PIC provides a wide array of services for children and their families may need when children are identified as having a developmental delay or a disability. Those services include:
- Service Coordination
- Developmental therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Social work/behavioral health
- Vision services
- Hearing services
How services are delivered:
PIC uses a primary service provider model to provide services their child needs to grow and learn new skills. Your primary provider is your family service coordinator in addition to their area of expertise. The role of family service coordinator is an important one. You family service provider will walk you through the processes of:
- Intake and information gathering
- Evaluation and assessment to determine your child’s current developmental levels.
- Determine if your child is eligible to enroll in PIC services
- If eligible, work with you to develop your individualized family service plan or IFSP
- Coordinate all services your child needs in the community and at PIC.
Early intervention services are more than therapy for children. All children enrolled in PIC services receive service coordination which means PIC providers help families connect with both internal services and external services provided by others in the community to help children achieve their goals. PIC helps families make the needed connections that will help their child. Service coordination is what makes early intervention different from therapy alone.
What is “natural environments” and why is it important? A natural environment is any environment or place that a typically developing infants or toddler would be during their typical day. Natural environments for young children include home, childcare, parks, grocery stores and many other locations. Part C states that early intervention services must be provided in a child’s natural environment. What that means to parents is that our providers come to you in your home to provide services instead of parents taking their children to a clinic for services. Natural environments also means that the most natural learning environment for a child, which is in the everyday routines and activities for your child and family. Children learn while playing, dressing, eating, reading with their parents, and all the little things families do together during the day. PIC services focus on these natural environments as the building blocks for helping children and their parents and caregivers learn in fun and interactive ways.
Your child’s brain development
Did you know that your child’s brain is creating more neural connections between the ages of birth to 3 years old than any other time in their life. That is why babies are able to learn so many amazing skills in such a short period of time. They learn to recognize their family, learn to move, crawl, walk and run, they learn and master a language (some children more than one language), they learn humor and develop their personality all before they are three years old. Because of this spectacular growth, Part C built into the law, timelines to ensure no time is wasted while their brains are developing so rapidly.
There are two timelines that are very important. Those timelines are:
- 45-day timeline: This timeline states that PIC will complete an evaluation to determine if your child is eligible for Part C service AND if they are, develop an Individualized Family Service Plan or IFSP with you within 45 days of your referral to PIC.
- Timely services: If your child is eligible for Part C services and you wish to enroll in services with PIC. Each service your child will receive will have a start date that is determined by parents and providers together. This date indicates that the service will begin on or before that start date.
Partnerships: PIC does not provide services alone; we are all partners working together to help children grow and learn new things every day.
- Families: PIC providers and parents/caregivers work together to help your child learn. PIC providers coach parents much like a coach on a sport team. PIC providers give parents/caregivers the knowledge and help them practice the skill with their children. The reason for this is that children love their parents and parents love their children. Teaching/coaching parents on ways to help their child learn a new skill means that parents can help their child even when PIC providers are not present. This way of working with young children is considered best practice and results in more time practicing and learning new skills for the child.
- Medical community: PIC partners with all medical providers in our community to ensure that each child who receives an evaluation or is enrolled in services at PIC is receiving care approved by their pediatrician or doctor. We work to coordinate and communicate whenever possible. Parents are asked for permission to exchange information with your child’s medical provider and only with permission are we able to discuss your child’s services, progress, and results.
- School district: Early Intervention/Part C services are provided until a child turns 3 years old and then a child may be eligible for Part B services with the local school district. PIC works with our school districts to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from Part C services to Part B services. This means PIC will start working with parents long before your child turns 3, to help determine eligibility for school district services. These school district services can include preschool services with additional support such as therapy, to continue their learning.
- Private providers: PIC also works with community providers and therapists when families choose to receive services with community providers instead of PIC providers. There are many reasons for families to choose a community provider such as when a child is very close to 3 years old, and it is likely they will need services after their third birthday, or it is preferred by the family to have services in a clinic rather than their home. PIC is happy to collaborate with community providers and will assist families to find a community provider if desired.
Important documents: It is important to us that parents understand their rights under Part C of IDEA and PIC policies so that we can work together. The following documents are essential for parents to understand.
- Parent rights & procedural safeguards (link to booklet)
- Consent to Bill and Billing Policy Link to Policy
- Privacy Practices (HIPAA & FERPA) Link to document
- Consent for Virtual Home Visit-policy and form
- Electronic communications-email, texts communication preferences
Please use this link to view the documents. Documents are translated into several languages: https://www.picak.org/for-parents