Connecting Families to Community Resources

Help Me Grow

Key Points

• Help Me Grow: A resource that will save you time

• Developmental Surveillance: How it can be ongoing, consistent and valid

• Parent Questionnaires: Two tools to help identify developmental/behavioral concerns, put parents at ease & address their concerns

What is Help Me Grow?• Serves children (birth through 5) who are

at risk for behavioral and developmental delays and who do not qualify for Birth to Three Services

What Help Me Grow Does• Researches resources and services

available using Child Development Community Liaisons

• Connects families to appropriate services

Why Help Me Grow?• Children with developmental/behavioral

problems are eluding early detection

• Programs exist to help at-risk children

• Children and their families benefit from a coordinated, state-wide system of early detection and intervention for children at risk

• Child health providers face a challenge in connecting at-risk children with needed services

Consider this Scenario….

• Ms. Smith, a young single parent, brings her 3-year-old son “CJ” to you for a well child visit.

• You ask if she has any concerns about development. She says no. You complete the physical exam and begin to wrap up the visit.

• You notice CJ is very active and barely speaks.

• Ms. Smith is ready to leave, reaches for the doorknob and says……

“Oh, by the way….”

“CJ is driving me crazy, he never listens and has been kicked out of two child

care centers…I’m at the end of my rope.”

You are running behind….

What Do You Do?

• A social-emotional problem?

• A school problem?

• A developmental delay?

• A parenting issue?

How Do You Help Connect Families to Resources/Services in Your

Community?

Do the Concerns Represent:

• Ms. Smith approaches the registration desk

• She is given a parent questionnaire that asks her to write down concerns

• As you enter the exam room you quickly scan the protocol and note her concerns about behavior and child care

Or you ask….

Let’s Go Back to the Beginning

“Do you have any concerns about your child’s learning, development or behavior?”

How Can Help Me Grow Help?

• Discuss Help Me Grow with parent

• Provide “prescription pad” with information

• Call 1-800-505-7000 and outline concerns

• Telephone Care Coordinator takes information and calls parent

Who Should You Refer?

• Developmental concerns

• Addressing challenging behaviors

• Parenting education

• Family supports

• Parent advocacy

• Referral to other services (Husky)

Who Can Call?

• Child Health Provider

• Parent

• Child Care Provider

• Social Service Provider

How to Refer to Help Me Grow

• Call the Child Development Infoline at 1-800-505-7000

• Telephone Care Coordinators:

Triage callsAre bilingualProvide follow-upLink to Child Development Community

Liaisons

Child Development Community Liaison

• Statewide

• Identifies community resources

• Gathers data on gaps & barriers

• Community networking opportunities

Connecting CJ to Services

• Parenting support groups for behavioral challenges

• Support in the child care setting

• Follow-up

The Child Development Community Liaison researches options for services

Parent Fills Out

Form Well

Child

visit

Call

1-800-505-7000Care

Coordinator Links to CDL

Parent Connected

to Resource

Doctor Gets

Feedback

1

2

3

45

6

Help Me Grow

The ChallengeWe know that early detection leads to

early intervention which can prevent disabilities.

But…

How do child health providers find time to provide ongoing,

consistent developmental surveillance to their patients?

What is Developmental Surveillance?

• A flexible, continuous, longitudinal process.

• Components:

Eliciting/attending to parents’ concernsObtaining a relevant developmental historySkillfully observing children’s developmentSharing opinions with other professionals

Developmental SurveillanceTwo Tools

• PEDS (Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status)

• Ages & Stages Questionnaire

PEDS(Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status)

• Parent report vs. parent recall

• Takes only 2-5 minutes to complete

• Written on 5th grade level

• Identifies 74 to 80 percent of children with developmental disabilities

• Can be used birth to 8 years of age

• Standardized, reliable

PEDS Research

• 11 percent of children need referrals for further evaluation

• 26 percent of children need screening, developmental promotion and observation

• 20 percent of children need mostly behavioral guidance

• 43 percent of children need only routine monitoring

Ages & Stages Child Monitoring Program

• Parent completes questionnaire

• Helps parents understand and recognize developmental milestones

• Statewide – Birth to 60 months

• Results returned to child health provider

• Identifies children “at risk” for developmental delays

Help Me Grow

• Partners:

Connecticut Birth to Three System

Preschool/Special Education

United Way of CT/Infoline

• Support:

The Commonwealth Fund*

• E.P.I.C. (Educating Practices in the Community)

– Children’s Health & Development Institute

– CT Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

A Program of The Children’s Trust Fund

* The Commonwealth Fund is a New York City-based private, independent foundation. The views presented herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily

those of The Commonwealth Fund, it's directors, officers, or staff.

A Resource for You

• Call Help Me Grow

• Consider using the PEDS/ASQ at well child visits

Thank you for your time!

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