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HELP FOR MY MOM AND DAD
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When you are caring for a
child with special needs, it is important to learn what services
are available in your community that will help to support your efforts
in meeting the child's unique needs. Locating services and programs
can be a challenging task the first few times. As with many tasks,
practice helps. There are several guidelines to help you in this
process they include:
- Ask yourself several key questions before you begin:
a. What does the child need?
b. What does your family need?
c. What are your questions?
- It is important that you have a list of questions ready before
you contact a service provider. It is useful to keep a notebook
for your contacts/information. Write your questions out leaving
space for the answers. Be sure to leave space for the name of
the person you talk with, the name of the service provider, and
the telephone number.
- To avoid confusion and future repetition of calls, keep track
of all your contacts, even those that may not have been helpful.
- By keeping good records of your calls and contacts, you can
better formulate your questions and keep track of the advice you
are given. You are developing your own resource guide for ongoing
use.
- In general, once a good resource is located, you can ask them
for referrals to other local resources that may help meet the
needs you have identified.
- Some states have information and referral lines that are toll
free. Such agencies may provide information and referral lines
that are toll free. Such agencies may provide information about
public and private service providers in your community.
- Other families with children who have similar special needs
are often an invaluable resource. There are many local support
networks for families of children with a wide range of disabilities.
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