In-Home Support: Getting the Carryover Your Child Needs

If you're like most parents of children with special needs, you've no doubt found yourself overwhelmed with information and advice from teachers, doctors, therapists and case managers. Once your child is established in an appropriate program, you may find a need to carry over the daily living skills and behavior management practices they are learning at school. This can be a difficult and daunting role for a parent to fill, particularly if you have a job and family to care for. Luckily, there is help.

Your first step is to contact your child's case manager to handle the necessary application and acquire any requisite reports from doctors and/or therapists. Depending upon the state in which you live, there may be a waiting period for in-home support. Thus, the sooner you get the ball rolling, the better. Agencies that provide support services are generally non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting the inclusion of children and adults with special needs within the community. Agencies also promote awareness of developmental disabilities and train service providers.

Once your child is approved and an organization is chosen, you will meet with a program coordinator to draft a plan--a set of goals specific to behavior management and daily living skills for your child. As a parent, you have complete control over this process. Goals can include learning coping skills, awareness of personal space, engaging in appropriate conversations, street safety and safety within the community setting, socially appropriate behaviors when interacting with community, transitions, and learning who to ask for help when out in community. For older children and adults, goals can also include making healthy food choices and meal planning, grocery shopping, bill paying, laundry, using public transportation and job training.

Your program coordinator will make home visits every ninety days for a plan review and arrange training for your in-home support person as required by state regulations. Coordinators work hard to ensure a proper match is made between providers and families. Billing for services will go to your state medicare coverage or Katie Beckett insurance. So don't delay. Call your case manager and apply for in-home support today.

Cathryn holds a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and works with special education students at both the elementary and secondary levels. As a parent of a child with special needs, Cathryn has over a decade of experience dealing with service agencies, the IEP process, case management and therapists, acquiring insights from both "sides of the table." In her spare time, Cathryn writes women's fiction. Read her writing at: smashwords.com/profile/view/rynicabon smashwords.com/profile/view/rynicabon