ARIN Early Intervention Program

David M. Norris, Supervisor of Special Education

The ARIN Early Intervention (EI) Program provides special education services to children with disabilities ages 3 to 5 years old who reside in one of the Intermediate Unit's eleven member school districts. Each child's program typically consists of one or more services that could include specially designed instruction, speech and language therapy, blind and visually impaired support, deaf and hard of hearing support, and occupational and physical therapy services. Services are provided year around by the EI staff, at no cost to parents, in a variety of settings including the child's home, private childcare and preschool centers (sites), Head Start classrooms, and ARIN operated specialized preschool classrooms.

The EI staff consists of six teachers and twelve speech and language therapists who provided specialized instruction and speech/ language services to 644 students in the 2010-2011 school year in over 34 different sites throughout the IU's two counties. Three service coordinators and two part-time school psychologists coordinate referrals, evaluations, and IEPs for students. Three paraprofessionals provide support to students in specialized classroom settings at three sites within the IU: Homer-Center Head Start, Kittanning Township Elementary School, and the Ford City Early Learning Center (Head Start).

The ARIN EI Program receives guidance, funding, and oversight through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), which is a joint initiative of the Departments of Education and Public Welfare. The EI Program also partners locally with the Children's Advisory Council (CAC), the Community Engagement Committee (CEC), the Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC), and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) to provide comprehensive services to young children with disabilities.