Family & Child Assessments in South Carolina

FAMILY & CHILD ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

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What are Family & Child Assessments?

In South Carolina, Early Intervention services for your child and family will likely be paid for by state funding programs. So to become eligible, a professional assessment must first be completed. It will determine how at-risk your child is for developmental delays or disabilities and which specific issues they are displaying. This assessment is what helps determine whether your child is eligible to receive Early Intervention services or not.
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WHO ARE FAMILY & CHILD ASSESSMENTS FOR IN SC?

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Family & Child Assessments are for families with infants & toddlers (Ages 0-5) who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities.

Receiving a Family & Child Assessment in South Carolina is one of the key first steps to figuring out whether your child is eligible to receive Early Intervention services. In SC, Early Intervention is exclusively for for infants and toddlers from birth to five years old, who are progressing slowly in any of these key child development milestones:
  • Learning to Walk
  • Learning to Listen and Talk
  • Height & Weight
  • Getting Along With Others
  • Learning How to Think
  • Doing Things on Their Own
Talk to your child’s pediatrician.
Early Intervention services might be available for you at no cost through a South Carolina state funding program called BabyNet or through DDSN, but you must first be screened, eligible and approved.
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GET MATCHED WITH OUR TRAINED early intervention PROFESSIONALS

Your E.I. will become your biggest coach and cheerleader

The Early Interventionist you get matched with will work with you to identify your child’s developmental needs. They’ll visit your home to provide teaching and training to help your child develop through play and everyday routines. They’ll also connect you with other valuable resources in SC. To work with us, just tell your initial screener at BabyNet or DDSN, “I want to work with About Play.”
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What Child Development Milestones Are Evaluated During A Family & Child Assessment?

Remember, the very first step of the Referral Process for Early Intervention in SC is to contact BabyNet or DDSN if your child is experiencing a developmental delay, or is diagnosed with a disability. Then, after your initial screening on the phone, a full development assessment will be scheduled and completed to further determine your child’s eligibility for receiving Early Intervention services.

When About Play completes a Family & Child Assessment, we are evaluating your child to see which developmental delays they are experiencing and how severe they might be. The key areas of child development milestones that we evaluate include:

  • Cognitive development – The ability to think rationally and problem-solve
  • Physical development – The ability to demonstrate gross motor movement and fine motor skills
  • Social or emotional development – The ability to interact with others
  • Communication development – The ability to understand spoken language and express themselves
  • Adaptive development – The ability to perform self-care
Also, if your child has been diagnosed with a physical or mental condition, that may put them at high risk (or high probability) for a developmental disability. These can include:
  • Chromosomal abnormalities
  • Genetic or congenital disorders
  • Sensory impairments
  • Inborn errors of metabolism
  • Disorders reflecting disturbance of the development of the nervous system
  • Congenital infections
  • Severe attachment disorders
  • Complications of prematurity
  • Disorders secondary to exposure to toxic substances (like fetal alcohol syndrome)

What Happens After My Family & Child Assessment Is Completed?

After we complete a Family & Child Assessment in South Carolina for your child and family, our trained professionals will file all of the correct paperwork and eligibility forms with BabyNet or DDSN. This documents all of our findings after evaluating your child and helps finalize a determination of eligibility for receiving Early Intervention services.

If it is determined that your child and family are eligible for Early Intervention services, another key next step is the development of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or a Family Service Plan (FSP).
Once eligible, your child will be assigned an Early Interventionist or EI. The EI will complete a Family Assessment in order to then develop your child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This Family Assessment is a semi-structured clinical interview designed to help families decide on their child’s outcomes and goals so an individualized plan can be developed. The interview will be a discussion of the child’s day-to-day living and provide an accurate description of child and family functioning, so areas of improvement and priorities can be established. It will also help to establish a positive relationship between the family and the early interventionist.
During the assessment, the EI will pay close attention and note where they see opportunities for the child in five key areas:
  • Social engagement – The ability to interact with others
  • Adaptive skills – The ability to perform self-care
  • Communication skills – The ability to understand spoken language and express themselves
  • Motor skills – The ability to demonstrate gross motor movement and fine motor skills
  • Cognitive skills – The ability to think rationally and problem solve

If you live in South Carolina and think your infant or child is experiencing developmental delays, we can help.

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where do we offer early intervention services?

Our services are available for babies, toddlers, and their families in almost every county in South Carolina.

Click on your county to see the early interventionists available.

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About Play, LLC
2211 Alpine Road Ext.
Columbia, SC 29223
Office Phone: 803.497.3915
Fax: 803.497.3287
Email: info@aboutplaysc.com
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