Friday, February 5, 2010

Haley in the News.....Again

Haley is becoming such a little celebrity and poster child for the special needs community isn't she??? Here in NC, rumors have been circulating that the state may cut funding to one of the therapies that Haley receives called "Community Based Rehabilative Services" (CBRS) a fancy term for "play therapy". Play therapy may not sound like a skilled, nitty gritty, beneficial type of therapy like physical or speech therapy, and I had my doubts when she first started CBRS. I mean, why does someone need therapy to learn how to play? But once Haley started CBRS, we saw a very significant turn around in her behavior. She had been receiving PT and OT for a couple months before she began CBRS and she was making some progress, but she continued to have a lot of heavy duty sensory issues (not wanting to be touched, having trouble transitioning to different situations, trouble in social situations, etc). Once CBRS started, it was like a lightbulb lit up in her. I think Haley is so receptive to CBRS because it is playtime to her, not work time. CBRS is much less structured than PT or OT, it is more child directed therapy. Her therapist works with her on many of the same goals that her other therapists do, but if she is putting up a lot of resistance to a certain activity, then the the therapist moves on to something else. I think the goal is to have fun and work on specific goals while doing so. Also her therapist, Alicia, is just great with Haley. She has such a gentle way with her and Haley is very receptive to her. CBRS seems to bring in parts of all the therapies and integrates them into a more holistic treatment for Haley. I think it helps her process what she has learned from PT, OT and ST and bring it all together so she can use her skills in a real-life situation.

The director of Haley's school asked me if I would speak with the Gaston Gazette about what CBRS means for Haley and how it has helped her. I talked with the reporter for 10 or 15 minutes and I thought I had given her a lot of useful information that would make a very strong article that would have a lot of impact. I had hoped my interview would have had more substance, but I just feel like the article is lacking the full meaning of what the program is all about, how it helps our kids, what it would mean to loose it, etc. I had hoped it would be a more in depth article, but I guess this was better than nothing. There is a little bit of misinformation, but basically correct. It only mentions Medicaid as a payor source. This affects more than just families who have Medicaid.....as we (unfortunatly) do not qualify for Medicaid. Anyway, here is the article from the Gaston Gazette which will be published Saturday, February 6th.

Parents worried about cuts in funding for special needs children

(Photo Mike Hensdill/The Gaston Gazette) At Bethlehem Family Life Center, kids with special abilities are helped to develope and grow. Here, CBRS therapist  Alicia Starr works with Haley Buchanan using play therapy.
(Photo Mike Hensdill/The Gaston Gazette) At Bethlehem Family Life Center, kids with special abilities are helped to develop and grow. Here, CBRS therapist Alicia Starr works with Haley Buchanan using play therapy.

February 05, 2010 3:25 PM

Haley Buchanan is about to turn 2, can crawl and is on the verge of walking.

But her mother Laura Buchanan said mastering her motor skills wouldn’t be possible without the help of community based rehabilitative services she receives.

Medicaid pays for community based rehabilitative services, which serves children up to age 3.

A glitch in the state plan’s wording means Medicaid may not pay for community based rehabilitative services as of June 30, said Brad Deen, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The department is working with the federal Medicaid authority and the state’s own public health officials to change the wording so services don’t stop and Medicaid still pays, Deen said.

Haley was a little more than a year old when she was diagnosed with Joubert Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, Buchanan said.

Haley receives “play therapy” to bring in physical, occupational, and speech therapy together, Buchanan said.

“It would be really sad to see those services go away because it helps her so much with her sensory issues,” Buchanan said.

Andee Jenkins’ son was born seven weeks premature.

She learned Ayden was behind developmentally after a trip to the pediatrician, who referred them to the Children’s Developmental Services Agencies, then to community based rehabilitative services.

“Me being a new parent, I would have had no idea what to do,” Jenkins said. “It’s truly been a blessing for us. If that was not there I don’t know how we would have gotten him up to speed.”

The Arc of Gaston County Director Sara Osborne said if this service stops, it could cause a backlog once children turn 3. A developmental disability isn’t something that will go away.

“When you’re diagnosed with Down syndrome, you’ve got it,” Osborne said. “It’s not a maybe.”

Osborne estimates that at least 400 children in Gaston County have a developmental disability.

Michele Stewart has operated Special Kare for Special Kids, a facility that serves children with developmental disabilities as well as those who have no developmental issues, since 1995.

The school operated without those funds for 10 years, but the community based rehabilitative services money has helped a lot of families pay for therapies given by Special Kare staff, Stewart said.

Deen said that some misinformation about the issue has been circulating. The potential pay halt is not because of budget constraints, he said.

“This is a paperwork problem and we’re working around it,” Deen said. “These are actually some very beneficial services. We don’t want them to end.”

Haley and Ayden’s parents, along with those who work with developmentally disabled children, don’t want that either.

“Your child is supposed to be born perfect,” Stewart said. “I can’t imagine getting out there alone.”

“You can reach Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839.


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