Special Needs
Obsession
member
how do I go about finding therapists who will come to my child
Obsession
member
instead of us going to them? My Pedi doesn't know anyone and our current OT/PT just said they don't do it and acted like I was crazy to think that existed.
But it does exist right? I've tried google and haven't found anything specific. Thanks!
I am thinking about going back to work full time but the only way I could do that is if we could find OT/PT that will go to the daycare my son would be enrolled in. Thanks!
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Re: how do I go about finding therapists who will come to my child
I started with the professional organizations for therapists, like ASHA for SLPs. Many of the therapists and/or practices indicate on their web pages whether they are willing to travel to provide services in-home.
It's a pretty common thing where I live. The child psych that we're working with currently comes to our house once a week to help teach us Floortime.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
I'm in VA.
So I just contact the school he is supposed to go and they will hook me up with OT/PT person?
A quick google led me to https://211uwgrp.org/ through the VA early intervention website. It gives you the contact info for the program by county. HTH!
He would qualify for school services but in our county their are actual pre-schools for kids who have aged out of EI (which happens at 3) but they can start the school as early as 2.
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/early_childhood/index.shtml
ETA: We got contact info on an educator liaison type person when we were at the therapy center last week, i'm going to see if I can track down her email for you. I don't know if she just works with kids who have spina bifida or not but I'm sure she would know the therapist who go to daycares if anyone would! *runs to look in purse now..* lol
Thanks guys. I will call them.
I thought I'd be able to find a private one. Oh well.
Infants and Toddlers provides help through age three. In VA children also become eligible for the school system's preschool special education program at age two. Hence the two different ages you're seeing. In either case, if your son is four, you should contact your son's local school system. They'll put you in contact with the right people for the preschool special education program. This will be free if he qualifies. If medical reasons necessitate being "home-bound" the school will come to him. However, homebound is reserved for children who are medically fragile and can not medically handle being in school. DD was "homebound" while enrolled in the public school. Alternatively, with the school-based preschool program, if you qualify, you will get an IEP and "transportation" will be one of the categories that you discuss. Ie. whether you will drive your son or the school will pick up.
Outside of early intervention and school, there are definitely private therapists who will come to a child's home. I used to do this and have a lot of friends/colleagues in the field who still do. Additionally, any therapists we have ever used for my DD have been in our home. You'll mostly find therapists who are willing to do in-home services through smaller clinics that don't have huge booming centers/therapy rooms. The rate can sometimes be a bit higher (because you're covering both the cost of their travel and the time that they won't be able to spend with another client since they are traveling to you). There's a pretty big range with how people deal with this. Some people charge their regular hourly rate, others take that in account to their rate, and some (if you get pretty lucky) actually won't charge you extra at all. You may also run into an issue in terms of insurance coverage. IME, the therapy practices which will provide in-home services (outside of EI) are much smaller and much less of them accept the same variety of insurances that a center based program would, so you may be out of network with your insurance or have to pay OOP. However, you'll sometimes find therapists who will give you a lower rate if you aren't billing through insurance.
Honestly the only therapists that have ever come to me are the early interventionists (which your child has aged out of EI services - they are now with the school system if they qualify). The only time any therapists that worked with the school system came to my house were because they doubled as EI therapists (this was in my fairly small hometown).
Outside of that, I have always traveled to the therapists which were typically outpatient/private/insurance covered type therapists. I hope you are able to find therapists that can go to your child's daycare!
You aren't likely to find a public school therapist who will come to your home unless your child is homebound for medical reasons.
We do have therapists that come to our home/daycare, but they are private and are actually carry-overs from our EI days.
I've called about 7,000 places today and gotten no where. I called the school system and the woman in charge of this stuff is supposed to call me back tomorrow.
RD - you're saying that he could possibly be enrolled in pre-school early in the fall because of a motor delay? Interesting. Then we would just have to have aftercare?
Yes, granted I am new to this part of EI. P's first eval is tomorrow for preschool.
https://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/early_childhood/index.shtml
This website says, "Developmental delay" means a disability affecting a child ages two by September 30 through six, inclusive: (34 CFR 300.8(b);[ 34 CFR 300.306(b)])
Local school divisions determine the criteria for being found eligibile for services under the developmental delay category.
Early Childhood Special Education services are provided by local school divisions. Local school divisions? Special Education Departments should be contacted for specific information about their programs ? see the public school division directory."
So from my understanding, he could start preschool through the county in September if he qualified (or August whenever they start there). I know a bus can pick up here and we live REALLY far out, so one would assume said bus could pick up from daycare etc, or drop off at daycare, etc.
I think he would have to have a 30% delay or a diagnosis, blah blah blah. Not all kids go to the pre-school everyday but it could be a way to get his therapy in without you having to take him since they would be doing it at the school, etc.
ETA: or may be this too since he is already 4, https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/early_childhood/index.shtml
Oh we are talking about head start. OK. Now I see where you are going.
The last link is similar to headstart but not income based. I don't know much about it, just saw the link and that it was for a 4 year old. The other links I had given are for early childhood special education. (you could maybe try the other thing if his delay isn't significant enough, etc)
The early childhood sped is the continuation of aging out of early intervention at 3 and handled by the school system. It is diagnosis/delay based and the child would get therapies in the school setting, etc.
That's awesome! Hope it ends up working out!