Funded Projects

Capital Area Next Steps (CANS)

Project Year

2022

City & State

Jefferson City, Missouri

Program Name

CATCH Planning

Topic

Child Development/Developmental Delay

Program Description

THE PROBLEM: Throughout the USA, IDEA early childhood intervention programs have helped provide services to children from 0-35 months of age with special needs for decades. It is recognized that many children do not qualify for IDEA services despite having conditions or risk factors that would benefit from early intervention services. Missouri's (MO) First Steps program requires a 50% delay in development for inclusion in the program; this is among the highest in the USA. Many non-qualifying developmental issues place children at risk for educational problems or school failure. Our proposal seeks to identify and provide a pathway for services for these children. . Children in rural areas face additional barriers in identifying developmental issues and accessing care. The catchment area served by the Special Learning Center (SLC) consists of 20 rural communities surrounding Jefferson City, MO. Regional providers of medical services and educators alike recognize the disparities in identification, referral, and coordination of services for children with special needs that exist in rural central MO. However, there is lack of coordination of the medical and educational resources that exists to serve children with special needs and their families. In rural areas, there are disparities in both resources and service accessibility. Small, sparsely populated rural school districts are strained to provide basic education services (many schools in our area are resorting to 4-day school schedules as a cost-saving measure). Providing services and support for children and families with special health care needs exceed the capability of many financially strained districts. Primary care medical services are not always easily accessed by rural families, and referral to a regional specialist or therapist may entail obstacles that families find difficult to navigate. In addition to SLC's therapy programs for children, two hospitals in Jefferson City provide out-patient physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech/language therapy for children with special needs. Opportunities for improvement exist in the relationship between the educational model (SLC) and medical model (medical providers, hospital-based therapists). These opportunities include identification of children with special needs, coordination of care, reduction of duplicated services, and helping families overcome barriers to obtaining services. THE PRIMARY SETTING We envision a regional system of referral and service provision that would ensure early and coordinated care provided by educational and medical resources. SLC is currently in the process of assessing community needs and planning a new physical facility and programming to address these needs. SLC is positioned to be a key resource for families, schools, and medical providers to help provide early intervention services in a coordinated and cost-efficient manner in Central MO. THE NUMBER Of CHILDREN AFFECTED 2017 CDC data estimates that over 17% of children from birth through 17 years of age will have an identifiable developmental disability. This project's target population will include children from birth through age 11 years. PROJECT GOAL Every child in Central MO will have an appropriate and timely evaluation for identifying special needs and will receive services accordingly. Coordination of services between educational and medical providers will be a primary goal of this project. PROPOSED INTERVENTION The CANS program (Capital Area Next Steps) will exist as a resource for provider education, patient identification, referrals/service delivery, coordination of educational and medical resources, and assistance in eliminating barriers to care that rural populations face. ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES The project will address medical provider awareness and education in early intervention services, coordination of resources in the educational and medical settings, and ultimately, helping the children and families of central MO to achieve maximum functioning.

Project Goal

Develop a plan to extend and coordinate educational and medical services for early childhood interventions (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy) for children who currently do not meet criteria for First Steps IDEA from birth to 35 months of age or school-based services for children 36 months of age and older in Central Missouri or who are underserved (not receiving adequate services) to assist them in meeting their maximum potential.

Project Objective 1

By the project’s completion, CANS team and project coordinator will establish a protocol to improve communication and collaboration between children’s medical providers and educational team from current zero structured contacts to at least annually in order to maximize children’s outcomes.

Project Objective 2

By the planning project’s completion, CANS team will help medical providers to identify the screening tool that is most appropriate for their practice that will facilitate timely referral for services: this baseline data is currently unknown until properly investigated with the assistance of grant funding and the goal is 100% provider utilization in order to accurately identify children with a developmental delay.

Project Objective 3

By the planning project’s completion, CANS team will eliminate the barrier for medical providers to directly refer children with special needs to therapists at the Special Learning Center from having no system in place to regional providers having access 100% of the time in order to provide necessary early intervention to children with special needs.

AAP District

District VI

Institutional Name

Special Learning Center

Contact 1

Sarah Gordon