Accessing Specialized Services for Children Under 3
· Services for children under 3 in California are either funded through the County you live in or through your Medical Insurance. School Districts do not provide funding for service for children who are under 3 years old. Getting started on the process of getting services for your child can be overwhelming, but hang in there! It will be worth it.
· If you suspect a delay, contact your pediatrician and schedule an appointment. If you have a PPO for your insurance plan you may be able to self-refer for specialist appointments but most plans require authorization for special services assessments. You can contact your insurance company directly if you have questions.
· Your pediatrician may order a developmental assessment (looks at all areas of development at one time) or an assessment specifically for the area you are concerned about (speech, motor development, physical development, etc.)
· You can also contact the San Diego Regional Center (or your local Regional Center if outside of San Diego County) to request an assessment – the Regional Center will likely ONLY provide services if you do not have medical insurance that will cover the services for the areas of need. If your child qualifies for services through the Regional Center they will receive an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) that will outline the interventions and services.
· If your child shows significant delays you may qualify for Early Intervention behavioral services in the form of direct service therapy and/or parent training
·Typically the process for acquiring services is:
Referral to specialist for assessment
Assessment is scheduled and conducted
Request for services is made to funding source if appropriate
When request is approved, services can begin
In certain circumstances, services may be directly approved without the need for assessment.
When children are under 3 it is extremely important to make an effort to access any and all services that are being offered to them. Early Intervention is clinically proven to help young children with autism or who are showing signs of autism make developmental progress.
Depending on where you live, children under 3 may qualify for a center based program that runs like a school (where you drop your child off for a few hours for them to receive their services), but many programs are conducted in your home or in a hospital or clinic based setting where you participate in the therapies with your child. Your child’s assessment will determine their need for service.