Developmental Disabilities
Program
A
variety of services are available to children and adults who
have developmental delays and disabilities, and to their families.
These include:
- Eligibility;
- Services for Adults
through Medicaid Care Management;
- Service Coordination
for Children;
- Family
Supports;
- Skill
Development
- Intensive behavioral
intervention;
- Housing and Living
Support;
- Infant Toddler
Program.
Eligibility
Developmental
disabilities eligibility is required for many services. The
definition for developmental disabilities is found in Idaho Code
66-402(5):
"Developmental
disability" means a chronic disability of a person which appears
before the age of twenty-two (22) years of age and:
- is attributable to
an impairment, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
epilepsy, autism or other condition found to be closely related to
or similar to one of these impairments that requires similar
treatment or services, or is attributable to dyslexia resulting
from such impairments; and
- results in
substantial functional limitations in three (3) or more of the
following areas of major life activity; self-care, receptive and
expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity
for independent living, or economic self-sufficiency; and
- reflects the needs
for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary or
generic care, treatment or other services which are of life-long
or extended duration and individually planned and coordinated.
For more
description about developmental disabilities eligibility, see
DD Eligibility
Guide.
Services
for Adults through Medicaid Care Management
Services
available to adults with developmental disabilities through Medicaid
include developmental disabilities eligibility determination, plan
development, and prior authorization of Developmental Disabilities
Agency services and Home- and Community-Based Waiver
Services.
Adults
who are eligible for Medicaid work with the Idaho Medicaid Care
Management program for access to DDA, service coordination, and
DD/ISSH Waiver services. See: Care Management for Adults
With DD.
Service
Coordination for Children
Service
coordination is available through the EPSDT
Service Coordination (ESC) program and the Idaho Infant Toddler
program. ESC is one of many EPSDT services in
Idaho.
“EPSDT“ stands for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and
Treatment.
The
EPSDT program is available to all children who are
Medicaid-eligible. EPSDT Service Coordinators help families with
children who have special needs find and coordinate services
their children need, such as health, educational, early
intervention, advocacy and social services.
To be
eligible for ESC, children must have:
§
A developmental
delay or disability;
§
Special
health care needs; or
§
A severe
emotional disorder, and meet other criteria.
The need
for service coordination must be identified during an
EPSDT screen by the child's primary health care provider or
physician.
*Regional ESC Contacts
Interim
Service Coordination
is available through the Idaho Infant and Toddler
Program. Regional Infant and Toddler staff complete the
initial intake and provide interim service coordination until
the family selects a service coordinator.
Interim
service coordinaton includes:
§
Educating
the family about the Infant Toddler Program;
§
Explaining
the evaluation process;
§
Explaining
the family’s role as a participant on the multidisciplinary
team;
§
Explaining
and reviewing the procedural safeguards;
§
Providing
support and resource information on service
options;
§
Facilitating
the initial Individual Family Service Plan
(IFSP);and
§
Assisting
the family with selection of ongoing service
coordinator.
For more
information about the Idaho Infant Toddler Program and Infant
Toddler Service Coordination, see: How do I get help for
my child?
Housing
and Living Supports
A
variety of housing and living supports are available for people with
developmental disabilities, depending on their personal interests
and needs. In addition to options below, there are many
community housing and supports programs available to the general
public that can be used for people with specialized
support needs:
§
Family
homes are the first choice of many children and adults with
developmental disabilities and their families. Supports and services
are available to enhance each family’s capacity to support family
members with developmental disabilities;
§
Many
adults choose to live in their own home or apartment and use a
variety of community resources and specialized supports. Adults who
meet the criteria for Developmental Disabilities Waiver
Services are eligible for additional supports, like chore
services, environmental modifications, and home delivered meals.
See: ICF/MR Level of Care
Determination Guidelines for
more information about waiver service eligibility;
§
Children’s
Foster Care is available for children up to age 18 through the
Family and Children’s Services program. See: Foster Care and Adoption
Program;
§
Certified
Family Homes are available to adults with developmental disabilities
and are generally limited to two or three non-family members in each
home. See: Certified Family
Homes.
§
Licensed
Residential and Assisted Living Facilities are group living
arrangements for adults who have varying needs for support.
See Residential and Assisted Living
Facilities;
§
Intermediate
Care Facilities for people who have developmental disabilities are
group living arrangements for adults or children with developmental
disabilities and intense needs to support. Children and adults must
meet an institutional level of care in order to live in these
facilities. See: Intermediate Care
Facilities;
§
Idaho
State School and Hospital – ISSH is Idaho's only publicly run
ICF/MR. Highly specialized treatment is provided to people who have
been admitted through the regional Developmental Disabilities
Program.
For more
information about housing and living supports for people with
developmental disabilities, contact the regional Developmental
Disabilities Program here.
Skill
Development
Developmental
Disabilities Agencies provide skill
development for children and adults who meet eligibility
requirements for developmental disabilities in
Idaho.
Developmental
Disabilities Agency services actively promote personal skill
development through individual or group therapy in the home,
community or a center. Some of the services that Developmental
Disabilities Agencies provide include:
§
Developmental
therapy;
§
Speech
therapy;
§
Occupational
therapy;
§
Physical
therapy; and
§
Intensive
Behavioral Intervention.
For more
information about Intensive Behavioral Intervention, and help for
parents to choose one, click here.
For a
complete list of DDAs, contact the Medicaid Care Management Program
in your region. Access contact numbers here.
Family
Supports
The
Family Supports
Program is
intended to promote and enhance a family's capacity to provide care
for family members with developmental disabilities. It provides
funds that can be used to purchase:
§
Respite
care;
§
Specialized
evaluations;
§
Adaptive
equipment;
§
Therapies;
§
Transportation;
§
Specialized
clothing;
§
Housing
modifications; and
§
Related
services.
Families
are encouraged to use existing sources of assistance, but Family
Support can be used when other resources are not available. Funds
are limited, however, and might not always be available.
Infant Toddler
Program
The goal
of the Infant Toddler program is to make sure that all
Idaho infants
and toddlers reach their maximum potential. Early intervention is
critical during the first three years of a child's life.
Children
up to age three are eligible if they are experiencing developmental
delays, if it is likely they will become delayed without appropriate
services, or if they have a medical condition which could lead to a
developmental delay.
Intensive Behavioral
Intervention
Intensive
Behavioral Intervention is a Medicaid reimbursed service that is
available to children with developmental disabilities who display
challenging behaviors. IBI therapists work with children to develop
positive behaviors and the skills they need to function in typical
home and community environments. IBI is a one-to-one service that is
individualized for each child. IBI is not the name of a nationally
recognized service or the name of any single
approach.
Children must be
found eligible before they begin to receive IBI services and will be
evaluated at least annually for continuing eligibility. To be
eligible for IBI, a child must:
§
Be determined to have
a developmental disability as defined in Idaho Code. Not all
children who are eligible for special education will be eligible for
IBI, and not all children with an autism spectrum disorder will be
eligible for IBI.
§
Have severe
maladaptive behaviors as measured by the Scales of Independent
Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) with a score of minus 22 or lower, and
§
Have a severe
limitation (perform at 50 percent or less of normal age level) in
verbal and nonverbal communication OR social interaction OR leisure
and play skills
IBI can be delivered by
a school or a Developmental Disabilities Agency (DDA). Not all
schools or DDAs provide IBI. IBI staff must be certified by the
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare after successfully
completing a course in Intensive Behavioral Intervention. The course
has been developed and is monitored by the Center on Disabilities
and