Children with Disabilities

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• Children with Disabilities
• and Special Needs
• Michael Miguelgorry , DDS
• Stacey Kennedy, CRIHB
• Stephanie Myers, WestEd Center for Prevention and
  Early Intervention
• Debbie Sarmento,
• Family Resource Centers Network of California

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Who is with us today?

• Are you
• A parent of a child with special healthcare needs
• A staff member at an organization
• A double-agent (parent and staff member)

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What we will cover today

• Early Start
• Early Start Family Resource Centers
• Establishing Healthy Eating Habits Infants
  Toddlers
• Training and scholarship opportunities through
  West Ed

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What are special health care needs?

• Children with special health care needs are
  those children who have or are at risk for
  chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or
  emotional conditions and who also require health
  and related services of a type or amount beyond
  that required by children generally.

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How many children have special health care needs?

• 12.8 percent of children have a special health
  care need
• One in five households has a child with special
  health care needs
• Any child, at any time, could develop a
  disability or chronic health condition.

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What is Early Start?

• CAs early intervention system
• Federal Law IDEA Part C

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California Early Start Partners

• Dept. of Developmental Services (DDS)
• Regional Centers
• Vendored Programs
• CA Dept. of Education (CDE)
• Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs)
• Local Education Agency (LEAs)
• Local School Districts
• Early Start Family Resource Centers (ESFRCs)

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Which children are eligible?

• Infants and toddlers from birth up to 36 months
  who have
• a developmental delay in either cognitive,
  communication, social or emotional, adaptive, or
  physical and motor development including vision
  and hearing

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• or
• established risk conditions of known etiology
  with a high probability of resulting in delayed
  development

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What services are provided?

• Assistive Technology, including devices or
  services
• Audiology
• Behavior Therapy
• Durable Medical
• Equipment

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Early Start Services

• Family Training, Counseling, and Home Visits
• Health Services, Nursing Services and Medical
  Services
• Interpreter / translator
• Nutrition Services

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• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Psychological Services
• Service Coordination
• Special Instruction

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• Speech Therapy
• Transportation and related costs
• Vision Services
• Other Services
• As necessary for family or child to enable
  child to benefit or family to participate in
  early intervention services

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How are children referred?

• Self referral
• Physician referral
• Other professionals

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What happens when a child is referred?

• 45 day timeline
• Family is assigned a service coordinator to
  assist through evaluation and assessment
  procedures.
• Parent consent for evaluation is obtained.
• Evaluations and assessments for the child's
  development are done.

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• Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) is
  developed
• Identify early intervention services that are
  provided in the family home or other community
  settings.
• Referral offered to Early Start FRC

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How much does it cost?

• No cost to families for evaluation, assessment
  and service coordination.
• Public or private insurance is accessed for
  medically necessary therapy services including
  speech, physical and occupational therapies.
• Services that are not covered by insurance will
  be purchased or provided by regional centers or
  local education agencies.
• Family Cost Participation Program
• Camping
• Respite
• Day care

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What to do if a child needs to be referred to
Early Start

• Talk to parents provide them with next steps
• Family may be hearing news for the first time and
  may need assistance
• Encourage them to call their Family Resource
  Center
• Ask parent for their consent to provide their
  name and contact information to the FRC

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What is Prevention Resource and Referral
Services (PRRS)?

• Infants and Toddlers at risk for developmental
  delay or disabilities under age three
• At risk criteria two or more risk factors
• Diagnosed by qualified clinician (pediatrician,
  family physician, regional center, High Risk
  Infant Program, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
• All referrals for PRRS must first be found
  ineligible for Early Start Services.

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How did PRRS Develop?

• 2009 Early Start eliminated at risk from
  eligibility
• 2009 Established regional center Prevention
  Program
• 2011 Reduced prevention scope to Prevention
  Resource and Referral Services (PRRS)

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Who will serve the babies?

• DDS contracting with FRCNCA through Support for
  Families for PRRS
• FRCNCA coordinates PRRS statewide through
  contracts with local FRCs
• FRCs provide resource, referral and outreach
  services

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Where will the babies come from?

• Regional Centers
• Babies ineligible for Early Start
• with identified risk factors

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What will the babies receive?

• Information and resources
• Referral to other community services
• Referral to regional centers for Early Start
  re-evaluation
• Follow up contacts
• Outreach that facilitates referral relationships,
  screening opportunities and community services

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What will Regional Centers do?

• Single point of entry for all children suspected
  of having a developmental delay including those
  with established risk and those at risk.
• Conduct evaluation for Early Start. If child is
  not eligible determine if a referral to PRRS is
  appropriate based on at-risk factors.
• Refer to PRRS with parent consent

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Early Start Family Resource Centers

• Focus Families of infants and toddlers (birth
  to 3) with developmental delays and
  disabilities.
• Provide Parent to parent support, support
  groups, training for parents and professionals,
  information and referral, community
  outreach and awareness

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• Goal To provide families with parent to
  parent support that enhances their ability to
  support their childs development
• ESFRCs 47 across California, serving all
  families in California
• Website frcnca.org

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Information and Support Topics

• Impact of disability/special health care need on
  family and friends
• Stress of dealing with multiple doctors, learning
  a whole new vocabulary, and dealing with the
  financial aspects of disability
• Support and advice about classes and services,
  talking to special educators and trying to remain
  optimistic

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• Playmates and friends for their child who may not
  play the same way as other children or with the
  same kind of toys
• Learn about keeping their family happy
• and healthy while making major changes
• in the family daily life and activities or
• How to have confidence in their own
• impressions and ideas for what
• their child needs and wants.

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When would you refer a family to an Early Start
FRC?

• When families have just learned that their child
  has a disability or special health care need.
• When families are dealing with a new stage in
  their childs life.

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ESFRC Variables

• Location
• Staffing
• How services are provided
• Other funding streams

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Other Family Resource Centers

• Generic term
• Differences
• Focus
• Target population
• Philosophy
• Scope of service

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Other vital supports

• Family (self defined)
• Church groups
• Circle of friends
• Child care
• In-home services

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Margaret DunkleThe George Washington
University The LA County Childrens Planning
Council2002
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