Services for children from ages 0 - 3

bria-maureen

New Member
The link posted below pertains to children in Texas and a "Child Find" program. For residents outside of Texas, this information might help you to learn what/where to start asking questions in you State agencies.

Don't overlook the link at the bottom of this page: https://web.archive.org/web/20070205174528/http://www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/childfind

PS: I followed the link and found reference to something like "in accordance with Federal law" so hopefully you can find something to help.
 

bria-maureen

New Member
Oops! Found another link that might be helpful: https://web.archive.org/web/20030313173130/http://www.nectas.unc.edu/partc/txtPartc.asp

Gosh, wish I could find what I'm looking for. LOL
https://web.archive.org/web/20030318133827/http://www.nectas.unc.edu/partc/txtptcoverview.asp

PS. Found this
California
Rick Ingraham, Chief, Children and Family Services Branch
Early Start System
Children and Family Services Branch
Department of Developmental Services
1600 9th Street, MS:3-12
PO Box 944202
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 654-2205
Fax: (916) 654-3255
 

bossmom50

New Member
In New York, I received services for 3 of my 5 children when they were under the age of 3 by contacting my local Department of Health, which administers the Early Intervention Program. My difficult child received speech therapy, my now 5 year old got speech and PT and the 2 1/2 year old received 6 months of PT to help him learn to walk (he has a congenital hip deformity which does not require surgery, but which did require that he be trained to walk as it did not come naturally to him. Now you could never tell that he wasn't always running and climbing!)

Your child is evaluated for free under this program (which I think is federally mandated, but I'm not sure). ALL evaluations include a psychiatric and social component and then additional sections are added as warranted. For instance, difficult child (whom we call Rocket Ryan!) did not get a PT evaluation as his gross motor skills were great, he did have an Occupational Therapist (OT) evaluation and actually got Occupational Therapist (OT) for a few months. He had his evaluation during potty training and because we had just moved, we had delayed training him, he was past 3 and they found him delayed. He was fully trained within 2 weeks of the evaluation, but he got the Occupational Therapist (OT) for a while. The now 5 year old had a bit of PT because the sitter had kept him cooped up all the time and he was a slow walker, but he did not need Occupational Therapist (OT). He did have a SEIT in nursery school, which sounds like it might be a good idea for your Ryan. A SEIT is a Special Education teacher who stays with your child at preschool and helps them to function. Avery had it twice a week for an hour. The joke was that he didn't need it and she spent most of her time working with another little boy whose parents were in total denial of his situation and who needed her more than my son did. To show how subjective the evaluations can be, Avery had his at about 11 AM on March 11th; at 11 PM, I gave birth to David. Ave had wanted to be with me during the evaluation, but I had husband stay with him because I could not lift him (he was 2 1/2 at the time). I stayed with difficult child, who was also being tested at the same time. They found Avery to have severe separation anxiety and a social phobia! In reality, all Avery ever had was a speech delay. I could have used the SEIT for Ryan but because he was with me during the evaluation, they did not note the same things.

My point is that there are services for the under 3 set, but since your son will be 3 so soon, your best bet is to start the process now with a testing agency that your school district will also accept. The school must give you a list. The services for 3 to 5 year olds is called (here at least) Committee for pre-school special education. In my district and most that I know of, you must go to the local office with proof of residency and of your child's age (proof of US citizenship is NOT required, to my knowledge) and fill out a request for services form. You are then given a list of places that test (you do not pay for the testing) and you set up the appointments. When all are done, including forms from your pediatrician and hearing evaluations if speech is a concern, a meeting is scheduled between the providers, the SD and you. It is usually easier to get services at this level, because the providers get paid by the SD per kid, so they are more willing to recommend services. By school age, the people who do the recommending are employed by the people who do the paying, so there is more of a conflict there.

In any event, don't let the school district tell you you need to wait until he is 3 to start with this. You can start with EI and then age him out to pre-school, but only if you use a facility on the acceptable lists of both. You are lucky; I never heard of early intervention or pre-school committee until my oldest was already in kindergarten!

Good luck ! Michele
 

rdhill0077

New Member
What about a link in Arizona. Anybody know.
I will take what ever help I can get since we hardly have any money to put food on the table right now. :confused:
 

bria-maureen

New Member
This link lists contacts by state. Scroll a little way down the page and then click on your state. https://web.archive.org/web/20030217120528/http://www.nectas.unc.edu/contact/txtPtccoord.asp

Your signature indicates your children are 3 yr old and older. Call the school district to get services -- I believe they are responsible for evaluations for children 3 and over at no charge to the parents -- even though the child is not old enough to attend school. You can find more information on this in www.wrightslaw.com and https://web.archive.org/web/20040715082639/http://www.reedmartin.com/
 

laura mz

New Member
jerusha, the preschool programs we are talking about are not for easy child preschoolers. the programs are for children who have physical handicaps, mental (as in some level or retardation) handicaps, or emotional handicaps such as some of our difficult child's. if your daughter is experiencing any developmental delay, speech delay things like that then it's worth having her evaled.

kris
 

laura mz

New Member
MomtoChase....thanks for all the hard work gathering all this info. i'm going to put this as well as your post to me with-other link into the general archives.

kris
 
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