Comparing Therapy Service Providers - Part 1

Occasionally, as I'm reading other blogs, I run across the question of weather private therapy is "worth it". So, I thought I would write a post (or 2 or3) on our experience with both public and private agencies. I'll have to start way back in March, when Goldie turned 3.

State of PA Early Intervention

During the IEP process, one of our options for Golden was to place her in a classroom where she would receive speech, OT, PT, and a vision teacher on a consultant basis.  This means that she would never be entitled to individual or pull-out sessions. I was told that the therapists sometimes worked one on one, but it was discouraged. In this model of service delivery the therapists simply consult with the teacher about how to meet the child's needs in the classroom. I  inquired specifically about how they would  incorporate oral motor therapy this way and was told it would be done as a group activity. Choosing this option would give a child the maximum amount of classroom time, which can be great if they have minimal delays or a really great teaching staff.

The second option, and the one we chose, was to refuse a classroom placement for Goldie and receive services on an itinerant basis. We live in Pennsylvania where the law mandates that each area of delay must be addressed in the IEP. This meant that while we only wanted speech and occupational therapy for Golden, we had to have speech, OT, PT , and a vision teacher. They did not force us to have a special education teacher because we are homeschooling and I will be doing the teaching. Her IEP was written to have me bring her to the classroom for speech and OT weekly. PT would be provided every other month at our home, except in the summer. The vision teacher would consult with me on a monthly basis.

How it played out:
I never heard from the PT in the six months following the IEP meeting.
The vision teacher was nice to consult with on goals for Goldie, but was unable to provide us with any new activities or strategies.  She made some nice charts for me to keep track of Goldie's progress.
The speech therapist and the OT had very tight schedules. They could only see us at lunch time when the classrooms were empty (mostly). This was Goldie's normal nap time. Most of the time she was asleep when we got there and I had to wake her up.

Initially, Goldie didn't like the speech therapist so I sat in the classroom with them. This showed Goldie that the ST was someone I knew and trusted. We continued this for about a month. The last session was just Goldie and the ST. She was very impressed that Goldie could follow the simplest verbal instructions. For oral motor therapy she used a work sheet with a face on it and circles at the bottom. Every time Goldie stuck her tongue out (not up or anywhere specific, just out) she could put a paint dot on a circle.

Moving along to OT, he scored big points with Goldie simply because he was a man. (What can I say, her Daddy works long hours?) He worked with Goldie on a variety of fine motor tasks such as pre-scissor skills and using two hands when working on a task.

Other noteworthy items: Goldie's biggest struggle, drinking, was not addressed by anyone because we refused to put her in a classroom. Drinking could only be addressed if she was there for snack time.
 The classrooms where Goldie received services devoted a large portion of space to adult work areas. Each of them had at least 4 adult work areas and the clutter that comes with them. The walls were covered with "stuff" for both the children and adults. Every vision evaluation Golden has had recommends that she needs things to be kept simple and uncluttered.
There was one speech session were Golden was unable to attend to the ST because of an adult the room who was being loud and distracting.

I don't think this is shaping up to be as "objective" as I wanted it to. But, by the time Goldie's therapies started I had been jerked around a bit by the supposed Service Coordinator and was wondering if I would ever meet someone who could see Golden and not her disability.

I'll leave you with a picture of Goldie on our field trip to the Carnegie Science Center.  It is only $1 per person for families of a child with a yellow ACCESS card (Medicaid).