One issue for families in need of early intervention services has been the determination of their ability to pay for services. The purpose of this study was to obtain information from families receiving early intervention services regarding the ability to pay for services and the impacts that fees for services have on families. Five focus groups were conducted with 38 family participants receiving early intervention services in Virginia. Two themes emerged from the perspectives family participants expressed related to how cost affects the family and their decision making regarding services. We explore implications for early intervention policy at the local, state, and federal level; early intervention practice; and future research related to cost and families' abilities to pay for services.
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