Candice Lange

Recently I was asked about the first transition meeting to PreK/Kindergarten and I thought you might also be interested in some of the things I have learned along the way or my experience. There is so much more information than this but already it is long and hopefully not overwhelming.

Please add your comments on how you made your meetings and IEP documents successful.

One of the most helpful things we have done at our IEP meetings was asking for a projector at least 10 days in advance. The laptop was hooked up to the projector and the IEP was viewed on the wall. This allowed everyone on the team to see what was actually being written at the time it was written. The projector made it very easy for everyone to give their input while we were still on the subject and before the page/goal was completed. This is especially helpful if your meetings are large in number, have many goals, meetings run long or you have had difficulties in the past.

I have also taped the meetings in the past. Remember this also needs 10 day advance notice so the school can have their tape recorder ready. You can not tape the meeting without this notice. It was not intended to upset anyone but to allow us to review the long meeting. It actually came in handy the following year when we realized a service wasn't being provided and it wasn't written on the IEP like we had thought. The school reviewed their tape and it was corrected.

Another important tip is to have a positive look to future improvement even though this year may have been the worst you ever had. There is nothing that can be done to change the year now that it is almost over. Look at what can be done in the future to make sure those errors do not happen again and work together as a team. A negative, defensive attitude will not help the child or help you to think clearly.

Research and have documents to support your questions or concerns. It is very hard for the school to deny you of your comment if you have paper proof to substantiate your claims. This can be from the child's homework or test results.

Read IEP books such as:
From Emotions to Advocacy 2nd edition, Pam Wright and Pete Wright
Wrightslaw: IDEA 2004 Pam Wright and Pete Wright

Attend an IEP Conference by Pam Wright and Pete Wright. They are very informative and help you prepare yourself for many years of IEPs.

May you have a successful IEP and a very promising new year ahead of you.

Wrightslaw Special Education and Advocacy Conference, a Wrightslaw training program with Wayne Steedman, and Pat Howey, is being brought to you by Community Action Coalition.

A comprehensive starting place for parents of children with disabilities is www.parenttoparentofga.org.

The Parent to Parent website provides detailed explanations of individual disabilities and available intervention and support resources.

Click on the navigation map to take a tour of services.

Local supporting parents comprise the Parent-to-Parent network. These parents are available to talk one-on-one with other parents.

For a thorough list of therapy practices and other services in Gwinnett County log onto Parent to Parent http://www.parenttoparentofga.org/database.htm

Click on the large blue header called Special Needs Database.

Type of Service: Click on any service and type the first letter of the therapy you are searching. Scroll to the correct therapy and click on it.

Serves the geographic area of: Choose GWINNETT COUNTY

Show Info.: Choose one.
Detailed Information for all the information.
Brief Information for the company name, phone number and city.

Click on Perform Search.

Community Resources for Families of Children With Special Needs in Gwinnett County

Prepared by Maureen Klesmer, LCSW
GCPS School Social Worker, Oakland Center, 770-513-6831

Lekotek of Georgia, Inc.
Lekotek is an agency that provides services to children with disabilities and their families. Diverse program services are provided to families throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Services include a toy-lending program, summer computer camp, computer loan programs, and support groups for moms, dads and siblings.
Lekotek’s main office is located at 1955 Cliff Valley Way, Suite 102, Atlanta. Telephone: 404-633-3430

The Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities
AADD has a great website that lists resource and referral information for parents, including information about community agencies that provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities, recreation, parent education, and other meaningful opportunities for children and adults.
www.aadd.org

Attorneys With Experience in Estate Planning for Families with a Developmentally Disabled Beneficiary
Stephanie E. Ceto 678-297-1151
Ruthann P. Lacey 770-939-4616
Laurin M. McSwain 404-231-9331
James B. Outman 404-521-2100
David P. Pollan 404-223-6181
G. William Thackston, Jr. 404-806-7684
Gary Zweifel 404-870-9111

Autism/DD Family Support Funding
This funding is limited and available to families of children with Autism and PDD or Asperger’s Syndrome. An application must be completed and documentation provided in order to be considered for approval. This may be based on both disability and family income.

