This is the last in a series of posts comparing the public and private therapy providers we've used since Goldie turned 3. Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. This is only the experience of one family living in a fairly rural county in Pennsylvania.
One thing I didn't mention in the previous posts was how these services were paid for. I believe the Early Intervention program receives county, state and federal funds. I'm not completely sure, but there is no cost to use their services. The private speech and OT are billed to our private health insurance through my husband's employer. (We exhausted that coverage a couple months ago.) Then, whatever isn't covered is paid by Medicaid. Goldie qualifies for this because she has a diagnosis of Down syndrome.
Another program we utilize is HIPP, Health Insurance Premium Payment. HIPP pays the insurance premium for the employee and the child with the disability if it is more cost effective than adding the child onto one of the state's insurance plans. I've learned this program can work a couple different ways.
1. My husband's current employer deducts the employee portion of a family policy directly from his paycheck. Then, they asked that HIPP send the reimbursement directly to us.
-or-
2. His previous employer (where he worked when Goldie was born) continued deducting the employee portion of the health insurance premium, had the reimbursement from HIPP sent directly to themselves, and kept it all.
When I talked to the very nice HR lady about these two scenarios her reply was that "We will pay the same for your family's insurance that we would pay for any of our employees. You are the one's raising Goldie, that money should go to you." You could have knocked me over with a feather. My husband drive too far to work hours that are too long, so it warmed my heart to know that he works for a company that is honest and caring.
Back to my comparison, I've thought about what we would do if Goldie's private therapy wasn't covered. I know that in some states these services wouldn't be covered. Would we give it up? No way! We would find a way to pay for it because it is making a difference in our lives. Even if it meant organizing fundraisers and picking up a part time job.
Showing posts with label Early intervention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Early intervention. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Comparing Therapy Service Providers - Part 2
When Goldie was a year old, a pediatric therapy provider moved in 2 miles from our house. Considering we live in a pretty rural area, this is quite a blessing. Otherwise, we would be driving 25 minutes to the nearest outpatient therapy office.
At Goldie's 3 year check up I asked her pediatrician for a prescription for a speech and occupational therapy evaluation. I made an appointment for the evaluations and brought the prescription with us. After the evaluation, it was recommended that Goldie receive two sessions of speech and OT weekly, for thirty minutes each.
Speech
Initially, things got off to a slow start. with therapist B. She was there for two weeks, then left. Goldie worked with her supervisor until therapist A was hired to replace her. The supervisor was wonderful, had heard of Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson, and noted in Goldie's chart that we would like to use her techniques.
The first quality I noticed in "Ms. A" was that she has high expectations for the children she works with. I love this about her, but I've seen other parents scoff at her ideas. Some of the things she works on are: making choices, labeling, indentifying, using two words together, using sentences, and speech sounds. She also, does oral motor work, but I'll get to that later.
Goldie has begun to use a lot of words and phrases. When we talk to her she always repeats back part of what we said. I've heard a lot of new words from her doing this. Goldie can tell us "I want ___". She also understands "if/then" statements. This comes in handy for transitions and when she wants to do something and I need her to do something else. For example "If you wash your hands, then you can have a snack."
Occupational Therapy
Goldie took to her new OT, "Ms. M", right away. Ms. M also has high expectations for Goldie. I have to admit that even I was skeptical at first because of Goldie's low vision. She does much more than simply work on fine motor skills. Goldie does many activities while sitting on a swing or therapy ball to improve her core strength, balance, and eye hand coordination. They also work on dressing by having Goldie remove her shoes and put them on before she leaves.
I have seen an improvement in Goldie's arm, hand and core strength. She is also beginning to dress herself independently and can completely undress herself.
The Best Part!
Both therapists work together on oral motor activities to help Goldie with drinking, tongue and lip movements, etc. This was nearly impossible when Goldie was in the birth to three program and was not an option within her IEP. I wrote more about it here.
More Details
The office has mostly bare walls with an occasional B&W photo of children. It is very neat and clean. Goldie has little to no distractions (most days).
