*** If you are an individual or family served by the LCBDD, please take our quarterly survey: click here! ***

NEW! For parents of school-age children with disabilities:

Support group for parents/guardians of school-age children begins in January 2012. Read more about it here.

Board of DD's Early Intervention staff holds book drive through Jan.20, 2012.

Department of Education Notice

Department of Education Consent Order

State Plan Services at a Glance

State Plan Services Therapy Chart

Medicaid State Plan: Homecare Services

EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

The Early Intervention offices are located at the E.S. Weiant Center. Early Intervention involves home-based services for children age birth through two years who have or are at risk for having developmental delays. Many children who present delays have a diagnosed condition such as Down Syndrome or cerebral palsy. Others may be at risk for delays in development due to premature birth or other medical conditions. Children can begin Early Intervention services any time during the first three years of life. Some children require services throughout that time, while other children only temporarily need services. 

To learn more about the Early Intervention home-based model, please refer to a past issue of Possibilities, our community newsletter. Click here to read it!

The Early Intervention staff works in partnership with families to help them understand their children's development and assists them in achieving their full potential. Staff members assist families in accessing community resources including physical, occupational and speech therapies, as well as service coordination, parent/child education and parent support groups.

THERAPY SERVICES

Therapy services focus on assisting children to better function in their environment and include physical, occupational and speech/language therapies. A physical therapist evaluates how a child lies, sits, stands and walks, along with the general quality of those movements. An occupational therapist evaluates a child's feeding, play and hand-use skills. A speech/language therapist may assess how a child responds to speech and language in his environment, and how he or she attempts to speak or communicate. Therapists can arrange to build or modify adaptive equipment as needed by a child.

AUTISM SERVICES

Services include a variety of therapies for those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Primary programs include the P.L.A.Y. (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) Project, a breakthrough relationship-based therapy that emphasizes play and social skills.

Autism services also include sensory integration therapy, which provides controlled sensory input that allows a child with sensory integration dysfunction to make an adaptive response that integrates the sensations and enhances the organization of the brain.

TRANSITION SERVICES, AGES 16-22

Transition typically starts when a student who is eligible for LCBDD services begins high school. This is an important planning and exploring time. This is a time when your service coordinator helps you think about and plan for what you will do after you graduate. Service coordinators can help you to consider and answer some important questions:

• Do I need help making important decisions?

• Should a guardian be considered when I turn 18?

• Where and with whom will I live?

• How will I support myself?

• What type of job is best for me, based on my skill sets?

• What will I do during leisure time?

• What are my goals and dreams, and how do I pursue them?

For those who need more information about Transition Services for teens and young adults, ages 16-22, please call the Youth Service Coordination team at (740) 349-1420.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Services for Children, please contact the E.S. Weiant Center at (740) 344-6921, or (800) 443-4805. The E.S. Weiant Center is located at 116 N. 22nd St., Newark, OH  43055.