What is kindergarten waiver… and should I choose it for my child?

If you have a kindergartener that may need therapy and/or an IEP, you have no doubt heard someone casually mention “waiver” and their opinion on if it’s of benefit.   From the Department of Education: A parent, guardian, or other person residing within the state and having custody or charge of a child may elect for the child not to attend kindergarten if the child will not be six (6) years of age on August 1 of that school year. If an election is made, the parent, guardian, or other person having custody or charge of the child shall file a signed kindergarten waiver form with the local school district administrative office. Upon the filing of the kindergarten waiver form, the child shall not be required to attend kindergarten in that school year. Here are some key points of the Arkansas Kindergarten Waiver that might help with the decision. Children who turn 5 before August 1st may enroll in “kindergarten” or some other form of education. Children who turn 6 before August 1st MUST enroll in a form of education. Public, private, homeschool, or virtual curriculum In the state of Arkansas, you have the right to “waive”  or postpone entering school for one year if your child is not yet 6 years old.  Reasons commonly include: Maturity Medical history Access to supports Gain another year in services such as Speech, OT, PT, ABA If you choose to waive kindergarten, a form must be completed and filed with the State Department of Education, showing your intent to postpone education for one year. Intent to Waive Kindergarten Form What does this mean for therapies??? Publicly Funded Therapies: Commonly called the “Co-Op” or other state funded DDS/Developmental service provider locations: CAN continue serving your child up until their 6th birthday.  If your child turns 6 at the end of July, they can get an additional year of free services.  If your child turns 6 in March, they would not be able to receive these services from March-August upon enrolling in school. If you choose to waive serves and are solely using state funded services, think about what services your child receives and how long of a pause would be acceptable for your child based on their birthday Private Providers: Private therapy providers that bill private insurance, Medicaid, TEFRA These providers are not required to base services on the child’s age and no pause in services will be based on the birthday or age of the child.   Private Speech, OT, PT and/or ABA services can continue, without pause, regardless of waiver status.  These services, for best practice, will assist you with transitioning your child to kindergarten and will collaborate with the school based team to make the best plan for your child. If you are considering the kindergarten waiver, but have questions or would like more information and discussion, our team would be happy to help walk you through the process. Author: Vanessa Boomer, ED.S, CCC-SLP, Lead SLP at No Limits Pediatric Therapies

Telehealth: Navigating New Norms

 During the last year, many of us have grown accustomed to alternative ways of receiving medical care. For our therapists and other healthcare workers, they have had to find a way to prevail through the unfamiliarity and continue providing necessary therapies and treatments. Thanks to the possibility of Telehealth, No Limits Therapies and our therapists have been able to do just that.  As you could expect, many of our therapists expressed some uneasiness when they were informed that some of their treatments would be conducted through a computer. Although our therapists felt immediately grateful for the opportunity to carry out necessary treatments to clients during this time, the transition was all new to them. Our therapists, whether it be an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech therapist rely heavily on physical cues and interactment from their clients. Our therapists soon realized they would have to become more innovative in order to determine new ways of treatment that didn’t rely on being physically present with their clients.  The biggest struggles in this journey, expressed by our therapists, has been adjusting to the use of technology and things like Zoom, Google powerpoints, and other resources. With limited activities and more obstacles with technology use and limited patient interaction, they have had to set aside time to create new games and activities for their telehealth clients. Our team expressed that what normally motivated their clients in the clinic, might not have the same outcome in virtual treatment. Our therapists told us that they had to figure out what resources their kids had at home. With some kids, it was possible for them to create their own obstacle courses at home using household things like couch cushions and rolled up blankets. One of our physical therapists, Karina Moore, told us that one of her clients uses bags of dog food to walk across or jump over for an altered activity. Our therapists have learned to utilize whatever the kid has at hand. Our occupational therapist, Emily Barber, told us that her clients often use items like cans of beans, grocery bags, laundry baskets, and other common items in their telehealth sessions. Emily also told us about the positive effect of being able to track their clients eyes on the screen during Telehealth sessions for visual motor skills and processing. She explained that this is something she might not otherwise notice in a clinic session.  Therapists expressed that they have not been alone in this journey as client’s parents and families have been very involved and eager to help in Telehealth sessions. With a patient that is younger, parents have been able to help their kid and the therapist by creating an obstacle course, finding access to items that could be used as alternative equipment, or encouraging their kid through treatment. Our therapists feel that they would not be able to make it through this time without such positive influence from parents and families. In turn, parents and families have been able to gain a positive impact from the experience as well. By being more involved, they have been able to encourage their kids more frequently and effectively. By having the opportunity to witness their child’s session from home, they have been able to pick up on activities that they could do with their kid outside of treatment sessions. Our therapists have been able to work with the parents and families directly and discuss their kids development first hand. This benefit has been impeccable to the overall support of a patient as well as their progression and well being.