Goldie enjoys being there and trusts her therapists. So do I.
There has not been as much consistency as I would like. Her OT is on maternity leave and they have 2 different OT's covering for her. Then, when I was making our fall appointments the scheduling person switched Goldie to a different speech therapist. I don't know what made me ask if she made the appointments with Ms. A, but I was glad I did. I let her know it was absolutely not acceptable to shuffle my child around and the situation was rectified. It bothered me to find out that it was intentional. They were moving all of her Thursday kids to a new therapist's case load. Now I know to be on my toes when making future appointments.
At Goldie's 3 year check up I asked her pediatrician for a prescription for a speech and occupational therapy evaluation. I made an appointment for the evaluations and brought the prescription with us. After the evaluation, it was recommended that Goldie receive two sessions of speech and OT weekly, for thirty minutes each.
Speech
Initially, things got off to a slow start. with therapist B. She was there for two weeks, then left. Goldie worked with her supervisor until therapist A was hired to replace her. The supervisor was wonderful, had heard of Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson, and noted in Goldie's chart that we would like to use her techniques.
The first quality I noticed in "Ms. A" was that she has high expectations for the children she works with. I love this about her, but I've seen other parents scoff at her ideas. Some of the things she works on are: making choices, labeling, indentifying, using two words together, using sentences, and speech sounds. She also, does oral motor work, but I'll get to that later.
Goldie has begun to use a lot of words and phrases. When we talk to her she always repeats back part of what we said. I've heard a lot of new words from her doing this. Goldie can tell us "I want ___". She also understands "if/then" statements. This comes in handy for transitions and when she wants to do something and I need her to do something else. For example "If you wash your hands, then you can have a snack."
Occupational Therapy
Goldie took to her new OT, "Ms. M", right away. Ms. M also has high expectations for Goldie. I have to admit that even I was skeptical at first because of Goldie's low vision. She does much more than simply work on fine motor skills. Goldie does many activities while sitting on a swing or therapy ball to improve her core strength, balance, and eye hand coordination. They also work on dressing by having Goldie remove her shoes and put them on before she leaves.
I have seen an improvement in Goldie's arm, hand and core strength. She is also beginning to dress herself independently and can completely undress herself.
The Best Part!
Both therapists work together on oral motor activities to help Goldie with drinking, tongue and lip movements, etc. This was nearly impossible when Goldie was in the birth to three program and was not an option within her IEP. I wrote more about it here.
More Details
The office has mostly bare walls with an occasional B&W photo of children. It is very neat and clean. Goldie has little to no distractions (most days).
Goldie enjoys being there and trusts her therapists. So do I.
There has not been as much consistency as I would like. Her OT is on maternity leave and they have 2 different OT's covering for her. Then, when I was making our fall appointments the scheduling person switched Goldie to a different speech therapist. I don't know what made me ask if she made the appointments with Ms. A, but I was glad I did. I let her know it was absolutely not acceptable to shuffle my child around and the situation was rectified. It bothered me to find out that it was intentional. They were moving all of her Thursday kids to a new therapist's case load. Now I know to be on my toes when making future appointments.
Friday, September 3, 2010
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).
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).
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Early Childhood Inclusion
This newsletter was in my inbox today and I thought I would share it. I have to be honest though, I haven't taken the time to read the whole thing. I did enjoy the article on page 6 about Annie. I've seen the DVD she was in at an Early Intervention support group where the topic was routines-based Early Intervention. I found it very reassuring to see how much of what we do everyday is beneficial to our children.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Giving credit where credit is due
Goldie had her quarterly eval this week. I have to say it was fabulous! She has made so much progress in the last 3 months. She now knows over 100 signs and her speech is increasing slowly and steadily. Her fine motor skills have taken off and she is completing puzzles on her own along with beginning to draw. I could go on and on!
So, I was bragging about Goldie to a family member and their reply was "Are you going to do something in March, so she doesn't backslide, since you aren't sending her to preschool?"
Well, that caught me completely off guard. I explained, again, that our immediate family, has helped Goldie get to where she is today and we will continue to do so. And when I say we have helped Goldie, what I mean is that we give her opportunities and encouragement. Like you would with any child.
