Regional Center of the East Bay

1. Regional Center of the East Bay Supports to Infants and Young Children with Special Needs Wanda Davis, MSW Director of Early Intervention Services Regional Center of the East Bay

2. Benefits of Early Intervention • Remediation of existing problem or prevention of potential occurrence • research provides evidence that early intervention has positive impact • Significant cost effectiveness when organizations worktogether • Promotes inclusive communities

3. Evaluation (Eligibility) & Assessment (Needs) Process Child’s evaluation for eligibility done with parent consent by either Regional Center or Local Education Agency If eligible If NOT eligible, refer to: Other community resources: health services, social services, mental health, alcohol & drug programs and other agencies. For complete list, contact Family Resource Center. Child’s assessment to determine service needs; also identify family concerns, priorities and resources.

4. Established risk condition resulting in a developmental disability High Risk for Developmental delay (13 medical factors defined by each state). Developmental delay ( significant difference between child’s age and functioning) . Early Start Eligibility

5. Referral Process • Referral should be made within 48 hours of recognition of significant concern related to a child’s development • Referral should be made directly to responsible agency • Refer directly to either Regional Center of the East Bay or to the local education agency, depending on the suspected cause of the delay

6. Assessment process Parent consent required I.d. child/family needs + Guides intervention Done by responsible agency Voluntary & at public expense Generic resources first

7. Regional Center Services • Case Management and Advocacy • Individual/Family Service Plan- Identify, Plan • Coordination of Generic Services • May purchase services based on policies established by the RCEB Board of Directors after all alternative funding has been explored

8. RCEB Services (0 – 5)

9. RCEB serving Dev. Disabilities Regional Center of the East Bay is one of 21 agencies throughout California that is contracted by the Dept. of Developmental Services to provide services to persons with developmental disabilities. • A developmental disability is defined as a disability that occurs before the age of 18, is substantially disabling for an individual, and is expected to continue indefinitely. Developmental disabilities include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. Also included are disabling conditions closely related to mental retardation or requiring similar treatment. • A referral to Regional Center is necessary to begin the eligibility evaluation process. Eligibility is determined within 120 days of receipt of the referral by the Regional Center. • Regional Center has multi-lingual intake and case managers including two delegated agencies ACMHS and La Famila

10. School District Eligibility A child may be eligible who has any of the following: • Severe speech delay and/or language impairment • Orthopedic impairment • Cognitive impairment • Deafness • Low vision or blindness • Autism • Severe emotional disturbance • Other disabling health impairments

11. Unified School District Assessment • Children referred to the LEA are assessed by a team that may include a school nurse, teacher of the deaf, vision specialist, audiologist, speech-language pathologist, school psychologist, adapted physical education specialist, occupational therapist and/or a physical therapist. • Services are determined based on the findings of the team.

12. Alameda SELPA Programs • Parent participation model • Services offered in home and at site • Individual and small group services • Serves infants with vision, hearing, and orthopedic impairments, and other students as space allows • Referrals for assessment from physicians, parents and Regional Center

13. California Children Services (CCS) • Statewide program that arranges and pays for medical care, equipment and rehabilitation for eligible children and youth (under age 21) who have eligible medical conditions and whose families are unable to pay for all or part of their care. • CCS determines eligibility and selects the most qualified professionals to treat each child’s CCS eligible condition.

14. CCS Eligibility • Age – child must be under 21 years of age • Residence – child must be a permanent California resident • Family income – must be less than $40K, or if medical care for the CCS eligible condition is expected to cost more than 20% of the family’s income • Medical conditions - only certain conditions are eligible for CCS • Insurance – even if a child has private insurance, she/he may still qualify for CCS

15. What Services are Provided? • Diagnostic services (audiology evals) • Medically necessary treatment for the child’s CCS-eligible condition, including equipment, surgical care, laboratory tests and dental • Medically necessary physical, occupational therapy and medical therapy conference services • Case management: referrals, coordination with schools, nurses, social workers and other agencies

16. How to Access CCS Services • Physician report is made identifying suspected condition • Referral made to (510) 267-3285 • Application completed by parents • Eligibility determined • Services determined and provided

17. Eligibility • Infants who have graduated from a California Children Services-approved Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or from a CCS-approved hospital after transfer from an approved NICU • Infants at risk for developmental problems due to prolonged hospitalization, low birth weight, problems at birth, or continuing medical problems

18. Child/family Supports

19. Early Head Start Head Start Special Start Healthy Steps First Five Play groups Inclusion Specialists IPOP CARI Program Summer Pre K camp Harambee El Congreso JENNA Infant Mental Health providers Library toddler read Car Seat distribution programs State preschools Community Services

20. Family Resource Centers • support and information to families of children with special needs • individualized peer support • community resource information • newsletter and community events calendar • health care information • support groups • extensive website & links • educational workshops

21. Community’s Role • Prepare parent about the referral and get their consent to share child/family information • Included parental contact information when calling and written clearly when using the interagency community form • Referral should be made within 2 working days of recognition of potential developmental delay, per Early Start regulations. • Refer directly to all potential service agencies( EHS,CCS,MH) • Health review or medical record of client should be sent to the responsible agency to expedite referral. TIP:for children less than 3yrs old with Medi-Cal, a Treatment of Authorization Request (TAR) can be written for speech, occupational, or physical therapy, an audiology evaluation or vision needs.

22. Unique Needs • Families of special needs children interact with a complex system of agencies, services and programs • Legal mandates define services • Eligibility requirements are confusing • Medical needs may be supported by a variety of non-integrated and unfamiliar programs • Emotional needs may be beyond those of a typical family. Connections to family support are important.

23. Interagency Coordination • Ensure family’s understanding of referrals • Share information about newly identified infants & toddlers to ease the connections to agencies • Coordination of tasks to avoid duplication or non usage of valuable resources • Be knowledgeable

24. Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB) – Early Start Program Assisting infants and toddlers, birth to age three, who may be at risk for developmental disabilities and demonstrate a need for service. Providing evaluation and assessment, service coordination, and community resource information. Office Locations: CONCORD Contra Costa county office 2151 Salvio St. Suite 365 Concord, CA 94520 925 798-3001 Over 3 call (510) 383- OAKLAND Alameda County office 7677 Oakport St. Suite 300 Oakland, CA 94621 510 383-1200 Early Intervention Intake lines: 510 383-1355 or (Spanish/English line) 510 383-1327 Visit Regional Center on the web at www.rceb.org