Caring Connections: IEP Enhancement Program

James Teufel (teufel@siu.edu)Southern Illinois University CarbondaleCenter for Rural Health and Social Service Development

Kate Renshaw (KateMR@wcsed.org)Williamson County Special Education District

What is an IEP?

The initials IEP stand for Individualized Education Program

Students who receive special education or related services

Develop a coordinated plan to help students with disabilities

Tailor a plan to a student’s particular needs and assets

U.S. Dept. of Education10 Step IEP Process (steps 1-5)

1) identify a student who may need 2) evaluate the student3) make an eligibility decisions4) student is eligible for services5) IEP meeting is scheduled

U.S. Dept. of Education10 Step IEP Process (steps 6-10)

6) hold IEP meeting and write IEP7) provide services8) measure progress and report to

parent(s) or guardian(s)9) review IEP10) reevaluate student– at least every

three years

Caring Connections enhancements to the IEP process

Add a IEP navigator/advocate to work with the parent(s) or guardian(s) to improve knowledge and comfort related to the IEP process Building off of the health navigator model

Add a child and adolescent psychiatrist to the IEP team Especially important given the medicinal

component of behavior change

Caring Connections and HIT(Health Information Technology)

The Caring Connections program follows a four step HIT model Planning (years 1-2) Infrastructure Development (years 1-2) Testing (year 2) Rollout (year 3)

Planning

Decided that the IEP navigator/advocate should be a social worker or equivalent within WCSED

Generated lists of appropriate HIT equipment and placement

Identified child and adolescent psychiatrist

Infrastructure Development Ordered equipment

Purchased by Shawnee Health Service but will be purchased by WCSED at the conclusion of HRSA funding

Installed equipment in 6 schools or administrative buildings in Williamson County Videoconferencing equipment Elementary, middle, and high schools as well as

the WCSED Administrative Building

Testing

Tested and trained appropriate staff in the use of HIT equipment

Piloted the equipment with seven families in step nine of the IEP process

Families were identified based on their IEP step and need by WCSED staff

Lessons Learned from the Testing Phase

IEP navigator must remain vigilant to empower parent(s)/guardian(s) to speak during the meetings

Child and adolescent psychiatrist must make the meeting a priority

A liaison who has frequent contact with the child and adolescent psychiatrist is useful

Lessons Learned from the Testing Phase

A pre-existing relationship between the student and child and adolescent psychiatrist is useful Adds additional contextual understanding of the

student’s behavior to psychiatrist’s decision making

In the cases that a pre-existing relationship does not exist, important questions could be uncovered for further discussion with the prescribing primary care physician

Lessons Learned from the Testing Phase

Student’s medications often could or should be modified

Options of behavioral, social, and/or occupational programs should be given to parent(s) or guardian(s) Simply pointing out problems is not

enough Highlighting social assets and

contributions is important

Rollout Full implementation of the program

will occur in year three 15 to 25 students will participate

Some of these students will be follow-ups from the pilot

Behavioral changes will be assess quantitatively

Parental and guardian comfort will be evaluated qualitatively

Sustainability

WCSED purchase of the equipment and existing IT support infrastructure assures the use of the HIT equipment for the future

The equipment will ease the coordination of student disability services beyond the psychiatric IEP process

Challenges

In the last five years the number of child and adolescent psychiatrist serving the Illinois Delta Region has fluctuated from one to three

The state of Illinois has major budgetary problems Health and social service programs have

been cut or delayed

Questions

Thank you for your time and attention

For additional information regarding this project, please contact the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Center for Rural Health and Social Service Developmenthttp://crhssd.siuc.edu/