OPERATION PROCEDURES
for
HEAD START of Greater Dallas, Inc.
3954 Gannon Lane
Dallas, TX 75237
(972) 283-6400
Revised July 2013
PROCEDURES FOR THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO CHILDREN
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTIONS PAGES
I. INTRODUCTION1
II. IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS AND/OR ASSESSMENT 2-7
A. DISABILITIES 3-6
Selection and Enrollment
Assessment
B. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 5-6
Special Services Flow Chart 7
III. REFERRALS 8-13
A. SPEECH/LANGUAGE AND COGNITIVE 9-10
B. SEVERE EMOTIONAL/BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES 11
C. HEALTH IMPAIRMENT 11
D. DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION 12-13
IV. PROVISION OF SERVICES 14-42
- GOALS OF SPECIAL SERVICES, MENTAL HEALTH
AND SPEECH SERVICES
Goals of Special Services (Disabilities) 15
Goals of Mental Health 15
- DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR REPORTING CHILDREN
WITH DISABILITIES 17-18
Blindness and Visual Impairments
Deafness and Hearing Impairments
Orthopedic Impairments, Communication Disorders, Health
Impairments, Mental Retardation, Serious Emotional/Behavioral
Disturbances, Learning Disabilities/Cognitive Impairments
- IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH 19-21
Mental Wellness Methods for Children
Mental Wellness for Parents
- RECORDS 21
- STAFFING/I.E.P. MEETING, ADMISSION, REVIEW AND
DISMISSAL (A.R.D.) 22-26
Procedure
Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.)
Special Education (Public Schools)
- SPEECH-LANGUAGE PROCEDURES 26-29
Evaluations, Therapy
Monthly Reports, Health Chart, Determining Category and
Recommendations, Learning Rating Scales
PROCEDURES FOR THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
G. CASE MANAGEMENT OR COLLABORATIVE
SERVICES 30
Family Services, Education, Nutrition,
Special Services Activity Timeline 35-36
ECI Flow Chart 36
Special Services/Mental Health, Transportation, Administration,
Health, Training,
Transition Plan of Action, Special Needs Folders,
Center Codes for Special Services Folders 39
H. SPECIAL SERVICES/MENTAL HEALTH FORMS 40-42
V. STAFF ORIENTATION/TRAINING 43-59
Special Services Specialist Orientation
Mental Health Professional Orientation
Special Education Coordinator Orientation
Training for Parents & Staff
VI. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP 60-61
VII. JOB DESCRIPTION 62-115
Special Services Specialist
Mental Health Professional
Special Education Coordinator
Licensed Psychological Associate
Special Services Coordinator
Special Services Aide
Master Teacher
Master Teacher Assistant
VIII. APPENDIXES 116--140
Intervention Procedures for Behavior Problems
Service Delivery Steps
Enrichment Classroom Flow Chart
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Head Start Program ADA Compliance
Section I
Introduction
PROCEDURES FOR THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES
TO CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
I. INTRODUCTION
Head Start of Greater Dallas provides special services and mental wellness services in the areas of identification, preventive and remedial treatment to children and families in accordance with CFR 1304 and 45-CFR 1308. The Mental Health content area focuses mainly on prevention of problems related to mental wellness for all Head Start children and their families.
Mental wellness is included in Head Start classroom curriculum, by teachers introducing children to mental health related topics daily. The Mental Health Professional ensures proper implementation of mental wellness curriculum, by monitoring lesson plans weekly. On-going classroom observation is provided by the Mental Health Professional to ensure a healthy environment for children. Additionally, the Mental Health Professional provides Head Start parents with relevant training that will enable entire families to be mentally healthy. As part of intervention, children diagnosed with behavioral or severe emotional problems are enrolled for special services in an educational setting. Parents in crisis receive appropriate services from a Mental Health Professional.
The Special Services Specialist, Special Services Coordinator and Mental Health Professional are responsible for identification and enrollment of children with special needs at their centers. These staff members refer children suspected of having developmental disabilities to appropriate diagnosticians. Children that are suspected of having speech and language impairments are referred to the school districts and a Speech Pathologist for in-depth evaluation. Additionally, the Licensed Psychological Associate and Mental Health Professional evaluate children having difficulties in cognitive, motor and emotional/behavioral areas. Enrollment of children for special services is based on diagnostic test results and observation.
The Special Services and Mental Health staff use Control sheets to track all activities of children identified and enrolled for special services. This is done by documenting identification, diagnosis and educational plans/treatment activities. Specific goals of the special services and mental wellness are outlined in the Special services (Disabilities) and Mental Health Plans, which are updated annually. Appropriate diagnosticians reevaluate eligible school age children before transition into public schools for special services placements.
At the centers, delivery of special services and mental wellness are directly carried out by the following staff and contractors Special Services Specialists, Mental Health Professionals, Special Services Coordinators, Licensed Psychological Associate, and Speech Pathologists. The Special Services/Mental Health Director is responsible for execution of the Disabilities and Mental Health content areas of Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc. The responsibility includes direct supervision of special services coordinator, mental health professional and licensed professional staff, monitoring of guidelines, training activities for parents and staff. The director also ensures partnership with the school districts/outside agencies for delivery of services, and serves on boards whose mission is to work with special needs children. As the Agency’s operations and policy manager for these content areas, any questions or concerns on services delivery should be directed to the Special Services/Mental Health Director at the Central Office.
