Dear UCCCN members,

Here are your August 2022 resources and meeting summary.

Announcements

SPARK for Autism genetics study reminder – Parents and siblings of children with autism are encouraged to participate (from home, at no charge, gift cards possible). Registration is online at www.SPARKforAutism.org/utah.

MHP Pediatric Medical Quality Improvement Organizations

              Spark For Autism, University of Utah Health : MHP 34459

Utah Parent Center – Transition University series is starting in September. Let families that you work with know about this. Sessions are available online or live attendance for this three-series program.

MHP Family Support Services

         Utah Parent Center : MHP 10727

University of Utah Pediatric Project ECHO – Fall session started on August 17th with a presentation from Shriners Children's Salt Lake City, and the schedule is available on the website. The next session will occur on August 31st and focus on Wheelchairs, On-Time Mobility, and Safe Transports for Special Needs. Recordings and slides for past sessions are on the Pediatrics ECHO website. CME is available for attending live sessions. Register for any or all of the upcoming sessions.

Our next Autism 101 ECHO session will be held Wednesday, August 24th and will focus on Community and Family Supports. The session on September 28th will discuss Puberty, Adolescence, and Transition to Adulthood. The schedule and information is available on the Autism 101 page, where you can also register for the sessions you'd like to attend. CME is available for those able to attend these live sessions.

MHP Education About Disabilities/Diagnoses

               Project ECHO : MHP 35649

Athena highlighted changes to Education categories in the Utah Medical Home Portal Services Directory. Education/Schools are broken into categories, and Early Education Services contains three subtopics.

We are always looking to add resources for our "Transition to Adulthood - Education Transition Services" category. Please suggest new providers using the button on the Utah Services Directory or leave us feedback.

Disclaimer: These resources come from our members as part of the meeting brainstorming session; please check with your providers to make sure they are appropriate for your patient/families.

You can find a custom list of these and all the service providers discussed in this month's meeting, that can be printed, emailed, and more, here: August 2022 UCCCN Resources of the Month list.

IEPs, Special Education, and 504s

Leslie Hansen, Parent Consultant with the Utah Parent Center, discussed the importance of these programs and works with parents to empower families to advocate for their children's needs.  

Individual Educational Programs (IEP) are devised, reviewed, and revised in a team meeting. If a student has IEP they do not need special education.

The Special Education process includes a referral request from a parent, evaluation, eligibility, IEP, placement, and annual review/referral. Everything needs to be approved for fall session and then meet with the parent(s) after the assessment, which is about 45 days.

The goal of the programs is to aim for educating each child in the least restrictive environment to the maximum extent appropriate.

For Section 504, the definition of a disability is a physical or mental impairment that limits education. Eligibility considerations are that the student needs only one impairment that substantially limits one major life activity, impairment can be episodic or in remission, and decisions should be made without regard to ameliorative effects or mitigating measures.

In IEPs the parent is an integral part of the team, but in 504s that isn't as much the case. The best practice for section 504 is to have a written plan, though this isn't required. The plan should include specific accommodations, supports, or services for the child, names of who will provide each service, and the name of the person responsible for ensuring the plan is implemented.

Only special education, or the IEP, provides for specially designed instruction, in addition to other needed accommodations and related services. A Section 504 plan does not provide specially designed instruction, but it does provide accommodations and other needed services.

100 Effective Accommodations - may be helpful for families whose child could benefit from 504 accommodations.

Utah Parent Center staff, like Leslie, can help parents interface with these plans and schools.

MHP Family Support Services

         Utah Parent Center : MHP 10727