Forwarding a cause, without time to march

April 2, 2006

They marched, they shouted, they stopped traffic.

In the ever-growing list of events that are polarizing us, add this past week's student walkouts. The students were standing up for what they passionately believed, or they were just ditching geometry class. They wanted to draw attention to a controversial issue, or they just wanted to draw attention to themselves. It was about immigration laws; it was about breaking the law.

Either way you look at the debate, you did look. People took notice, which was what it was all about.

Getting people to take notice has changed over the years. Now there are Web sites, blogs and even movies of the week to draw your attention to a cause, the need for social change or a wrong that needs righting.

You'd think it would be easy. Until you ask the thousands of parents of kids with disabilities in this county what it's like to find the help they need for their children.

“Disability” covers a multitude of conditions, from autism to Down syndrome, from learning differences such as attention-deficit disorder to depression and bipolar disorder. In addition to medical and behavioral issues, there are concerns about education, life after school and a dozen other matters that keep parents up at night, and during the day, dialing dozens of agencies and organizations trying to get the right services and support.

Who has time to cook, much less march?

There has been some progress over the past few years, though, in no small way because of the work of two linked groups.

The Center for Families of Children with Special Needs, or CFCSN, is based at the University of San Diego, offering families help through three of the university's professional schools. Health consultations are performed through the school's pediatric nurse practitioner program, family counseling through the School of Education's marriage and family therapy program and legal help through the law school's Special Education Legal Clinic. The services are provided free by student interns under the supervision of licensed professionals.

“We wanted to provide a one-stop shop where parents can come and get help identifying areas of need and then be able to access some of the services, as an entire family,” said Dr. Moises Baron, a pediatric psychologist at USD and director of its CounselingCenter, which created CFCSN.

“We know there is a number of good child-centered services available, but we also know that in order to be effective, you have to help and empower the entire family because the great majority of care is being provided by the families. And we also want to provide training and professional development to our students who will one day be out in the community providing these services.”

The USD-based organization is aligned with the ExceptionalFamilyResourceCenter, a countywide referral network of specific services and support. NorthCounty families are served at its San Marcos office, which can funnel families to programs throughout the region. And that's what makes the difference for many families – the resource center can connect to services around the block or in SouthBay, if that's what's needed.

It also has an extensive calendar of events, at , with everything from athletic activities to informational workshops, such as the one May 13 at CampPendleton designed to help military families navigate the education system.

Baron also credits the partnership with the Child and AdolescentServicesResearchCenter, a collaborative of local universities and Children's Hospital, which helped develop CFCSN procedures and is now watching to see how successful they are.

“They are really assessing the outcomes,” Baron said. “We want to make sure it is useful for families here, and we want to be able to create a model that could be replicated in other communities. Our hope is that in the future we will help other communities to develop similar programs.”

CFCSN is holding a conference, “Families and Communities Caring Together,” Saturday, April 29 at the University of San Diego. Information is available by calling (619) 260-7658 or at .

For all the parents just trying to find what's right for their child, who don't get the attention or the media coverage, you could call this the start of their quiet revolution.