Assistive Technology Procedures

Dear Family Service Coordinators & Providers,

Assistive Technology (AT) is a service that some children and their families may benefit from while enrolled with Missouri First Steps. As with all First Steps services, we must insure that the AT is something that is appropriate and functional for the child and family in terms of their outcomes as well as their routines. DESE has provided guidance that is available on their website that includes questions and steps that IFSP Teams should remember when considering pursuing AT through First Steps.


These questions should be addressed at some point prior to the decision is made to pursue any particular AT item(s).

ACTIONS AT THE IFSP MEETING

An IFSP team member may suggest a discussion about assistive technology. At that

time, the IFSP team should consider the following:

          Child’s age
         Questions to consider:

• Is the child near transition age?
• Will the child have the opportunity to use the item and make progress with it while in First Steps?
  

 

Child’s current skills and abilities

Questions to consider:

 

• Is the child making progress currently, without a device?
• Why is child unable to participate in the family’s routines and activities?
• Can this device be easily integrated into the routines?
• Will the child have time to make progress while in First Steps?

What are the family’s concerns and priorities?

Questions to consider:

• What are the current IFSP outcomes?
• Has the IFSP team tried other strategies or activities to assist the child’s progress?
• What strategies worked to assist the child’s development?
• What strategies did not work in assisting the child’s development?

         Other questions the IFSP team considers:

• How specialized must the device be to meet the need? Low-tech or high-tech?
• How long may it take to obtain the assistive technology device?
• Is the item available in the natural environment?
• Can the item be made?
• Can the item be borrowed or obtained through a loan program?

Also, Early Intervention Teams can be very instrumental in discussing low-tech AT options or brainstorming ideas. Whereas the decision to provide the service cannot be made by the EIT, consultation about AT can and should happen.

DESE guidance regarding AT can be found at the following link: http://dese.mo.gov/se/fs/AssistTech.htm

Extension of the Comment Period for Proposed Changes to State Plan for Part C

Subject: Extension of the Comment Period for Proposed Changes to State Plan for Part C

Source: Pam Schroeder, Assistant Director, Part C Compliance

Intended Audience: System Points of Entry (SPOE) directors, Service Coordinators, Service Providers, State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) members, Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teachers and administrators, Special Education directors

Date: October 31, 2012

The Office of Special Education, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, has decided to extend the deadline for commenting on proposed changes to the state regulations implementing Part C (birth to three years) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) until 4:30 p.m. on November 30, 2012. These are the regulations that govern the First Steps Early Intervention Program. These regulations also include requirements for transition from Part C (First Steps) to Part B (Early Childhood Special Education), including Local Educational Agency (LEA) notification, timelines for the conference with the LEA, and required actions for late referrals to First Steps.

The proposed changes are available for inspection until November 30, 2012, in the Office of Special Education, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 205 Jefferson Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102 during regular office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The proposed changes are also available on the Office of Special Education website at: http://dese.mo.gov/se/stateplan/index.html. Numerous changes to content, abbreviations, and formatting were made throughout the document. A chart identifying the content changes is also available at the above link.

Before adopting any proposed changes necessary to comply with Part C of the Act, the state must hold hearings for public review and comment on the proposed changes to regulations. Two public hearings on these proposed changes were held by webinar during October 2012. Links to the recorded webinar are listed below:

Proposed State Plan Changes for Part C - 1st Public Hearing; Wednesday October 10, 2012, 1:00-3:00 p.m. -- http://dese.mo.gov/webinar/Webinar10-10-12-SE.htm

Proposed State Plan Changes for Part C - 2nd Public Hearing; Tuesday October 16, 2012, 1:00-3:00 p.m. -- http://dese.mo.gov/webinar/Webinar10-16-12-SE.htm

Written public comments on the proposed changes in state regulations may be submitted through the following methods until 4:30 p.m. on November 30, 2012.

Mail: Office of Special Education, Attn: Pam Schroeder P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480

Email: Idea.Comments@dese.mo.gov, Attn: Pam Schroeder, Part C State Plan Comments

Fax: Attn: Pam Schroeder, (573) 526-4404

Judy Goans | Administrative Assistant | Office of Special Education | 573-522-8762 |dese.mo.gov

Important: Upcoming WebSPOE Changes in October/November 2012

"Source: Pam Thomas, Coordinator, First Steps Program

Intended Audience: First Steps providers and Service Coordinators

Date: September 13, 2012

WebSPOE is the First Steps online child data and billing system at www.mofirststeps.com Last year’s enhancement to the WebSPOE revealed some needed improvements to the system. I am pleased to report that we are working on an upgrade to the system that will provide:

* New technology throughout the entire website to expand compatibility functions and improve speed performance; 
* New display throughout the entire website that reduces the amount of scrolling on pages and lightens the display colors;
* New display in the Provider Account Module that reduces the amount of scrolling when viewing claim and payment information; and
* New technology that will expand access and compatibility to mobile devices such as iPad and Android.

