I do not know about other states but in California, Regional Center will cover
birth to three and beyond for certain things. You can also request extended
yr services 47-52 weeks of the year. Yes I agree that there should be a
better overlap of services so three year olds are not without services at a
very critical time. AT 3 my son age out of EI so he only got like 3 months of ST at home, with no progress except less tantrums when the lasy came every 2 days. After that they did an IEP and he went directly into a school and got there his ST and OT as well. He has progressed so much ,i cant believe it . It was hard sending him at 3 to school but it benefit him. I know he needed to therapy and i couldnt afford it at home. Now this year in sept i plan on adding ST at home on weekends.
Sarah was being phased out of ECI 6 mos. before she turned 3 yr. old
Verbal/ABA is the best therapy for young kids with autism IMHO if you want real progress!
I think that sometimes the child's birth date affects how things work. For example, Andrew turned 2 in Feb 2004 then started EI until and through the summer, then he went to public school for Special Needs Pre-K. We had him evaluated by the public schools immediately after being evaluated by EI so we'd be ready. By that summer of 2004 we had to make a decision either to continue EI services until his 3rd birthday OR start school at age approx 2 1/2. We opted for school.we came into contact with the birth to three program just before my son turned 3. they only had time to stop by our home twice to do an evaluation, then they didn't provide any services. this was just before the summer. i was then referred to the school district, and they did their evaluation and i was told he'll have to wait for fall. i think it's a shame that kids age 3 are being left out.
I think I'm going to be in the same waters you're in. My son is 2.5 and we just went to our 1st Evaluation just the other day.
I can relate to you...I feel overwhelmed, overloaded...approaching depression. It's a lot for me to process. And I'm somewhat confused on who I need to contact as far as programs, pre-school, etc...due to my son's age being 2.5yrs.
I'd love to find a local (Phoenix, AZ) mentor that's already been through this and knows the ropes...that can give me some tips and help guide me to resources in my area. Maybe you can find someone like that in your area? I saw a link here yesterday but now I can't find it. It was like a mom-to-mom program, but it was supposed to link you to another parent in your area.
Anyone else know the link I'm talking about?
I think that'd be the best way for me to help me help my son.