EI, IU, BSU, IEP... I don't know if the acronyms are all the same for everyone wherever they live, but I'm annoyed all the same. Not annoyed with the shortening of titles, but the fact that no one seems to want to help! Early Intervention is a program Johnny was involved with from the time he was only a few months old until he turned 3. It was wonderful: we had a general therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a speech therapist for different points in his life where he needed help in each area. Then he got too old for the program and well... caput.
The Intermediate Unit is the next step up from Early Intervention, ages 3 through elementary school (I think?) and they are full of it. They will help anyone with cognitive or physical delays, but if the issue is emotional? You're out on your butt. "We don't give service for emotional issues... contact the BSU".
The Base Service Unit basically serves to kick people around to 20 different places, none of which are any more helpful than the last. (Specifically, they referred me back to the IU. Great!) Inevitably the "emotional" issues before a kid hits kindergarten just get ignored. So much for everyone stressing "the earlier you can intervene, the better for the child". Those exact same people are of no help.
Individualized Education Plans are for anyone with special needs... unless the kid is below kindergarten. Preschool IEPs are again cognitive or physical need based only. Once he hits the school district, Johnny will qualify for one and no one will bat an eye. For now? No help! Oh-- and what is more, his teachers would kill for him to get an IEP. They all think he needs one too!
If he had an IEP he could go to school all summer with the same program, same teachers as he has had. His new in-home behavioral therapist agrees with his teachers and I that it would make all the difference for Johnny to be able to stay there and keep with the routine and interaction with other kids. We all foresee a huge crash come the end of May when the bus stops coming by our house, and the beginning of next year bringing a noticeable setback in his emotional development. But hey-- kids under kindergarten age don't have emotions, remember?
To top it all off, no summer programs (in our town that is full to the brim of them) will accept a 4 year old who isn't potty trained. Never mind the fact that the reason he isn't potty trained is because he has Sensory Processing Disorder, and therefore they are discriminating against a disability. He doesn't have an IEP, so summer camps won't recognize the problem as legit.
I love the mental health system in this country.
The Intermediate Unit is the next step up from Early Intervention, ages 3 through elementary school (I think?) and they are full of it. They will help anyone with cognitive or physical delays, but if the issue is emotional? You're out on your butt. "We don't give service for emotional issues... contact the BSU".
The Base Service Unit basically serves to kick people around to 20 different places, none of which are any more helpful than the last. (Specifically, they referred me back to the IU. Great!) Inevitably the "emotional" issues before a kid hits kindergarten just get ignored. So much for everyone stressing "the earlier you can intervene, the better for the child". Those exact same people are of no help.
Individualized Education Plans are for anyone with special needs... unless the kid is below kindergarten. Preschool IEPs are again cognitive or physical need based only. Once he hits the school district, Johnny will qualify for one and no one will bat an eye. For now? No help! Oh-- and what is more, his teachers would kill for him to get an IEP. They all think he needs one too!
If he had an IEP he could go to school all summer with the same program, same teachers as he has had. His new in-home behavioral therapist agrees with his teachers and I that it would make all the difference for Johnny to be able to stay there and keep with the routine and interaction with other kids. We all foresee a huge crash come the end of May when the bus stops coming by our house, and the beginning of next year bringing a noticeable setback in his emotional development. But hey-- kids under kindergarten age don't have emotions, remember?
To top it all off, no summer programs (in our town that is full to the brim of them) will accept a 4 year old who isn't potty trained. Never mind the fact that the reason he isn't potty trained is because he has Sensory Processing Disorder, and therefore they are discriminating against a disability. He doesn't have an IEP, so summer camps won't recognize the problem as legit.
I love the mental health system in this country.
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