[blindkid] Sensory OT

Fri Sep 23 18:05:00 UTC 2011

As a little addition to this thread, the way to educationally justify OT is its connection to reading Braille.  Fine motor skills are connected to pre-Braille skills (finger isolation, finger strength, matching and identifying textures), so that's how you get it listed on the IEP.  My son is 3, so we are in a similar transitional phase.  His current OT provided by the school does not have a background working with visually impaired kids, but she keeps in close contact with me for ideas and communicates well with our TVI.
Once he's in school, it is so important to be on top of things.  I agree with Sandy.  If you can't get a response by phone or email, going in person is always effective.  It is hard to ignore or dismiss someone standing right in front of you asking for help.  

Katie Vescelus

________________________________
From: DrV <icdx at earthlink.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 11:15 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Sensory OT

Hi Heather,
I agree with Sandy.
In order to get what is appropriate, you need to know the person(s) who are
in the position to make definitive decisions & appropriate the funds.
It is very helpful - invaluable - to get to know on good terms the District
Special Ed Director & the Director of your SELPA/LEA.
Many years ago our recently retired SELPA Director explained that to have
the best chance of getting a desired service (or equipment, etc.) is to
clearly outline why the service is needed - & after 3, how the service is
educationally-relevant -> especially the latter is crucial.
OT can be medically-appropriate, in which case insurance may cover it.
If you want the school to cover it, you need to very clearly make a case for
why it is educationally-necessary - How OT will help address goals in the
IEP.
Work with the VI & other members of the IEP Team to develop some appropriate
goals & explain that the best person to address those IEP goals is an OT
professional.
Call an early IEP meeting - help the group see how OT is necessary - then it
becomes a group decision, not just a parental request.
Even if the district does not have an OT, if the IEP Team feels it is
appropriate, they can & should be contracting out to get the services.
You can also get an independent assessment, if you need, to that would again
(in writing) make a clear case for why OT is educationally relevant.
We were once told that OT & PT stopped at 3 years of age. That is absolutely
not true, as long as you can justify why the service is appropriate.
Our OT became part of the IEP Team & she too developed appropriate
educationally-relevant goals to continue to work on that the rest of the IEP
Team agreed to.
In addition to educationally-relevant, if you can demonstrate how a service
can influence safety, districts are more likely to listen as well.
I fully agree with Sandy in the approach of doing all this in a nice a
manner as possible.
If you can arrange for it, it can be very helpful to personally ask the
District Special Ed Director to attend selected meetings - often it just
takes that persons blessing at the meeting to approve the service & its a
done-deal.
Good luck.
Eric V
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 9/23/11 7:36 AM, "Dr. S. Merchant" <smerchant at vetmed.lsu.edu> wrote:

> Heather,  I haven't been following this thread closely, but many a times to
> speed things up, I went down to the administrator's office (Director of
> Special Ed or whatever the title was) to get forms etc.. or to get things
> done more quickly.  I always did it nice, apologized for taking up their
> time and thanked them for the role that they played or will play in my
> child's education, but nonetheless, was firm on getting forms, getting
> things started.  By the time my son graduated high school, I knew every
> special ed director, was welcome to stop by, knew of or knew personally most
> of the special ed other administrators, teachers, even though some were not
> directly involved in my son's education.  It is soooo incredibly helpful to
> have met and talked to everyone from the ground up.  So, you are just
> starting your journey and my advice is to make yourself known in as nice a
> manner as possible.  Having heard some horror stories , I know that nice is
> not possible in all instances, but making a concerted effort at the
> beginning to be absolutely as nice and thankful as possible, and picking
> your battles - (who cares if it comes 1month later than promised... it came)
> will make it go so much more smoothly.
> 
> I was always willing to wait, because I usually asked for whatever was
> needed (technology as an example), 1 year ahead of time, so if it took
> awhile to procure and that time was less than one year, I was ahead of the
> game. 
> 
> Don't know if this helps, just what helped me for my son's pre K (3 years
> old) - 12th grade education
> 
> Sandy Taboada
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Heather Breems
> Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 8:26 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Sensory OT
> 
> Thank you Trudy,
> 
> I have heard from our state chapter president as well with some helpful
> hints.  We are seeing a vision teacher at our local school for the Blind.
>  Unfortunately they no longer have any OT's on staff and she was not sure
> who to refer us to at this point, but was also going to look into it for us.
>  Since my son turns 3 soon, we will have to go through our insurance for
> private OT services.  Thankfully though our insurance covers 15 sessions per
> year.
> 
> Unfortunately the school has not even evaluated him yet.  He has an IFSP (or
> should soon as early intervention evaluated him on July 26th), but the
> school appears to be stalling on sending me the consent form to have him
> evaluated by their team.  I know by law once I sign the consent they must
> evaluate him within 60 days so my fear is they are trying to keep me from
> signing in order to delay and catch up from all the summer cases.  Even once
> he is evaluated I do not have a lot of faith that he will get the proper OT
> services he needs through the schools.  That is where we are at this point.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Heather
> 
> On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 3:27 PM, Trudy Pickrel <tlpickrel at hotmail.com>wrote:
> 
>>  Heather
>> 
>>  Start with your local school for the Blind. Many of them do evaluations
> for
>>  both early intervention and school districts. Some insurance pays for
>>  private OT if referred by Physian. Your state chapter president also
> should
>>  be able to point you toward evaluators. Early intervention and mths before
>>  he turns 3 they should evaluate and have his IEP so it starts the week of
>>  services. I know if you put in writing asking for IEP they have 30 days.
>>  Maybe someone on here knows if that applies to requesting a 1st IEP and
>>  evaluation.
>> 
>>  Trudy L Pickrel
>>  President MDPOBC
>>            &
>>  TLC by the Lake
>>  Standard Poodles
>>  www.tlcbythelake.weebly.com
>> 
>> 
>>  On Sep 22, 2011, at 1:00 PM, blindkid-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
>> 
>>>  > org
>>>  >
>>>  > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Heather Breems
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