The ECSE staff supports developmentally delayed children and their families by:
- Helping children do the best they can through individualized program plans (IFSP, IIIP, and IEP) geared to promote development, based on each child's assessed level of function and need.
- Supporting and educating families to help promote the abilities of the child.
-
Promoting inclusion programming of children with handicaps so they are educated with their peers as much as possible.
THE REFERRAL and EVALUATION PROCESS
Just what is a "developmental evaluation"?
A developmental evaluation is an ongoing, collaborative process of gathering information, sharing observations, and making interpretations.
The purpose of an evaluation is:
*To confirm the presence and extent of a disability;
*To determine appropriate interventions and treatments;
*To determine a child's relative level of specific skills.
What triggers a special education referral?
Referrals are received from a variety of sources including parents, doctors, educational specialists, nursery/ preschool teachers, childcare providers, and other professionals. Referrals may be due to speech/language, motor, behavioral, vision, hearing, social/emotional, or cognitive issues.
Who receives a child's special education referral?
A referral for children from birth to 2 years 11 months is made to the Anoka Area Interagency Early Intervention Committee. This agency coordinates the evaluation screening between the parent and District 16.
Parents of children ages 3 to 5 years call the District 16 ECSE program directly with referral information. The ECSE team will determine which service provides will screen the referral at that time.
What happens when a Special Ed referral is made?
A team of ECSE professionals typically completes an initial evaluation. If the child is under age three, the evaluation will begin with a meeting with a member of District 16 ECSE staff and the Anoka Area Interagency staff, who will screen all areas of development and will gather a developmental and health history. These results are shared with the local ECSE team, which will determine whether a full evaluation of your child is warranted at this time. If this team decides to go ahead with an evaluation, an Evaluation Plan is written and the school district becomes responsible for completing this evaluation. If a child is age 3 or older, the referral is made to the ECSE team, which will then schedule a time to screen your child and determine whether a full evaluation is warranted.
Who performs the evaluation? Are parents involved?
Depending on the concerns raised in the referral the evaluation team may consist of professionals in the areas of: Psychology, a Speech/Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech, and an ECSE Teacher. Parent interviews are also a part of the evaluation. Childcare providers, nursery/preschool teachers, and other significant adults in a child's life may be included. An ECSE team member will complete an observation of general overall development in the child's natural setting, which may be in the home, childcare setting, or a classroom. A psychologist may evaluate cognitive, social/emotional, behavioral, and functional skills. A Speech/Language Pathologist may evaluate receptive and expressive language, articulation, fluency, or voice concerns. These evaluations will include parent input, observation, and actual hands on tasks. Using standardized tests, each professional will take 1 to 2 hours to complete his or her part of the evaluation.
How are the results of the evaluation shared with parents?
Results of the evaluation are compiled by the professionals and shared at a parent conference. At the conference, the team will determine whether your child meets State eligibility criteria for Special Education Services and demonstrates a need for these services. Options for service delivery will also be discussed. When a decision is reached to provide special education services an IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan), an IEP (Individual Education Plan), or an IIIP (Individual Interagency Intervention Plan) is written. All documents are kept in the District Office Special Education files and may be accessed only by Licensed Special Education staff and parents.
What are my child's options for service delivery?
Options may include at home services, indirect consultation from a provider, or direct services in the District 16 early childhood program. The District 16 ECSE program believes that children should be educated in the least restrictive environment which basically means that we try to educate all of our children, regardless if they have an identified handicapping condition or not, in the same environment as much as possible. Children identified as in need of services may spend some time in a program designed specifically for children with special needs.
What is Preschool Inclusion?
Inclusion supports the right of all children, regardless of abilities, to participate actively in natural settings with their community peers. Natural settings are those in which the children would spend time had he or she not had a disability. District 16 strives to include our children with handicapping conditions in this natural environment as much as possible. Serving children outside of a natural environment occurs only when achievement in the evaluated and identified need areas cannot satisfactorily be met in this natural environment.
