children

Wednesday's
Parent

Many parents assume "special needs" services are limited to severely challenged children. But Massachusetts offers comprehensive services designed to serve not only those with immediate needs, but also those at risk of developmental delay through the Early Intervention program.

From the HHS web site:

Early Intervention in Massachusetts is a statewide, integrated, developmental service available to families of children between birth and three years of age. Children may be eligible for EI if they have developmental difficulties due to identified disabilities, or if typical development is at risk due to certain birth or environmental circumstances.

After turning 3, children "age-out" of EI but can be eligible for services through the Westwood Integrated Preschool. There is a formal process to request a screening and then an evaluation for admission.

These programs serve a range of needs...and the criteria for qualifying for services (both in degree of special needs and financial need/subsidy) is in a state of flux now due to budget constraints. This past year, $8.5 million of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding maintained EI service levels for over 8,000 children.

Don't assume you cannot qualify. Talk to your pediatrician first if you have concerns about your child's development and follow his or her guidance as to whether this program could be an option for you. The programs are administered by private non-profits including Thom Neponset Valley and Enable, Inc. See also http://massfamilyties.org/ for additional special needs resources.

Please add your comments below if you would like to share addition resources for parents.

[Thanks to Anne McIntyre for bringing this idea to my attention...]

We've all seen those "Slow down, family neighborhood!" signs and wondered if they had any effect. Traffic engineers would probably say signs have NO impact at all and the only way to "calm" traffic is to modify the roads, but the Town of Needham is trying something different.

Signs designed by kids, described as "emotionally intelligent" because they invoke more of an empathetic reaction than negative, impersonal commands, may help to subconsciously remind speeders of WHY they should slow down. Needham has deployed a number of these signs which are inexpensive to create and wildly popular with residents.

They are definitely a better idea than this article I found about residents putting out life-size cardboard children near the road to scare cars.