Services that are funded might include: Counseling, Dental, Respite, O.T. and Speech
Contact: Georgia Community Supports and Solutions 404-634-4222 for an application

Benefits Navigator
This program works with individuals ages 14 – 18 in a School Work program, and individuals working age adults, ages 18 -65 who are applying for and/or receiving SSI, SSDI or both and who are or who may be considering work to better understand Federal and State work incentives and the interrelationship of these program when considering their options in reaching their vocational potential.
Trained Benefits Counselors work with people with disabilities who receive either SSI or SSDI based on a medical condition in their efforts to understand how benefits are effected by employment.
For more information, contact Sally Atwell or Curtis Rogers at 404-350-7589.

Children’s Medical Services
Children’s Medical Services (CMS) is a public health program providing medical care to low income children with specific handicapping conditions, from birth to age 21. CMS offers long-term care and therapy, along with case management services.
For information and referral, contact the Gwinnett Office at 770-339-9078.

Community Care/ SOURCE Programs
These programs are designed to help Medicaid eligible people who are functionally impaired and need medical attention to continue living in their homes and communities. They offer community-based care which include personal support services, in-home respite care, day care and supervision, and nursing services.
For additional information and to request services, please call the following numbers:
Community Care Intake Unit: 404-463-3244
SOURCE Program: 404-463-3248

The Deeming Waiver/Katie Beckett Waiver
This waiver program reduces the financial eligibility criteria for Medicaid. Families who have a disabled child with a chronic condition are eligible. The purpose of the waiver is to provide medical services for the child while helping the family care for their child at home.
To apply, contact the local Medicaid office within the Department of Family and Children Services.The telephone number for Gwinnett County DFCS is 678-518-5500. Listen for the prompt for Adult Medicaid/Katie Beckett.

One of the accommodations that can be made in the school system is Stop Clock Testing which is on the list below. It was described to me as a way to allow the child to take the necessary breaks during testing even if the break is 1 hour for therapy or stretching or a day or a week long. If this is in the IEP or school plan then when it comes time for the SAT testing it will be more readily available to your child if needed.

http://cdrc.ohsu.edu/oscshn1/medicalhome/docs/cp.pdf

Having correct medical records is very important.

Through the years I have found that keeping a running Medical History of my son has been very helpful for me and for all who work with Corey such as the doctors. Many times I've gone to a new doctor to have the same questions asked and receive a report that was completed incorrectly. It is also difficult to remember the answers to all the questions as Corey gets older, especially when he did the milestones.

This was originally created after the first medicaid application and was used for the social history and medical history. We continue to use this every year by making a copy for medicaid and attaching it to the renewal forms.

Continue to read for Corey's Medical Record outline without the personal information. You can use it as a guide to writing your own child's record or your personal medical history. Throughout the outline I will add comments to clarify information or helpful tips such as the following:

Tip #1: Do this as soon as the medical records start coming in or delays are noticed. It will be easier to remember when the events are closer to when you record them.

Tip #2: Keep this posted with milestones, medical care, contacts, etc. on a regular basis.

Tip #3: Each year at a birthday or medicaid renewal, save this record under the year's date. For example, "Corey's Medical Records 2006.doc". This will give you a saved look at that year for future use. Continue updating the original file with ongoing information.

http://www.parentmentors.org

Topics on common special needs acronyms, IEPs, Inclusion, and more resources can be found at this site.

Topics included in order:

Katie Beckett Waiver Presentation given at FOCUS by Heidi Moore
Katie Beckett Waiver Denials
DHR FAQ for Transitional Funds
Contents For Katie Beckett Waiver Packet-samples of how to complete and forms
Katie Beckett Waiver Update on Denials and What to Do!
Katie Beckett Waiver History

The forms can be copied and pasted into your word processor to be filled out by you.