Goldie is the reason for her own success. I'm so tired of this idea that she would just be happy to sit and stare at the wall if it wasn't for Early Intervention. I remember reading books on DS when she was born that gave the very distinct impression that children with DS were not motivated to meet milestones or learn new skills on their own. Then the IFSP meeting came and the echoed those same thoughts. 2 1/2 years later I can say: what a bunch of BS!!
Here is our star! If you're wondering, she is putting cupcake picks into a pegboard to make a flower garden. Cute, huh?
So, I was bragging about Goldie to a family member and their reply was "Are you going to do something in March, so she doesn't backslide, since you aren't sending her to preschool?"
Well, that caught me completely off guard. I explained, again, that our immediate family, has helped Goldie get to where she is today and we will continue to do so. And when I say we have helped Goldie, what I mean is that we give her opportunities and encouragement. Like you would with any child.
Goldie is the reason for her own success. I'm so tired of this idea that she would just be happy to sit and stare at the wall if it wasn't for Early Intervention. I remember reading books on DS when she was born that gave the very distinct impression that children with DS were not motivated to meet milestones or learn new skills on their own. Then the IFSP meeting came and the echoed those same thoughts. 2 1/2 years later I can say: what a bunch of BS!!
Here is our star! If you're wondering, she is putting cupcake picks into a pegboard to make a flower garden. Cute, huh?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Transition - Getting Ready
Next week is the first meeting in the transition process for Goldie. She won't be 3 until March and right in the middle of now and then I'll be having a baby. I've been dreading this since our first IFSP meeting. Honestly, I would like to say "no thank-you" and go back to having a "normal" life where I don't have to deal with THE SYSTEM. I think part of the reason I find this so daunting is that none of my kids went to preschool. I was the lone mom in my circle of friends who didn't believe in preschool. I do believe most parents provide all the enrichment any preschooler needs. They have many years of school ahead of them, why let them get burnt out before kindergarten? Childhood is short and I want my girls to have as much of it as possible, TOGETHER. The day will come when they don't share a roof over their heads, let alone a bedroom and these years will be what bonds them for life.
I was all set to send Goldie off to school when she turned 3, sort of. Then, sometime in the last year I started thinking that everything I believed was best for my other children could still be what's best for Goldie. Does she deserve less time chasing chickens and making blanket forts because she has a disability? Is there anything preschool will teach her that I or her siblings can't?
Of course, she does have different needs than her sisters. Can I meet them? Yes. But, I know when I need help. Hank and I talked and (as of now, plans may change as we get more information) we will not be sending Goldie to pre-k in March. Our plan is to send her to a typical pre-k, twice a week, in the fall, following her 3rd birthday. I don't think its wise to send her off to school less than 12 weeks after getting a new sibling. I know from experience that can be a rough time for the youngest.
This plan means we have to decide how Goldie will get her speech and OT services. I thought I had that figured out, until the Service Coordinator was telling me the laws changed back in January. I've been told we can bring her to the school, just for her services. I've also been told the state doesn't allow any one-on-one therapies. Her current OT and ST both feel that all of her needs will not be met by the school district and that she would need private therapy in addition to what the school provides. Fortunately, a pediatric therapy center opened up a mile and a half from our house. Still, my head is swimming with the different choices and if they are even choices we will have. I hope to have some answers next week and a clearer picture of what will happen when she turns 3.
On another note, Goldie met an OT goal this week. The one were she learns to remove her pants. She even went above and beyond and took off her diaper. Sorry, no picture! But, here's another cute one I had to share.
I should add that is a water baby in the sling. It is much heavier than our other baby dolls and is a sneaky way to help Goldie with her arm strength!
I was all set to send Goldie off to school when she turned 3, sort of. Then, sometime in the last year I started thinking that everything I believed was best for my other children could still be what's best for Goldie. Does she deserve less time chasing chickens and making blanket forts because she has a disability? Is there anything preschool will teach her that I or her siblings can't?
