SPRINGFIELD — A new law championed by State Senator Ram Villivalam will equip families and legal guardians with information about services their child may need by increasing opportunities to inform parents about the Early Intervention program.

“For many parents, not knowing what care your child might need can feel overwhelming, especially while in the NICU,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Through this law we are ensuring hospital staff provide important information about programs, such as Early Intervention, that can bolster parents’ access to services.”

The Early Intervention program, administered through the Illinois Department of Human Services, helps children with disabilities or developmental delays up to age three to learn and grow. Services offered include evaluations in movement, learning, behavior and more.

The law requires hospitals to provide written information on the Early Intervention program to any parent or legal guardian whose child is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. It also requires a hospital staff member to initiate a referral to the Early Intervention program prior to discharging the child from the hospital.

Currently, IDHS operates a public awareness program focused on early identification of eligible infants and toddlers. The new law expands the scope of the awareness program to include infants who automatically qualify for early intervention services, including those born weighing less than 1,000 grams.

“In Illinois and nationally, infants under one year of age represent the smallest percentage of children in Early Intervention,” said Jonathan Doster, director of legislative affairs for Start Early. “We are excited for the passage of HB3327, which will ensure families and their babies born into a neo-natal intensive care unit have early exposure and access to Early Intervention information and services. We thank Senator Villivalam and Representative Yang Rohr for their leadership on this issue." 

House Bill 3327 was signed into law on Friday.