Thank you to all those who contributed very important information.

Children's Medical Services (CMS) directly provides or coordinates specialty medical evaluations and treatment for eligible children (birth to age 21) with chronic medical conditions. CMS provides or pays for comprehensive physical evaluations, diagnostic tests, inpatient/outpatient hospitalization, medications and other medical treatments, therapy, durable medical equipment, hearing aids, and dental care related to the child's CMS-eligible condition. Genetics Services provides diagnosis, counseling, and treatment for a wide variety of genetic conditions as a CMS service. CMS works closely with the primary care provider to coordinate services. The focus of Children's Medical Services is to provide quality care and financial assistance with services that will enable children to receive medically necessary specialty services. These medical services may prevent further complications from their condition(s) and will promote healthy growth and development.

Recently I was reminded of the heartache about appropriate classrooms for our special needs children through a friend who was grieving the loss of inclusion as her son was being placed into a self-contained classroom. The school gave her son a 30 day trial in the regular classroom and a new IEP meeting was done to change him to the self-contained classroom. She had inclusion for her son for years in another county but with her recent move her son was also being moved into a new setting. I don't know the circumstances or if this is a good or bad change but it is a loss for what was wanted and hoped for. Many of you may have felt this before too.

Corey and I have done the range from full inclusion to full self-contained, with good and bad experiences and after 5 years I can say that there is a time for everything. Each type of classroom has its pros and cons. It really comes down to what is best for your child at that time in his life and who is the teacher. How will your child be taught? Will he be loved for who he is and given the opportunity to shine?

Book helps moms meet their needs

Atlanta mothers, Heather Fawcett and Amy Baskin, with special needs kids co-wrote "More Than a Mom".

Behind almost every special needs child, there's a mother -- a mother who is often frazzled, stressed, worried and exhausted and who rarely puts herself on her own "to do" list, according to Amy Baskin. She wants mothers of special needs kids to carve out some "me" time.

"There was lots of information about special needs kids and how to help them through sports and school. Heather and I would go to autism conferences all the time," said Baskin. "But nobody was talking about moms and how they are affected. And we thought, 'That's something we can write about.'"

Babies Can't Wait (BCW) Early Intervention Because Babies Can’t Wait

Babies Can’t Wait is Georgia's comprehensive, coordinated, statewide, interagency service delivery system for infants and toddlers, ages birth to three, who have developmental delays or disabilities, and their families. Early intervention services may include assistive technology, audiology, family training and counseling, certain health services, medical diagnostic services, certain nursing services, nutrition services, occupational, physical, and speech/language therapies, psychological services, social work, special instruction, vision services, and transportation to services. The focus of Babies Can't Wait is to help reduce the need for special services later in life by helping children with developmental disabilities reach their maximum developmental potential.

Babies Can't Wait
Toll Free Phone 1-888-651-8224 or 1-800-229-2038
Atlanta (770) 451-5484
State BCW Office number (404) 657-2726
Visit their website, http://health.state.ga.us/programs/bcw.

The Handbook for Success in Babies Can’t Wait (English and Spanish Version) as well as an extensive web Directory of Internet Resources can be downloaded at http://health.state.ga.us/programs/bcw.

Keeping records for school has resources to better manage all the paperwork and tips from seasoned parents. Please see the next page for more information and post your tips under comments.

If you just entered the world of special needs or been in it for sometime you probably have thought "What am I going to do with it all this paperwork and medical records?"

It is very important to keep your child's records organized to give them the best medical, insurance and school care possible.

This section will give you an excellent resource for special education, tips on handling the paperwork and form templates. Many of the suggestions come from the years of organizing my own son's papers and getting positive results from the doctors, medicaid and schools. It has also made my life easier knowing where to access the information when needed.

If you have a process that has been successful for you and the people working with your child, please make a comment and share your information.

If you need specific information and did not find it here, please make a comment and ask. I will find the information for you or someone else reading may also know the answer.