Category: News
Welcome Elisabeth Teller to the OEC B23 team!
October 26, 2020
The OEC lead agency team is building back up to be able to fully support our 19 EIS programs. Elisabeth comes on board from Sarah, Inc.-KIDSTEPS where she served as the Director of Children’s Services, and the B23 program director for 16 years. Before that she was a developmental therapist at the STAR Rubino Center. It has been a long few years for Part C in Connecticut starting with the massive change to a fee for service system, then moving to a new lead agency (and a few new commissioners), then the RFP and related transitions and of course now … Continue reading
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Draft Part C Application Available for Comment
February 28, 2020
Each year Connecticut submits an application to the US Department of Education (ED) Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for about $4M in funding to support the administration of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA Part C). Here is a link to the draft FFY20 Part C Application. Written comment on the draft application must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2020. Comments should be sent to the attention of Alice E. Ridgway, by mail at the Office of Early Childhood, 450 Columbus Boulevard Suite #205, Hartford, CT, 06103-1835; by Fax 860-622-2789 or … Continue reading
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IDEA Determinations
June 19, 2019
Connecticut received the state’s “determination letter” from the US Dept. of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and for the 13th year in a row Connecticut received a determination of “meets requirements”. That is the highest level determination. This is important because it is one indicator of the health of the system. The change in how programs are paid was very disruptive for everyone and yet we continue to meet IDEA requirements. The only way we could do this is through your efforts ensuring that families have timely initial IFSP meetings, new services, and transition conferences. This is in addition … Continue reading
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Baby Talk: Resources to Support the People Who Work with Infants and Toddlers
November 15, 2018
Baby Talk is a free monthly newsletter with links to research and tools to support working with families of infants and toddlers. This month’s newsletter covered topics such as: The Importance of Faces for Infants’ Learning; New Guidance on Low Birth Weight, Prematurity, and Early Intervention; What Do Babies Learn by Pointing? Each issue features high quality, readily available, and free resources. Some resources are available in English and Spanish. To join the listserv, send an email with no message to mailto:subscribe-babytalk@listserv.unc.edu
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Perception of Service Coordinator Practices and Transition Related Outcomes for Children and Families
February 2, 2018
The A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at UConn Health is recruiting Part C (early intervention) Service Coordinators in the state of Connecticut for a research study. Participation includes an interview conducted with a student researcher that will last about 1 hour at the convenience of the Service Coordinator, regarding recent transitions for children and families from Birth to Three to preschool special education. Please contact Annie George-Puskar, M.A. (student researcher): anne.george@uconn.edu
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CONGRATULATIONS to Donna Notti – Cheshire Teacher of the YEAR!
August 24, 2017
At the Cheshire Public School Convocation it was announced that Donna Notti, one of our own Birth to Three Program Directors, is the district’s teacher of the year for 2017-2018! What a great and well-deserved honor for Donna reflecting all of her exemplary work with Birth to Three families and children, her colleagues, and for the Birth to Three system as a whole! Please join us in congratulating Donna!!
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Failure to Thrive and Oral Aversion in Immigrant Infants and Toddlers
June 27, 2017
Recent research on the increased frequency of developmentally and physical normal infants and toddlers of immigrant families presenting with a history of refusing to eat or take the breast or bottle for feeding.
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BDI 2 has new norms!
June 16, 2017
The BDI-2 NU has been released with new norms that reflect changes in race, region and socioeconomic status. The changes in norms on the BDI-2 NU relative to the BDI-2 require slightly higher raw scores in several domains in order to achieve the same scaled score. The effect in the 0-3 age group is not as significant as with the 3.5-5 year old group but is notable in the personal-social, adaptive and communication areas, making it more likely for children to meet eligibility criteria. The current BDI-2 kit remains valid however programs should purchase the new examiner manual which has … Continue reading
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Research Supporting Parent-Led Intervention for Children with Autism
October 28, 2016
As noted in Disability Scoop, for the first time, researchers say they have evidence that parent-led intervention for young kids with autism continues to yield gains several years later. Children who participated in an intervention between the ages of 2 and 4 displayed less severe symptoms six years later, exhibiting fewer repetitive behaviors and better social communication, according to findings published this week in the journal The Lancet.