Section II
Identification and
Assessment
II. IDENTIFICATION OF SPECIAL SERVICES NEEDS
There is a four-level approach to service delivery: (1) identification of children with special needs by screening, (2) diagnosis, (3) treatments, and (4) transition. The Special Services Specialist confers and plans with other Staff, including Special Services Coordinator, Education, Health, Family Advocate, and Nutrition in an effort to provide the full range of services needed for children with special needs that are available to all Head Start children.
A. DISABILITIES
SELECTION AND ENROLLMENT
The Special Services Specialist maintains procedures established for selection and enrollment of children with disabilities in accordance with 1308.5(c), (d), (e). Also, throughout the year, collaborative plans are made with the Family Advocate to locate, recruitand enroll children with special needs under the following conditions: when parents request to enroll the child; meets Head Start requirements; and the Program has vacancy even if the ten-percent enrollment is already met. In this case, children with special needs and children without special also needs would compete for available slots. Eligible children from Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) programs are referred to Head Start for placement, six months before their third birthday.
Procedure
The following nondiscriminatory written procedures are used for the enrollment of children for special services.
1. The Family Advocate places applicants on waiting lists according to screening priority scores for enrollment, when there are no vacancies. When openings become available, enrollment of children with special needs takes priority over non-special need children.
2. By observing State laws regarding immunization in enrolling Head Start children, the Family Advocate coordinates with the Health, Special Services, Education and Administration staff in validating shots. The Family Advocate assists parents with transportation and referrals when they have transportation problems. The Special Services Specialist notes children who are unable to take immunizations due to disability or condition.
3. HS Special services and Mental Health staff ensure enrollment of children into Head Start is not denied due to severity or type of disabilities, staff attitudes or lack of knowledge, facility inaccessibility or need for personalized services or specialized equipment.
4. They also provide variety of placement options for children with special needs, such as dual enrollment, half-day, and home-based placements.
5. At the center, the Family Advocate works collaboratively with the Special Services Specialist to make slots available to meet ten percent enrollment of eligible children with special needs.
6. The Special services staff establishes collaborative agreements with the agencies serving children with special needs, by referring children and sharing facilities and services when needed. Family Partnership is completed on all families to identify their concerns and needs.
ASSESSMENT (SCREENING & EVALUATION)
Procedure
In accordance with the Head Start performance standards, children must be screened for sensory, speech/language, developmental, motor skills, and health within 45 calendar days of entry into Head Start.
II. IDENTIFICATION NEEDS FOR SPECIAL SERVICES
A. DISABILITIES (CONTINUED)
1. Each child is screened for developmental skills in the areas of speech-language and cognition by the screening team, Education and Special services staff or designees upon entry.
2. The Health Specialist takes a thorough health history of each child and arranges vision/hearing and physical examinations when needed.
3. The Special Services Specialist participates in an enrollment folder review when scheduled at the Center. At folder review meeting, the Special Services Specialist notes any health, education, social, or parent concerns found in the child's records. Concerns requiring documentation will include, but are not limited to, low birth weight, severe health conditions (e.g., sickle cell anemia, asthma etc.), low screening scores, and emotional or behavioral concerns. Appropriate Professionals also review folders of children referred for in-depth evaluations.
Note: Folder review is ongoing for all special services and mental health staff, (specialists, mental health professionals, special education coordinators, and psychologist). Hence, review of folders must be done as often as possible, using Folder Review form to document it.
4. The Special Services staff and Mental Health Professional review all screening results, to ensure speech or developmental and social/behavior deficits are addressed as soon as possible.
5. Upon review, the Special Services Specialist and Mental Health Professional, screen children with developmental screening scores with the Early Screening Profiles by Kaufman, et al., and Social Skills by AGS respectively. Children from Early Head Start program are screened using appropriate age eligible screening instrument. They are used to determine eligibility for cognitive, speech-language, gross/fine motor, and self-help/social needs.
Note: Enrolled children that fail initial screening and non-English speaking children are usually allowed to become familiar with the classroom environment for two to three weeks before they are re-screened by Special Services Specialist. Screening must be done in the child’s primary language. However, since the screening tool is in English, translators may be used when needed. To determine eligibility for speech referral, administration and scoring procedures of the test must be followed.
6. The Special Services Specialist refers eligible children to appropriate school districts and professionals for in-depth evaluation. A signed parent permission form must accompany all referral forms. (parent’s concern for child's deficits: speech/developmental deficits or low screening scores).
7. Appropriate in-house professionals, such as the Mental Health Professional (MHP) and Licensed Psychological Associate will evaluate children referred to the school districts for services. This helps to determine eligibility for services upon referral by the Special Specialist. Children with low scores in the area of cognition must be referred to their school districts and appropriate psychologists for a complete developmental evaluation. The Special Services Coordinator must refer children from Early Head Start program within two days to appropriate agency for evaluation. Referral of Head Start children to the Public Schools must be documented on HeadStart Referrals to Public Schools forms.