Of course, she does have different needs than her sisters. Can I meet them? Yes. But, I know when I need help. Hank and I talked and (as of now, plans may change as we get more information) we will not be sending Goldie to pre-k in March. Our plan is to send her to a typical pre-k, twice a week, in the fall, following her 3rd birthday. I don't think its wise to send her off to school less than 12 weeks after getting a new sibling. I know from experience that can be a rough time for the youngest.
This plan means we have to decide how Goldie will get her speech and OT services. I thought I had that figured out, until the Service Coordinator was telling me the laws changed back in January. I've been told we can bring her to the school, just for her services. I've also been told the state doesn't allow any one-on-one therapies. Her current OT and ST both feel that all of her needs will not be met by the school district and that she would need private therapy in addition to what the school provides. Fortunately, a pediatric therapy center opened up a mile and a half from our house. Still, my head is swimming with the different choices and if they are even choices we will have. I hope to have some answers next week and a clearer picture of what will happen when she turns 3.
On another note, Goldie met an OT goal this week. The one were she learns to remove her pants. She even went above and beyond and took off her diaper. Sorry, no picture! But, here's another cute one I had to share.
I should add that is a water baby in the sling. It is much heavier than our other baby dolls and is a sneaky way to help Goldie with her arm strength!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Physical Therapy
Maybe it's the pregnancy (all ready?) but I'm beat from chasing Goldie around by the end of the day. Well, actually by lunch. I've been questioning whether she still needs PT. I know there are things she still has to do, like running and jumping. I have the book Gross Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome and spent some time this week looking over the checklists. Out of the 45 motor milestones there are only 9 left for us to work on. We also continue to help her build up endurance and strength.
Hank and I talked about it and we really feel that we can handle these last 9 on our own. It helps that Goldie is such a physically motivated girl. She also has 2 sisters that keep her moving, a swing set, riding toys, and the country side at her disposal. PT has been one of the easiest things for us to do as a family on a consistent basis. Just this week she mastered climbing the ladder to the slide all by herself. I'm so proud and scared all at once! At first she would only do it once. Now, she does it over and over. I love to see how strong she is getting.
Now, how do I tell the PT? She's been coming for 2 years and when we dropped from every week to 2x a month I could tell she was disappointed. My eyes got all wet just talking about it. Hank said I'm just being an emotional pregnant woman. The PT was here yesterday and I couldn't bring it up.
I've really grown to like her. We chat about our families and she is great at showing me how to help Goldie. But, yesterday she said something that's been bugging me. She asked me about Goldie's swallow study and if she was drinking any more. I told her how that was going and went on to tell her about taking Goldie swimming. Goldie has never really enjoyed swimming. She usually hangs on my neck, then I pry her off of me into a floatation device and try to keep her moving and happy. I realized this week that what she hates is the water going in her mouth (she chokes and gags). If I hold up the front of her floaty or if she holds herself up she is much happier. I think this is also why she doesn't like me rinsing her hair during her bath. Getting back on track now, I tell all this to the PT. Her response, " I don't know. Are they smart enough to make that connection? Really, are they smart enough to know what will happen when they get in a pool?" My response, absolute silence. Did she mean any 2 year old or does "they" mean kids with DS? I have a 2 yo niece and I don't think anyone would question if she could make that connection. Am I being overly sensitive?
After that conversation I'm not as sad about letting her go. While I like her, she has never set very high expectations for Goldie. She was always a little skeptical when I told her Goldie had learned something new. I had to add walking to her IFSP last year.
And since I finally got the camera back from my husband, here is a picture of Goldie smelling a flower "with her nose, not her hands."
Hank and I talked about it and we really feel that we can handle these last 9 on our own. It helps that Goldie is such a physically motivated girl. She also has 2 sisters that keep her moving, a swing set, riding toys, and the country side at her disposal. PT has been one of the easiest things for us to do as a family on a consistent basis. Just this week she mastered climbing the ladder to the slide all by herself. I'm so proud and scared all at once! At first she would only do it once. Now, she does it over and over. I love to see how strong she is getting.
