Maryland’s Infants & Toddlers Program (MITP) is the state’s free, federally funded early intervention system for children birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities. In Baltimore City, it’s run through the Baltimore City Health Department. In Baltimore County, it’s coordinated through Baltimore County Public Schools. Once a child turns 3, MITP services end and families must navigate the transition to preschool special education — or find private ABA therapy providers like Move Up ABA to continue consistent support. This guide breaks down every step.

 

The Window That Matters More Than Any Other

A child’s brain grows faster between birth and age 3 than at any other point in life. During this window, the brain is forming neural connections at a rate it will never repeat. For children showing signs of autism or developmental delay, this is precisely when early intervention has its greatest impact.

Research is consistent on this point. ABA therapy programs initiated between 18 and 36 months have been shown to produce IQ gains of 9 to 15 points, along with significantly stronger outcomes in language, social communication, and adaptive behavior compared to programs that start later. 

Maryland recognized this science and built an early intervention system around it. That system is called the Maryland Infants & Toddlers Program — and for Baltimore families navigating early intervention ABA, understanding how it works is the essential first step.

 

What Is Maryland’s Infants & Toddlers Program?

The Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program (MITP) is Maryland’s implementation of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It’s a federal grant program administered at the state level by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services.

The MITP operates across all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. Every county has its own local Infants and Toddlers Program (LITP), coordinating services across education, health, and social services agencies.

Key facts about the MITP:

  • Services are provided at no cost to families
  • Serves children birth to age 3 who have a confirmed developmental delay or a condition likely to affect development
  • Services are delivered in natural environments — your home, child care center, library, playground, wherever your child spends time
  • Uses a coaching model, meaning therapists work alongside parents rather than replacing them
  • Operates through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which is developed within 45 calendar days of the referral

The MITP’s overarching goal for children is threefold: developing positive social-emotional skills, acquiring and using knowledge and skills, and using appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.

 

Who Qualifies for Early Intervention in Maryland?

A child may be found eligible for MITP services if they meet at least one of the following criteria and are under age 3 and a Maryland resident:

  • A developmental delay of 25% or more compared to expected development for their age in at least one area: cognitive development, communication, physical development (fine and gross motor skills), social-emotional skills, or adaptive (self-help) skills
  • Atypical development or behavior — this refers to quality of performance, not just whether skills are present. Examples include: reduced initiation of communication for social purposes, repetitive or stereotyped patterns of play with objects, or refusal to take foods of certain textures
  • A diagnosed physical or mental condition that is likely to result in developmental delay

The MITP also notes that a child does not need a formal autism diagnosis to receive early intervention services. If developmental concerns are present and the child meets eligibility criteria, services can begin.

 

How Families in Baltimore Get Referred

This is where Baltimore City and Baltimore County operate differently — each has its own local program, contact point, and geographic structure.

Baltimore City

The Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program (BITP) is run through the Baltimore City Health Department. It serves children ages 0 through 2 with suspected developmental delays.

How to make a referral in Baltimore City:

  • Call: (410) 396-1666
  • Fax: (410) 396-7397
  • Online: Via the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program online referral system at https://referral.mditp.org
  • Address: 3002 Druid Park Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215

For children ages 3 and above in Baltimore City, families should contact Child Find at 443-642-3032. 

Anyone can make a referral — parents, pediatricians, child care providers, family members, or anyone who knows the child.

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Baltimore County

Baltimore County’s Infants and Toddlers Program is coordinated through Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS). The program operates through five geographic team sites across the county, serving nearly 2,400 eligible infants and toddlers and their families.

How to make a referral in Baltimore County:

  • Call the Single Point of Entry: 443-809-2169
  • Online: https://referral.mditp.org

Baltimore County’s five team sites and their contact numbers:

Team Location Phone
Southwest Windsor Mill, MD 443-809-6885
Northwest Reisterstown, MD 443-809-1173
Central Baltimore, MD (Parkville) 443-809-5423
Northeast Baltimore, MD (Rosedale) 443-809-0422
Southeast Baltimore, MD (White Marsh area) 443-809-7265

Referrals in Baltimore County are welcome from parents, health care providers, child care providers, social workers, and other individuals familiar with the child’s development.

 

What Happens After a Referral: Step by Step

Here’s how the process unfolds once a referral is submitted to your local Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program:

Step 1 – Initial contact. The local program contacts your family to learn more and schedule an evaluation.

Step 2 – Evaluation (at no cost). A team conducts a comprehensive developmental evaluation to determine eligibility. The MITP must complete the evaluation and hold an initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days of the referral.

