It's Part of our Program

It's Part of our Program

Perhaps your child is in a specific program within the school. As an example, a school district names a specific preschool program TBEIP - The Best Early Intervention Program.  This program includes intensive special education, speech and langage, occupational therapy and behavioral intervention services.

One day you realize that your child's IEP does not include the behavioral support services.  You ask for them to be documented in the IEP.  This is where they explain that "those services are just part of our TBEIP program."

O.K., here's why that is not all right in my opinion.

                                         








It is the many peices that make the whole. 

Your child's IEP should include all of the support services that he is receiving.  And in the case where those behavioral services are not direct, individualized services to your child.  Ask that the IEP include a description of the overall program, including all of the professionals who provide specific expertise.

1 in 20 Kids Have a Disability

I can't tell you how many times I have searched and searched for a ballpark estimate of how many kids in the U.S. have a disability. Each time that I have, I have come up with several different answers that have left me in the outfield. So I've been forced to be vague about defining something that is important to me and the work that I do on behalf of families who live with disability. We are a statistsic driven-nation. It helps us put issues into perspective when we know how many people are affected by a certain circumstance. I've devoted my life to the issues that affect kids with disabilities, so I'm thankful for this new statistic:

Census: 1 In 20 Kids Have A Disability
By Michelle Diament

November 22, 2011 About 5 percent of school-age children in the United States have a
disability, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Census
Bureau.

The statistic comes from a brief released this month offering an
in-depth look at kids ages 5 through 17 with disabilities who live in community
settings.

While the Census has long collected data on this group through its annual
American Community Survey, this year marks the first time that government
officials analyzed the results, said Matthew Brault, a Census statistician and
the author of the report.