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Early Childhood Special Education
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Special Education Services for Children from
Birth through Age 5
ECSE services are for birth through age 5 include evaluation and intervention services.
Parents' love and attention is the first and most important ingredient to promote a child's development. When children have developmental delays, however, early childhood educators can help with a variety of needs, including speech problems, communication delays physical problems, hearing loss, vision loss, learning problems, mental disabilities.
The Early Childhood Special Education Program at Grant Wood Area Education Agency offers services at no cost to families for children with special needs in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties.
Children's special needs become apparent at different ages. Services are available as soon as the need is identified, even immediately after birth. Parents, doctors, social workers, teachers and other caregivers are encouraged to link families with the Grant Wood AEA Early Childhood Special Education Program as soon as possible.
If you would like more information about the Grant Wood AEA's Early Childhood Special Education Program or would like to make a referral, please call:
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(319) 358-6215
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(319) 399-6574
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To learn more, visit the following:
Early ACCESS (Referral and Case Management)
For families who are concerned about a child from birth to age 3, an "Early ACCESS Service Coordinator" is available to listen to family concerns and priorities about their child, to determine what problems exist, to inform families of resources and services, and to work with families to design a plan for support and therapies.
The Early ACCESS Coordinator becomes a kind of family personal guide to finding and becoming involved with county health and education services.
This is a free service to families living in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties. It is provided through partnerships with Grant Wood AEA, the Iowa Department of Education, Child Health Specialty Clinics, the Iowa Department of Human Services and the Iowa Department of Public Health.
For more information or to speak with an Early ACCESS Coordinator, call 1-800-779-2001.
Referrals
Parents (or legal guardians) are encouraged to phone the Early Childhood Program at (319) 399-6874 (Cedar Rapids calling area), (319) 351-2510 (Iowa City calling area) or toll-free 1-800-332-8488 whenever they have concerns about their child's development.
During the call, they will be asked several questions about their child and may decide to schedule an appointment either at their home, an AEA office or any other agreed-upon site.
Staff from social services, doctors or other medical personnel, preschool teachers or daycare providers sometimes discuss concerns with parents and caregivers, and give families information about Grant Wood AEA Early Childhood services.
Early Childhood Services
Once a child is identified with special needs, a meeting is scheduled to review what is known about the child's development, what services are needed, and how they will be provided.
At that meeting, a team of Early Childhood staff and the parents prepare an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). Parents give their perspectives and ideas and are encouraged to ask questions. A variety of opportunities for meeting the child's needs are explored.
At- Home Intervention
Staff whose skills match the child's needs make regularly scheduled visits to homes and work with parents and other caregivers at times that best fit family schedules.
Ideas and activities to promote development are discussed and explored. Agency staff that makes home visits may include parent/child educators, speech/language pathologists, school social workers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and/or school psychologists.
Parent/Child Groups
Parents and their children may join to "work and play" in group settings, usually in the evening at a community site. Learning activities are shared.
The children may also participate in planned activities while the parents discuss such topics as learning styles, developmental expectations, discipline and strategies for teaching positive behaviors.
Speech/Language Therapy
Another option for a child with delays in speech or language development is regularly scheduled appointments for therapy with a speech/language therapist at the local school nearest the family home.
Consultation
Grant Wood AEA Early Childhood staff frequently meets with parents, caregivers, and such other service providers as public health nurses, Department of Human Services workers, preschool teachers and daycare staff.
Such consultation serves many purposes, including coordinating services, determining and supporting interventions, and helping children be successful in a variety of settings.
Preschools
Some children's needs may best be met by attending a private preschool with support from an aide and/or Early Childhood staff, by attending a preschool class designed for children with special needs, or a combination of the two. These classes would meet throughout the school year.
Speech/Language Pathologists often work closely with the preschool teacher. Additional support from Occupational and Physical Therapists, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, Adaptive Physical Education Instructors and Early Childhood Consultants is available when needed.
Staff and Resources
Early Childhood Special Education staff cares about children and families and are committed to provide learning opportunities for them.
The staff at Grant Wood AEA are certified by the Iowa Department of Education in many fields.
Included on the staff are:
Speech and Language Pathologists
Parent/Child Educators
School Psychologists
Audiologist
Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
School Social Workers
Itinerant Preschool Teacher
Early Childhood Consultants
The Early Childhood Program also offers a lending library to families involved with the program. The library includes children's books, toys and equipment; videos, books, and articles for families and educators; and nearly 200 "Building Blocks" which are information sheets on various topics related to children's development.
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