Step 3 – Eligibility determination. If your child meets eligibility criteria, the team moves forward with developing the IFSP.

Step 4 – IFSP development. An Individualized Family Service Plan is created collaboratively with your family. The IFSP is built around your priorities and your child’s specific needs — not a one-size-fits-all plan. Services, outcomes, and strategies are all identified together.

Step 5 – Services begin. Early intervention services start in your child’s natural environment. Services may include special instruction, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychological services, case management, and family education and support. 

Step 6 – Ongoing IFSP review. The IFSP is reviewed at least every 6 months and evaluated annually to ensure your child is making progress.

 

What the Data Shows: Maryland’s Early Intervention Outcomes

Maryland’s own longitudinal research validates the importance of starting early. In the state’s 2017 research study, more than 68% of children who received early intervention services were enrolled in general education by third grade — meaning they no longer needed special education services by middle elementary school.

Additionally, across the three core outcome areas measured by the MITP:

  • 73% of children made as much or more progress as their typically developing peers in positive social-emotional development and relationships
  • 74% made as much or more progress in learning and functionally using new skills
  • 74% made as much or more progress in using appropriate behaviors to meet their needs

These figures represent children served statewide. They reflect the measurable impact of early, family-centered intervention on developmental trajectories.

 

The Age-3 Transition: What Baltimore Families Need to Know

Here’s the part that catches many families off guard.

MITP services end when a child turns 3. At that point, the system shifts from Part C (birth to 3, family-centered) to Part B (ages 3–21, education-centered), and the IFSP gives way to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) administered by the local school system.

The key changes at age 3:

  • The system focus shifts from the family to the child’s educational needs
  • Services move from your home and community to a school setting
  • Eligibility criteria change — a child who qualified for MITP doesn’t automatically qualify for preschool special education
  • The school system, not the health department, now takes the lead

By law, transition planning must begin at least 90 days before your child’s third birthday. The MITP program is required to conduct a transition planning meeting with family approval for all children receiving early intervention services.

Maryland’s Extended IFSP Option

Maryland offers families a unique option called the Extended IFSP. If a child is found eligible for preschool special education services under Part B before their third birthday, parents can choose to continue receiving services under an IFSP (with an added educational component) until the beginning of the school year following their fourth birthday.

This option is designed to create a seamless birth-to-kindergarten system, blending the family-centered model of early intervention with the educational focus of special education. 

 

Where Does Early Intervention ABA Fit In?

This is a critical question for Baltimore families — because early intervention ABA and the MITP are not the same thing, and families often need both.

The MITP is not an ABA therapy program. It is a broad, multidisciplinary early intervention system. While it includes behavioral strategies and coaching, it is not designed to deliver the kind of intensive, structured, ongoing ABA therapy that research supports for children with autism.

Early intervention ABA delivered by a private provider like Move Up ABA is a distinct service. It focuses specifically on applied behavior analysis — using positive reinforcement, structured learning, and individualized treatment plans to improve communication, social skills, daily living skills, and adaptive behavior.

There are three scenarios where private early intervention ABA in Baltimore fills a real gap:

  1. A child has an autism diagnosis and needs ABA therapy. The MITP provides general developmental support. ABA therapy for a child with a formal autism diagnosis — especially at the intensity research recommends (25–40 hours per week for significant outcomes) — is typically provided by a private ABA provider, not the MITP.
  2. A child is approaching the age-3 transition. As families prepare for the IFSP-to-IEP shift, there is often a gap in services. The school system may not offer ABA at the frequency or intensity the child needs. Private home-based ABA through Move Up ABA can bridge that gap — or complement school-based services — so progress continues without interruption.
  3. School-based services are insufficient. An IEP and private in-home ABA therapy are not mutually exclusive. Many Baltimore families use both — supplementing what the school provides with additional in-home ABA sessions to maintain developmental momentum.

 

Why Early Intervention ABA Specifically Matters

The science behind early ABA is robust. A comprehensive review published in PMC found that children with autism who receive early intensive behavioral intervention make significantly greater gains in language, cognition, social communication, and adaptive behavior than those who start intervention later. 

Research also shows that combining parent-implemented and clinician-implemented intervention produces the strongest outcomes — which is exactly the model Move Up ABA uses. Every home-based session includes parent coaching so that learning continues between visits, not just during the therapy hour. 

In practice, this means the MITP and private ABA therapy work best as complements. The MITP provides the broad developmental scaffold — case coordination, speech and OT services, family support. Private early intervention ABA delivers the intensive, behavior-specific therapy that builds communication, reduces challenging behaviors, and develops the foundational skills a child will carry into preschool and beyond.