To make these upgrades to the website, it is anticipated that WebSPOE will be down for several days at the end of October-beginning of November. NOTE: Service Coordinators will NOT have to finalize all IFSP meetings in order to prepare for this upgrade. We will send more details over the next few weeks to help you prepare for this upgrade accordingly. We appreciate your patience during this time."

Provider Meeting- September 28

The EIC wants to hear from you.

Please come to a “Town Hall” gathering to network with other providers and to share your

thoughts on providing First Steps services

 

WHEN:

Friday, September 28th, 1:30-3:00

WHERE:

YWCA Head Start/Early Head Start

1911 Beltway Drive, 63114

(Page and 170)

WHO:

Any First Steps Providers

Boy Inspires Kids - Kids Inspire Us All (Amazing Finish)

Quality Indicators Rating Scale (QIRS)

As part of the ongoing effort to insure that we are providing quality services to the families we support in First Steps, the state developed guidance with the help of local stakeholders and national experts from NECTAC in 2004 (Revised in 2005 and 2011) for writing quality IFSPs. This guidance was provided to each SPOE and all Family Service Coordinators are provided training to incorporate these standards into the IFSPs they were helping to develop and write.

As part of the new guidance document, a rating scale was developed as a mechanism for reviewing IFSPs and rating the various components within them on a scale of 1 (Unacceptable), 3 (Acceptable), or 5 (Best Practice). DESE continues to use this document and rating system to periodically review the plans written within each region and provide individual feedback/scores for each Family Service Coordinator, as well as collectively for each SPOE. As part of the contractual obligation with DESE, each SPOE has to meet a certain percentage of plans at acceptable or higher in order to remain in compliance and to avoid penalty.

Until now, this QIRS guidance was mainly directed toward Family Service Coordinators and was not distributed or readily shared outside of the SPOE. However, we feel that this information should be common knowledge amongst all the First Steps providers who participate and contribute to the development of an IFSP.  In order to make sure we continue to meet these standards, it is important that everyone is aware of what is expected and how we are being rated.

Documentation regarding QIRS can be found on the DESE First Steps page at the following link:
DESE QIRS Guidance

QIRS relates to the follow elements of the IFSP (for example):

• Successful completion of all required sections of the IFSP
• Information is specific to the child/family
• Information is written in clear family-friendly language (less jargon)
• Information is routine based
• Family concerns, priorities, resources are clearly documented
• Outcomes are individualized, functional, measurable, and relate back to routines
• Strategies within the outcomes relate back to the family routine and support the outcome
• Services and service levels are appropriately related to the outcomes and support the methods of coaching per the Missouri First Steps model of Early Intervention

We ask that everyone review this guidance and be familiar with the expectations related to writing quality IFSPs. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the SPOE.

Provider Progress Notes & Family Service Coordinator Case Notes

Reminder to all providers regarding the importance of  Provider Progress Notes and FSC Case Notes:

The timely and accurate entry of provider progress notes into WebSPOE is vital to the continuity of service delivery. Progress notes not only help to document that services are being delivered in accordance with the IFSP but also serve as a way to communicate strategies and activities amongst all team members!

Provider Progress notes are also used by Family Service Coordinators when preparing for IFSP reviews and are very important in the conversation of reviewing outcomes.

Did you also know that Early Childhood Special Education diagnostic teams review provider progress notes in addition to the IFSP and/or evaluation and assessment reports when determining if a child is eligible for Part B? Provider progress notes also become part of the child's EI record and can be helpful in determining a child eligible for other resources and services such as Regional Office and Social Security.

Family Service Coordinator case notes are another very important part of the EI record that should include:

• Documentation of compliance related steps following referral and through eligibility determination (including attempts to contact the family, scheduling intake, providing Parental Rights, notification of eligibility, scheduling IFSP meetings)
• Documentation of conversations with all IFSP team members
• Documentation of the occurrence IFSP meetings and the decisions made at them
• Documentation of periodic contacts with the family
• Documentation of compliance related steps toward transition
• Documentation of progress and services provided

Documentation within First Steps is very important and is one of the best ways to insure that services are being provided and that we are remaining compliant!