- Children with current Medicaid receive services from school districts and, or designated Medicaid Contractors. When a non-English speaking child is no longer eligible for Medicaid; and child's school district is unable to provide services, services will continue to be provided by authorized Medicaid Provider at the expense of Head Start of Greater Dallas, Inc.
II. IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS FOR SPECIAL SERVICES
- DISABILITIES (CONTINUED
8. In-depth evaluation is completed by appropriate certified or licensed Professional (in-house or contractors) within 30 days of the referral date by the Special Services Specialist. Evaluation of children referred for behavioral/emotional disturbances may last more than 30 days, depending on severity. Observation of such children may be extensive before the Diagnostician can provide valid diagnostic reports. In accordance with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the school districts are required to complete evaluation within 60 schools days from the time written permission is obtained from the parent; and 30 days to conduct ARD. Individualized Educational Plan (I.E.P.), if needed is in place after staffing or IEP meeting (in-house), or ARD (school districts). Some school districts may not be able to complete evaluation within stipulated time. The Special Services Specialist must ensure child’s physical examination is current. In other words, vision and hearing screenings must have been completed before child is referred for evaluation.
Note: In order to ensure services are provided on time, the Special Services Specialist must followup with documentation, if the status of their referrals to the school districts is not known after 20 days of referral.
9. The Special Services Specialist formally refers children who have serious observable social, emotional or behavioral problems to the in-house Mental Health Professional for in-depth evaluation. A Parent Permission form must be signed authorizing services before referral. Also, before any formal referral is made, helpful data and information record collected must be shared with the parent, Special Services Coordinator, Mental Health Professional and Licensed Psychological Associate when necessary.
- All of the child's screening record sheets must be kept in the child's file. The Special Services Specialist, or Mental Health Professional or Diagnostician, if any, must record administration of screening or assessment.
B. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The primary focus of the Mental Health content area of the Dallas Head Start program is to provide preventive mental health services. The Mental Health Professional addresses this area initially, by evaluating each Head Start center to ensure that the environment is stress free, and children's activities are age appropriate, and have good relationship with caregivers and peers.
Procedure
1. The Mental Health Professional formally conducts ongoing general classroom observation of all Head Start children and documented, by using Observation Checklists. Observation reports are used to assist staff in planning mental health activities in the classrooms. Also, intervention recommendations for individual children with special needs or challenged behaviors are provided after in-depth evaluations have been completed. Recommendations are based on classroom/home observation and test scores reports. Head Start of Greater Dallas staff is expected to be trained to be involved in the assessment of mental health needs by the Mental Health Professional. The Special Services Coordinator is involved in assessment process of children referred for evaluation, by helping or assisting with completion of questionnaires BASC & Conners (teacher and parent).
2. The Mental Health Professional provides information that will help staff members better understand normal development and common problems in children, by conducting workshops. The workshops may include: Classroom Management, Effective Conference with Parents, Child Development from a Multicultural Perspective, Communication Skills, Dealing with Difficult People and Difficult Situations, Handling Burnout and Stress, Activities to Enhance Self-Concepts, and Understanding Parenting.
3. The second level of intervention is focused on children exhibiting severe inappropriate emotions and behaviors. The classroom staff refers children with challenged behaviors to the Special Services Specialist.
4. The Special Services Specialist submits the referral, and all required records/information (physical examination report, observation reports (Dbase: Special Services Classroom Observation), educational evaluation, and parent permission form) to the Mental Health Professional for evaluation when in-depth evaluation is needed.
5. When children are referred by teachers, the Education Specialist or Special Services, Special Services Coordinator and Mental Health Professional observe and offer suggestions on how inappropriate behaviors can be remedied. While that is going on, the Mental Health Professional must screen the child using Social Skills Profiles, AGS to determine the child’s developmental level in the area of social/self-help skills.
6. If the behavior persists or child scores low, the Mental Health Professionals must proceed to the next level, by doing in-depth evaluation and intervention.In order to avoid erroneous diagnosis, the Mental Health Professional must observe the child properly in his/her normal environment (classroom and home, if possible) at least twice; and use unbiased multiple diagnostic instruments. Determination for categorical diagnosis of children referred for social/behavior deficits must be based on results/data collected from the following instruments: Social Skills Profiles, DECA-C, BASC, and Connors along with DSM-IV. The Mental Health Evaluation Report form must be completed to document the outcome of child’s assessment.
Procedure
Children with social skills/behavioral challenges will be recommended to attend the Enrichment Classroom half day having met the requirements. The Mental Health Professional, Special Services Coordinator, Master Teacher and Master Teacher Assistant work with eligible children in a small class ratio to address their individual challenges.
7. The Mental Health Professional provides ongoing professional training and assistance to Center staff in accordance with job duties. These require devising a process for screening and observing children; and how to use behavior checklists and other screening instruments.