There are ten areas that must be covered on the IFSP. The first is the child's present level of development. That includes test results such as age equivalent scores. There are two other common, very different types of information on your child's development. These are percentile scores and statements of what the child can do.
A percentile score tells you how your child scored compared to the average child his age. A score of 50% means that your child is average. Half the children his age score higher than him and half score lower. A score of 3% means that your child is significantly below average; 97% of the children his age score higher than him. If your child's percentile score is very low it IS cause for concern. If your child has a percentile score of 3% or 5% don't let anyone tell you that he will grow out of it and don't worry. If your child scores low in language development, ask about speech therapy. If he is low in gross motor or fine motor skills, ask about physical therapy or occupational therapy.
The second type of information tells what your child can actually do. For example,
EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE: Ricky can use two- and three-word sentences.
RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE: Ricky can correctly point to the primary colors.
This information is useful in helping you and the people who work with your child to decide on his next goals.
Your child's present level of development, what he can do, what age level that matches and how he compares to other children his age, is one of ten areas that should be on the IFSP. To learn more about the other nine areas, click below.
NEXT: Other information on the IFSP