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“Save Birth to Three” Facebook Clarification
October 25, 2016
Despite what some have heard there have been no cuts to the funding of the Birth to Three System. Last year there was a $6 million deficit and the Connecticut General Assembly covered it. This year Birth to Three was allocated the same amount of state funds (a.k.a. “level” or “flat” funded) so there is another shortfall predicted this year. The State has to change how Birth to Three programs are paid, both for families with children who are eligible for Medicaid and for those who are not. The new billing rates have not been proposed yet and will not … Continue reading
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Fragile X Conference SOON
October 11, 2016
Targeting Social Skills and Behavioral Strategies for School, Work and Fun Saturday, November 12, 2016 8:00 am – 5:00 pm University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington, Connecticut Featuring Internationally Renowned Fragile X and Autism Spectrum Disorder Experts Jennifer Epstein, PsyD Licensed Clinical Psychologist Jane Thierfeld Brown, EdD Yale Child Study Jonathan Picker, MBChB, PhD Boston Children’s Hospital $60 per person, which includes breakfast, lunch and a conference binder. CEU credit & Attendance Certificate available on request. Online Registration or http://www.eventbrite.com and search for “Fragile X” Register by October 29, 2016 In lieu of Online Registration, pay by Check, made payable to “NFXF” … Continue reading
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Join in Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Baby IDEA
September 28, 2016
Colleagues, This October marks the 30th Anniversary of the passage of Public Law 99-457, which established Part C and mandated Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As key partners in improving results and upholding the rights of infants, toddlers, and preschool children requiring early intervention and special education services, OSEP invites you to join in celebrating this important occasion! Throughout the week of October 3-7, 2016, OSEP will run a campaign showcasing many perspectives from the field, including researchers, families, practitioners, and even individuals who participated in early childhood services through Part C and … Continue reading
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Rave Reviews for the Provider Support Team and Birth to Three Providers!
September 8, 2016
National experts, Dathan Rush and M’Lisa Shelden, have applauded the strides Connecticut has made in increasing knowledge and implementation of best practice in Early Intervention. Rush and Shelden have been providing annual training and technical assistance to support Connecticut’s Activity-based teaming practices. The Birth to Three Provider Support Team has been providing training and technical assistance to enhance their work. Some of Dathan and M’Lisa’s comments on what they are seeing: “It’s clear that you have been doing A LOT of work to move practices forward in CT” “It’s the first time EVER on the first call that all … Continue reading
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DCF Commissioner Katz speaking Sept. 12 in Hartford
August 29, 2016
You are cordially invited to the 14th annual Parents with Cognitive Limitations Workgroup meeting on Poverty and Cognitive Limitations: Research, Policy and Practice Monday, Sept. 12 from 8:30 – 12 noon at The Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street, Hartford CT. Please RSVP by September 7, 2016 to Mary.Alfano@ct.gov with your name, organization, email and phone number Featured speakers include: Commissioner Joette Katz, Department of Children and Families Joanne Goldblum, MSW, Founder & Executive Director, National Diaper Bank Network Jessica Bartholow, Esq., Legislative Advocate, Western Center on Law & Poverty Megan V. Smith, PhD, MPH, Yale Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Sponsors: Connecticut … Continue reading
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Can Facetime video chat with Grandma or Grandpa support development?
August 16, 2016
New research sheds light on the value of Facetime as meaningful interaction versus just more “screen” time.
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Inclusion Benefits Everyone!
March 8, 2016
An inspiring story in the Washington Post, Going on Offense vs. Down Syndrome, highlights that while most people saw limits for Frankie Antonelli his parents saw potential. They decided to see what an actively competitive home and community environment could do for their son: “How might he develop if they thought in terms of maximizing his abilities instead of disabilities?”
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When It Comes to Language Development Not All Toys Are Created Equal!
February 9, 2016
A new study looks at the role of toys ( electronic “learning” toys vs. traditional toys vs. books) in promoting language development. The results were significant – traditional toys and books supported language development and high quality parent-child communication more than electronic toys.
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Connecticut Launches Safe Sleep Campaign Promoting Safe Sleep Environments for Infants
February 5, 2016
In April 2014, the Office of the Child Advocate issued data from 2001-2013 reporting that the number of Connecticut infants who died where unsafe sleep conditions were present was almost three times the number of infants who died of child abuse. The public health alert also stated that infants in Connecticut are more likely to die from unsafe sleeping conditions than from child abuse, car accidents, choking, drowning, falls, or any other form of accidental injury. The statewide campaign will distribute information to parents of newborns discharged from the hospital through a variety of means including door hangers, posters, booklets … Continue reading
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DEC 2016 Conference: Call for Proposals
November 19, 2015
Proposal submissions are now being accepted for the Division for Early Childhood’s 32nd Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and their Families taking place October 18 – 20, 2016 in Louisville, KY. The deadline for submissions is January 19, 2016. More Information.
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Meet Sesame Street’s First Character with Autism!
October 23, 2015
“Fuzzy favorites Grover, Abby and Elmo are joined by their newest muppet pal, Julia, a character with autism, in Sesame Street Workshop‘s new nationwide initiative. Launched Wednesday morning, Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children aims to reduce “the stigma of autism” with the introduction of the first muppet with autism. The initiative, created for communities and families with children ages 2 to 5, includes a free downloadable app that incorporates video, digital story cards designed to make daily life tasks easier for families of children with autism and storybook materials for providers, organizations and caregivers. ” (article found … Continue reading
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