 

How Move Up ABA Works Alongside Maryland’s Early Intervention System

Move Up ABA has provided in-home ABA therapy across Baltimore and Maryland for over 14 years, serving children and young adults ages 1–21.

For families in the early intervention phase — whether currently in the MITP, approaching the age-3 transition, or just beginning after a new autism diagnosis — Move Up ABA offers:

  • No waitlist. Therapy can begin promptly after diagnosis, without months of delay during the most critical developmental window.
  • In-home delivery. Sessions happen at your home, in your child’s natural environment — consistent with the MITP’s natural environment philosophy.
  • BCBA-led programming. Every treatment plan is designed and supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, with sessions delivered by trained Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs).
  • Parent training built in. Every session includes family coaching, so caregivers learn how to reinforce skills throughout the day — not just during therapy hours.
  • Coordination with the broader care team. Move Up ABA’s team works alongside speech therapists, occupational therapists, school coordinators, and other members of your child’s care network to ensure goals are aligned. 
  • Insurance coverage. Move Up ABA accepts Medicaid and most major insurance plans, and handles the insurance process on behalf of families from start to finish.

For Baltimore families navigating the age-3 transition specifically, Move Up ABA can provide continuity of ABA services before, during, and after the IFSP-to-IEP shift — so your child’s development isn’t interrupted while paperwork changes hands.

 

A Real-World Scenario: How These Systems Work Together in Baltimore

Here’s how the pieces fit together for a typical Baltimore family:

A pediatrician flags developmental concerns at a 15-month well-child visit. The family contacts the Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program (BITP) at 410-396-1666. Within 45 days, an evaluation is completed and an IFSP is developed, covering speech therapy and developmental coaching at home — all at no cost.

At age 2, the child receives an autism diagnosis. The family contacts Move Up ABA. A BCBA conducts a home-based assessment and begins ABA therapy, building communication skills, reducing challenging behaviors, and coaching parents on daily strategies. MITP services and ABA therapy run in parallel.

As the child approaches their third birthday, the MITP team initiates transition planning at least 90 days out. The family learns about the Extended IFSP Option and Baltimore City’s Child Find program (443-642-3032). Move Up ABA coordinates with the incoming school-based team to share goals and progress data.

After the third birthday, school-based preschool special education begins. Move Up ABA continues in-home ABA sessions to complement what the school provides — filling hours the IEP doesn’t cover and reinforcing skills in the home environment where they matter most.

The Time to Start Is Now — Not After the Transition

The age-3 threshold isn’t a deadline to aim for. It’s a reminder that the early developmental window is finite.

Maryland’s Infants & Toddlers Program gives Baltimore families a powerful, no-cost foundation for early intervention. But for children with autism, that foundation works best when it’s paired with consistent, intensive, evidence-based ABA therapy — the kind that follows your child into their home, adapts to their routines, and involves you at every step.

Move Up ABA has helped hundreds of Baltimore families bridge the gap between early intervention programs and the ongoing ABA support their children need to thrive.

Your child’s next skill is already within reach. The question is when you start reaching for it.

Text or call Move Up ABA to request a free in-home consultation — and let a BCBA meet your child where they are today, on your schedule, in your home.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Maryland Infants & Toddlers Program and how does it relate to early intervention ABA in Baltimore?
A: The Maryland Infants & Toddlers Program (MITP) is Maryland’s Part C early intervention system, providing free developmental services to children birth to age 3 with delays or disabilities. It is a broad, family-centered program — not an ABA-specific service. Early intervention ABA in Baltimore is typically provided by private ABA providers like Move Up ABA alongside or following MITP services.

Q: How do I refer my child to early intervention services in Baltimore?
A: In Baltimore City, call the Baltimore Infants and Toddlers Program at (410) 396-1666 or submit an online referral at referral.mditp.org. In Baltimore County, call the Single Point of Entry at 443-809-2169 or use the same online referral system. Anyone — parents, pediatricians, child care providers — can make a referral.

Q: Does my child need an autism diagnosis to receive early intervention services in Maryland?
A: No. A formal autism diagnosis is not required for MITP eligibility. A child with a developmental delay of 25% or more in a qualifying area, or with atypical development, may qualify regardless of whether a specific diagnosis has been made.

Q: What happens to my child’s services when they turn 3?
A: MITP Part C services end at age 3. The child transitions to Part B services (preschool special education under an IEP). Maryland also offers the Extended IFSP Option, allowing families to continue IFSP-based services until the start of the school year following the child’s fourth birthday, if the child is found eligible for preschool special education. Private ABA therapy through providers like Move Up ABA can continue regardless of the school-based transition.

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