• Please contact Clackamas ESD for referrals for EI/ECSE evaluations. Call the referral phone number at 503-675-4097 for an evaluation or for more information.

Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education

  • Guiding Principles

    • We believe that every child is remarkable and each family has a unique story.
    • Through the evaluation process, we highlight the child’s development and strengths, allowing us to support parents in understanding their child as a learner.
    • We connect families to the Clackamas Education Service District (ESD) for services; and reconnect the family as they transition back to the district for kindergarten.
    • By establishing positive relationships early with families, we begin the journey of supporting their child’s growth in learning. 

    Background Information

    The West Linn-Wilsonville School District partners with the Clackamas Education Service District (ESD) to provide individually designed services to address the needs of young children (birth to age 5) with developmental delays or disabilities.
    Developmental evaluations are provided by West Linn-Wilsonville School District to determine if children qualify for services. Evaluation and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education services are provided at no cost to families. Currently, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District conducts evaluations and the Clackamas Education Service District provides services once a child is found eligible.

    Early Intervention (EI) is designed for children aged birth through 2 years old. Evaluation for EI is provided in all areas of development: Adaptive, Social/Behavior, Cognitive, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Receptive Communication and Expressive Communication.

    Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) is designed for children aged 3-5 years old, who are not yet able to enter Kindergarten. The evaluation team works with parents to determine those developmental areas that require evaluation. Through this evaluation, a child may qualify for Special Education under Developmental Delay (EI/ECSE only) or a categorical disability that is recognized in school-age services. 

    If you suspect that your child (or a child you know) has a disability, please contact the Clackamas ESD (503-675-4097). This information will be forwarded to the WLWV Early Childhood Evaluation Team.

    ECSE to Kindergarten Transition
     
    As students receiving Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) services prepare for Kindergarten, the WLWV Early Childhood Evaluation Center will coordinate with families, the ESD, and the school to plan for a successful transition.

    This transition involves:
    • teachers or instructional coordinators from the primary school observing the students in their community preschool setting.
    • consultation between ECSE providers and primary school staff
    • an IEP meeting including the parent & child (whenever possible), and school staff (including a special education teacher and a kindergarten teacher)
    • a special education re-evaluation (when necessary)
    • an information night for parents of incoming kindergartners served by Special Education
    • other planning meetings as necessary

    For Emerging Bilinguals:

    • Separating language difference from disability is an extremely complex endeavor.
    • The length of time needed to fully acquire a second language varies greatly, but the average time is 5-7 years.
    • Culture and language are incredibly important to consider whenever the question is raised about SPED evaluation.
    • Someone with expertise in language acquisition must be on the evaluation team for students who are emerging bilinguals. The WLWV Early Childhood Evaluation team has a bilingual school psychologist with this expertise.
    • If an interpreter is needed for bilingual evaluations other than Spanish, a language service company is contacted to find the appropriate language interpreter.

    Resources