Now, how do I tell the PT? She's been coming for 2 years and when we dropped from every week to 2x a month I could tell she was disappointed. My eyes got all wet just talking about it. Hank said I'm just being an emotional pregnant woman. The PT was here yesterday and I couldn't bring it up.
I've really grown to like her. We chat about our families and she is great at showing me how to help Goldie. But, yesterday she said something that's been bugging me. She asked me about Goldie's swallow study and if she was drinking any more. I told her how that was going and went on to tell her about taking Goldie swimming. Goldie has never really enjoyed swimming. She usually hangs on my neck, then I pry her off of me into a floatation device and try to keep her moving and happy. I realized this week that what she hates is the water going in her mouth (she chokes and gags). If I hold up the front of her floaty or if she holds herself up she is much happier. I think this is also why she doesn't like me rinsing her hair during her bath. Getting back on track now, I tell all this to the PT. Her response, " I don't know. Are they smart enough to make that connection? Really, are they smart enough to know what will happen when they get in a pool?" My response, absolute silence. Did she mean any 2 year old or does "they" mean kids with DS? I have a 2 yo niece and I don't think anyone would question if she could make that connection. Am I being overly sensitive?
After that conversation I'm not as sad about letting her go. While I like her, she has never set very high expectations for Goldie. She was always a little skeptical when I told her Goldie had learned something new. I had to add walking to her IFSP last year.
And since I finally got the camera back from my husband, here is a picture of Goldie smelling a flower "with her nose, not her hands."
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Vision Evaluation
This week the director of the Toddler Program at the Western PA School for Blind Children came to do a vision eval on Goldie. She was here for almost 2 hours! Goldie and I were so wiped out afterward that we had to cancel speech that afternoon.
The eval confirmed some of what I knew, but taught me a lot that I didn't know. I knew her peripheral vision was low. She was able to tell me specifically that it takes Goldie a long time to see movement with her peripheral vision, but she picks up light faster. So, a dr using a light to test her wouldn't get truly accurate results.
I asked about how we can help Goldie become more interested in her toys. Her answer was basically that we are going to have to think out of the box and adapt her toys ourselves. Using a black marker to outline pictures in books or painting the pop-up figures on her toys so that they are more visually appealing to her were some suggestions. I have to admit after I heard her ideas I thought to myself "Oh, yeah. That is so obvious. Duh."
She left me a folder packed with information on Goldie's diagnosis and how we can adapt her environment to help her. I tried to link to the program in another post, but the next day they changed their website and now the page is gone. The new site doesn't even mention the Toddler Program, but I can tell you it is a free service for children living in Western PA with visual impairments. When school resumes in the fall they will send a team of therapists to do a more comprehensive evaluation.
The eval confirmed some of what I knew, but taught me a lot that I didn't know. I knew her peripheral vision was low. She was able to tell me specifically that it takes Goldie a long time to see movement with her peripheral vision, but she picks up light faster. So, a dr using a light to test her wouldn't get truly accurate results.
I asked about how we can help Goldie become more interested in her toys. Her answer was basically that we are going to have to think out of the box and adapt her toys ourselves. Using a black marker to outline pictures in books or painting the pop-up figures on her toys so that they are more visually appealing to her were some suggestions. I have to admit after I heard her ideas I thought to myself "Oh, yeah. That is so obvious. Duh."
She left me a folder packed with information on Goldie's diagnosis and how we can adapt her environment to help her. I tried to link to the program in another post, but the next day they changed their website and now the page is gone. The new site doesn't even mention the Toddler Program, but I can tell you it is a free service for children living in Western PA with visual impairments. When school resumes in the fall they will send a team of therapists to do a more comprehensive evaluation.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
IFSP - how it went
Thank-you for your prayers. I was able to maintain my composure, stay focused and add some goals for Goldie despite a shaky beginning and rocky ending to the meeting.
