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Overbrook School for the Blind's Early Intervention program provides community-based services to three to five-year-old children living in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas who do not attend Overbrook School for the Blind. Children are serviced by Overbrook School for the Blind's Teachers of Students with Visual Impairment (TVIs) in a variety of specialized settings such as UCPA and Easter Seals as well as typical preschools, daycare, and home settings.
Evaluation
All families involved with the Early Intervention Program have an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that designates goals for the child, outlines strategies to achieve the goals, and tracks ongoing progress. The IFSP, a family-driven, state document, is tailored to each family’s needs. The teacher gives a detailed presentation of the child’s progress at quarterly and annual meetings. These meetings, along with keeping weekly records of progress, ensure that children are constantly evaluated and their needs are being met.
The annual meeting helps determine if the long-term goals have been reached, surpassed, or if the achievement has fallen short. It also evaluates the child’s performance in five domains: cognitive, social, physical, fine motor skills and communication. At the annual meeting, the child’s goals are re-evaluated and his or her functional vision is assessed. The IFSP can then be updated and new goals set for upcoming lessons.
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