Frequently Asked Questions

What is Service Coordination?

One of the important roles of ESS is to help you connect with the supports and services that you and your child need and to ensure your family understands their rights in services. This is known as Service Coordination. ESS Service Coordinators are there for you, assisting you in the process and connecting you to resources.

What information should I share with ESS?

As the parent, you are the most important member of your child’s team. You will be present during the entire evaluation and are encouraged to participate and share as much as possible with the other members of the team. The ESS providers will ask you questions about your child’s development and may even ask for your help in working with your child during the evaluation. You may also invite any person you wish to the evaluation either to support you or because they know your child and have valuable information to share with the evaluation team. You know your child best and your ESS team looks forward to you sharing your daily routines, priorities, goals, dreams, concerns and what you feel your child and family will benefit from. The information that you share about your child and family is essential to having successful family outcomes. The more information that you are able to provide to the team, the more ESS will be able to assist you in supporting your child’s development. Examples of sharing topics:
• Your child’s likes/dislikes
• Things that frustrate your child
• Ways you are able to calm your child
• Describe your child’s behavior
• Information about changes to your family
• Things your family enjoys doing together

The Intake Visit

After a referral is made to ESS, the Intake Coordinator at the Area Agency will contact you to get more information about you and your child, explain the process to you, and schedule an intake visit. The Intake Coordinator will set-up a convenient time to meet with your family at your home or another location to gather more information about your child and family and to complete the necessary paperwork to move forward in the process. Typically during the intake visit, a multi-disciplinary evaluation visit is scheduled. Take time and ask any questions that you have.

Next Step - Multi-Disciplinary Evaluation

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Parent Information Center on Special Education - NH’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center A Project of the Parent Information Center 151A Manchester St. \| PO Box 2405 \| Concord, NH 03302-2405 (603) 224-7005 \| (800) 947-7005 \| \| Info@nhspecialed.org
The Parent Information Center on Special Education is funded in part or whole by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H328M100016. The contents of the website, however, and any documents cited herein do not necessarily reflect the views or polices of the U.S Department of Education.
PIC on Special Education staff provides information and support to parents and others so that they may participate effectively as team members in the Special Education process. While the staff are not attorneys and do not give legal advice, we do offer information on educational laws, regulations and best practices. This support is designed to assist parents in making informed decisions for their children.