My decision to switch to another service co-ordinator has been made very easily after this morning. The SC showed up without Goldie's PT eval. I know this could have been a mistake on the part of the PT, but the SC's job is to get that figured out BEFORE the IFSP not during or after. Then at the very end she mentioned that Goldie's cognitive eval hadn't been scored and tried to blame it on the VT. I did not let her pass the buck. It is her job to make sure it gets scored BEFORE the IFSP. I called the VT afterwards and she will be making sure it is completed, correctly.
Other highlights from the meeting would be her telling me she hopes Goldie doesn't qualify for waiver because that would be a lot of paperwork for her. She also didn't discuss transition like they are supposed to. I'm actually o.k. with that because I don't want to talk to her about it anyway! The brief conversation we did have led me to believe she doesn't know what our different options are.
I'm going to request a new SC and a review of Goldie's file to make sure everything is in order. Just curious, do you receive copies of your child's evaluation scores?
My decision to switch to another service co-ordinator has been made very easily after this morning. The SC showed up without Goldie's PT eval. I know this could have been a mistake on the part of the PT, but the SC's job is to get that figured out BEFORE the IFSP not during or after. Then at the very end she mentioned that Goldie's cognitive eval hadn't been scored and tried to blame it on the VT. I did not let her pass the buck. It is her job to make sure it gets scored BEFORE the IFSP. I called the VT afterwards and she will be making sure it is completed, correctly.
Other highlights from the meeting would be her telling me she hopes Goldie doesn't qualify for waiver because that would be a lot of paperwork for her. She also didn't discuss transition like they are supposed to. I'm actually o.k. with that because I don't want to talk to her about it anyway! The brief conversation we did have led me to believe she doesn't know what our different options are.
I'm going to request a new SC and a review of Goldie's file to make sure everything is in order. Just curious, do you receive copies of your child's evaluation scores?
Monday, April 6, 2009
IFSP (I think)
Goldie's IFSP is in the morning. Please say a prayer that I have both wisdom and composure. I was told of the IFSP date by Goldie's PT. Her service co-ordinator has yet to call me. I don't think I've seen or spoken to her since January! I do not plan to confront her about this tomorrow. I don't think it would be appropriate in front of the therapists. But, I am ticked. I should have been the first person called and then a letter is supposed to be sent out to each therapist. Last year, she didn't invite the Vision Therapist. I complained to her supervisor because my kid is legally blind and was receiving VT every week. How do you forget that?
So, this year the VT called her to find out the date of the IFSP. She won't be able to make it, but I'm ok with it because we are decreasing services in that area. At least until we see what the new eye dr. wants to do as far as surgery goes. IF she has surgery, Goldie will need VT to learn how to use her new vision.
Goldie's evals were done last month, so we won't be doing them tomorrow, but I will get the final results. I know where she stands on most of them already, so I don't expect any suprises there. Last year, everybody did all the evals at once and I wanted to cry by the time they left. Ugh.
I also spoke with the SC's supervisor last month at a meeting she happened to be at. So, I'm still suprised that she hasn't called to confirm tomorrow's meeting. I WILL be asking for a new SC after this, in writing. She is not equipped to help us through transition when Goldie turns 3. No way.
On a happy note, I told Swatcho she could make monkey bread in the morning for everyone. She has a recipe she's been dying to try.
So, this year the VT called her to find out the date of the IFSP. She won't be able to make it, but I'm ok with it because we are decreasing services in that area. At least until we see what the new eye dr. wants to do as far as surgery goes. IF she has surgery, Goldie will need VT to learn how to use her new vision.
Goldie's evals were done last month, so we won't be doing them tomorrow, but I will get the final results. I know where she stands on most of them already, so I don't expect any suprises there. Last year, everybody did all the evals at once and I wanted to cry by the time they left. Ugh.
I also spoke with the SC's supervisor last month at a meeting she happened to be at. So, I'm still suprised that she hasn't called to confirm tomorrow's meeting. I WILL be asking for a new SC after this, in writing. She is not equipped to help us through transition when Goldie turns 3. No way.
On a happy note, I told Swatcho she could make monkey bread in the morning for everyone. She has a recipe she's been dying to try.
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