Early intervention for children with disabilities

Early intervention is aimed at disabled children or children at risk of disability from birth to school entry at the latest. She offers parents advice and support.

Early intervention is aimed at disabled children or children at risk of disability from birth to school entry at the latest. She offers parents advice and support.

Interdisciplinary early intervention centres and social paediatric centres were agreed in the state framework recommendation for the implementation of the Federal Early Intervention Ordinance (FrühV) in Hesse signed by the responsible rehabilitation providers.

The state framework agreement for early detection and early intervention for children with disabilities and children at risk of disability in Hesse pursuant to § 46 paragraph 4 SGB IX is currently being negotiated between the service providers and the rehabilitation providers.

Integration assistance providers (municipalities) and statutory health insurance funds

Disabled children and children at risk of disability are supported in curative education early intervention centres, interdisciplinary early intervention centres and social paediatric centres.

In which of these institutions the funding is carried out depends on

• the nature, severity or duration of the disease, or
• an imminent illness of the child,
• the services required for the child or the parents/caregivers, and
• according to where these services are offered.

Support in a curative education early intervention centre (FF) or interdisciplinary early intervention centre (IFF):

They are services and facilities close to family and home. The offices help with the early detection, treatment and promotion of children, also in cooperation with physicians, therapists and educators. An imminent or already existing disability should be detected as early as possible and then alleviated by support and treatment measures. The services are provided on an outpatient basis, partly also mobile.

Within the initial consultation in the sense of a low-threshold counselling offer with the parents / caregivers of the child, it must be clarified which service is recommended. Early intervention must be arranged by a panel doctor (specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine or general medicine) or a doctor of the public health service (paediatric and adolescent health service). If, after the initial diagnosis, treatment and support in one of these early intervention centres is indicated, a support and treatment plan is drawn up together with the parents or a caregiver of the child. The result is also communicated to the attending family doctor. The first diagnosis is covered by health insurance. If the further treatment is located in a curative education early intervention center, the social assistance/integration assistance providers or the public youth welfare agencies assume the costs. In the case of an interdisciplinary early intervention centre, the costs are shared. The costs for the curative education part are covered by the social assistance/integration assistance providers or the public youth welfare agencies, the medical-therapeutic treatments are borne by the health insurance funds.

Funding in Social Paediatric Centres (SPC):

In social paediatric centres, children are treated who, because of the nature, severity or duration of their disability or an imminent disability, cannot be treated by suitable doctors or in suitable interdisciplinary early intervention centres. The referral of disabled children or children at risk of disability to SPCs is arranged by registered contract doctors. In the SPCs, diagnostics, treatment and support are carried out in close cooperation with the referring physician, the parents, other treating and supporting institutions as well as the social environment. Compared to early intervention centres, more medical and therapeutic treatments are carried out in social paediatric centres. The centres are under medical supervision. The costs are covered by the health insurance companies. The social and youth welfare offices pay for the educational services. In an SPC, medical-therapeutic services can be provided for children and adolescents up to the age of 18.

There is no fixed deadline for the start of the measures.

Early detection and early intervention can begin at birth or in the event of abnormalities during early childhood development and end at the latest with admission to school.

If you have any questions or need specific help, please contact the responsible rehabilitation provider or a curative education early intervention center, an interdisciplinary early intervention center or a social pediatric center in Hesse. The sooner you seek advice, the better.

4 weeks

The services are free of charge for parents and children.