From newborns to 3-year-olds, children in a five-county area are receiving services that can give them a head start in education and in life.
The Infant-Toddler program of the Special Education Cooperative, under the auspices of the Emporia school district, serves children in Lyon, Morris, Greenwood, Chase, and Coffey counties and is a branch of the co-op’s Early Childhood Development division.
For logistical purposes, the program’s territory stretches from Alta Vista on the north to Severy on the south, according to Nikki Heinen, infant-toddler teacher.
Approximately 60 youngsters now participate in the program, with 20 more infants and toddlers in the evaluation process for admission. There is no charge to the families to participate.
The young ones come in through a variety of ways, including diagnoses of delayed development, significantly premature birth, parents’ questioning developmental progress, and sometimes through “informed clinical opinion.”
The latter diagnosis may be prompted by a child’s refusal or inability to be tested through a traditional assessment.
Children also come in through the “Count Your Kid In” clinics held twice each year. Parents are also welcome to come to the co-op for evaluation if they have questions about their children’s progress, Heinen said.
The program staff agreed that toddlers’ language skills have become a common reason for receiving services through the Infant-Toddler program.
“(Parents) come in to us because they’re not using an adequate number of words,” Heinen explained.
Staff also has created information packets to distribute to health departments, clinics, and doctors’ offices throughout the five-county area, which has resulted in an increasing number of referrals and, subsequently, participants.
“All of our kids either have to have a (developmental) delay or a diagnosed condition,” she said.
Referrals often come from out-of-town neonatal intensive care units — NICUs (nick-yous) — such as Wesley Medical Center, Stormont-Vail, Children’s Mercy Hospital and, occasionally, Via Christi.
Heinen would like to begin her work while the babies still are hospitalized.
“When we get those referrals, the babies have been discharged,” she said. “... The hope is the earlier you start, the less need there’d be for special education services as they get into school.”
Much of the work on behalf of the infants involves helping the parents with feeding and encouraging motor development; as they get older, attention is expanded to other skills, such speech, play skills and behavior.
“The purpose for us is to try to close the gap for them, to help them catch up with other skills,” said Judy Rockley, early childhood team leader.
The Infant-Toddler team includes four teachers; physical, speech, and occupational therapists; a vision teacher; and consultants that specialize in other needs, such as dietetics and audiology.
“We rely on the medical profession as well,” Heinen said. “We consult with doctors kids need, specialists they’re working with.”
Services from Infant-Toddler staff often are provided in-home, unless the parents ask to meet elsewhere, such as a library, park, or fast-food restaurant. The site often is determined by the little ones’ needs.
An autistic child’s behavior issues, for example, may need resolving through observations and suggestions that sometimes are trial-and-error until a solution can be found for the individual child. The setting for the lesson could be different for each child, according to its preferences.
“We work with the parents — their interests, the child’s interests — and find ways to teach,” Heinen said. “Our philosophy is, kids do best when they’re working on something interesting to them.”
In Kansas, young children with disabilities receive services from birth through 21 through programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to a synopsis provided to parents.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs has identified three early-childhood outcomes to measure the effectiveness of serving children with disabilities from birth through five years of age:
F positive social-emotional skills, including social relationships
F acquisition and use of knowledge and skills, including early language/communication and literacy for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds
F use of appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
The most-recent statistics available for the local Infant-Toddler program showed it is achieving success, and its enrollment is increasing rapidly.
Infant-Toddlers staff collect information about the students when they first enter the early intervention program and when they leave it or enter pre-school.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not still in special education, but it does show they have made adequate progress,” Heinen said.
“Six out of 7, or 86 percent, of the children that exited the Infant Toddler program from April 1, 2006, through 6-30-07 showed improvement on all three outcomes,” Rockley said. “… The state is collecting data with these programs, so we can show they do make a difference. There’s entry and exit data that we’re collecting.”
Services through Infant-Toddler generally stop at the age of three, when staff and members meet three to six months prior to that with parents and professionals to evaluate progress and future needs.
“If we find that they’re not eligible for special education any more, which is awesome, then we try to help the family find alternative programs,” if less intensive help is needed, Heinen said.
The Flint Hills Special Education Cooperative is located in the Mary Herbert Education Center, 1700 W. Seventh Ave.
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