SPECIALIZED SERVICES FOR CHILDREN

Project LEARN: Living Education and Resources Network (Project LEARN) is a program that provides support to students with acquired traumatic brain injury and their families. This project is funded by a grant from the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. Among the goals of Project LEARN is to:

• Create and sustain competency for families and school staff in addressing challenges of children with brain injuries.
• Establish an interactive, user-friendly web based information and resource program.
• Provide access to the expertise of the BIANYS FACTS coordinators, as well as an extended support network of professionals, families, educators, and other resources.

Families are a vital part of the system of support for students with brain injury. We invite you to share your son or daughter’s school experiences after brain injury. Please click here to fill out a Project LEARN Family questionnaire. The information we collect will help us better understand who and where students with brain injury are across New York State.

For more information on Project LEARN, please contact Jane Higham

School
Federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Act or IDEA) identifies TBI as an educational disability and requires that schools provide appropriate services. For students of kindergarten age and beyond, the Committee for Special Education (CSE), with parent input, decides upon service needs and educational goals. These are documented in the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Possible services include individualized classroom alterations, home instruction, classroom aids, testing (or other work) accommodations, smaller classes, specialized teaching, counseling, rehabilitation therapies, technology interventions, nursing services in school, day treatment, residential, and private school placement, hearing and vision services. Some school districts provide highly specialized educational interventions through regional programs (i.e., BOCES).

Preschool
For children ages 3 to 5, the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) can authorize similar services, in specialized private community-based preschools, or at home. Early Intervention services to youngsters under three years old are provided through Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP), which authorize services similarly to CPSE, but can also include respite, visiting nurses, and counseling for families.

Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD)
OMRDD provides service coordination, residential habilitation, environmental modification, equipment purchases, and occasionally funds extraordinary family needs.