers are trained to support the whole child. All areas of the child’s development is important. An FCESS provider uses play to build developmental skills.