Services for Individuals with a Developmental Disability

 

 
Services for Individuals with a Developmental Disability
 

A DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY IS

  • A physical or intellectual disability that starts before the age of 22 and is likely to be life-long.
  • There must be lifelong impairments in three or more areas related to a developmental disability/intellectual disability.  These include:
    • taking care of yourself
    • hearing or speaking
    • learning
    • walking or getting to where you want to go without help
    • being able to live in your own place without help
    • being unable to work and pay bills.
  • For children from birth to age five, there must be a serious delay that will likely result in a developmental disability if services are not provided.
  • Some examples of developmental disabilities include: autism, cognitive impairment and Down Syndrome. 
 
OUR SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
     
  "CMH has helped me have my son in my home instead of placement.  They are helping me with my daughter and her disabilities.  They are very understanding and stable.”  
 
Parent Navigator:

A Parent Navigator is an individual who has a child with developmental/intellectual disability and has been trained to help families as they navigate the mental health system.  Parent Navigators can help families learn what services are in the community, can assist case managers and therapists and can help the family learn what strategies and insights help their unique needs.

Case Management: 

Case management services identify needs for the individual, which may range from helping an individual obtain social security benefits, to helping a person receive speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological services.  A Case Manager, helps ‘link’ the individual and/or family to services that provide support.  Each of these supports will be unique to the individual, but all have in common the goal of ensuring the individual has what is medically necessary to reach his or her life goals.

Community Supported Living:

This service provides support so that individuals can be as productive and integrated into their community as possible.  Sometimes, the individual will need staffing, assistance with meals, and help with medical and/or psychiatric issues.  In all instances, the individual will have case management services and other services as determined in the person centered planning process.

Respite:

Respite is a service designed to provide a parent/caregiver with brief, temporary breaks from their care giving responsibilities for a child/youth who has a developmental disability/intellectual disability and is receiving services from CMH. Respite is intended to allow parents time to re-charge from family stressors. Respite is a service that may be requested during the person-centered planning process. The amount of respite hours provided are based upon the child/youth’s level of functioning. Respite is provided either in the family home or community setting.

Access to Clinical Services:

Individuals are able to access clinical services to support needs as medically necessary.  Clinical services include the following:  Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, and psychological services.  These services will be discussed, as medically appropriate, during the person centered planning process and throughout service provision. 

Personal Emergency Response System

The Personal Emergency Response System is an audio monitoring service. It helps a person maintain independence and safety in their own home. The monitor is a speaker that allows PERS employee’s to hear activity in the home. The PERS audio monitor is available twenty-four hours daily, seven days a week.





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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