Booking now open for fall ABA Groups, Full Day ABA and 1-to-1 FBI

Helpful Tips for Parents Managing Services

OCTOBER 9, 2020

Whether you are waiting for a diagnosis, looking for an IBI program, applying for funding or planning for a transition, managing your child’s services can be stressful. Keeping all important documents in one, easily accessible place will help relieve this stress.

FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO STAY ORGANIZED AND FOLLOW THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Keep a service file.

This could be a binder or something similar. Bring it with you whenever you are meeting with anyone about your child. Consider labelling categories such as: 

  • History; birth history, developmental milestones, interests, sleep patterns, behaviour logs, etc. 
  • Assessments 
  • Medical 
  • Financial 
  • School 

Keep a log of contact information and agencies that you are involved with.

Information to include: 

  • Primary contact person; name, phone number, email, position. 
  • The date the referral was made. 
  • Dates of contact; include phone calls, emails, and visits made. It’s important to include who you spoke to, the date and time and what you talked about.

You may be on the waitlist. Note the referral that the date was made.

  • Call occasionally to check on your status (write down information in your contact log) 
  • Contact the agency if something changes with your situation such as: a move, a stressful event, etc.) 

You can decide to have private services.

  • This means you need to pay. Do your research about your options. 
  • You can interview different services and people and make your own decision. 
  • Charitable foundations may support funding. Workplace benefits/insurance policies may also provide some coverage for private services. 

If you want a specific service of program, you need to check the following to help speed up the process.

  • Does this service have a deadline? 
  • Is there certain criteria that I need to have to enroll? 
  • Do I need a referral or doctor’s note? 

Parents need to keep original documents.

Many agencies request copies of assessments and reports to help determine services. It may be useful, and quicker, to give an extra copy than having agencies request them from other agencies. 

  • Make sure the date is on all reports. 
  • Make photocopies of all assessments, reports and recommendations. 
  • Sign consent for an agency to have a copy of your child personal information.

Keep any receipts for items directly related to your child’s needs.

You may be able to use receipts for certain grants, government funding options, taxes and insurance purposes.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

Photo of Toe-Walking Child

Physiotherapy Resources for Toe-Walking

Exercises to reduce toe walking in children and teens

READ MORE

Applying For: Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities

Quick tips and a video to help families and caregivers access this financial assistance program

READ MORE

By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO