Question for those familiar w/IEPs

[Sally]

What is the criteria for "Other Health Impaired"?

My oldest son is coded for speech and Other Health Impaired, but that is due to his Tourettes Syndrome and ADHD - I'm now wondering if BPI would/could fall into that coding as well....?

And if so, would that allow for related services such as OT?

I'm not sure where to look this up, so I was hoping that someone already knows the answer to this question....

Thanks!

Sally

[Karrie in MD.]

Sally, at least in our case...when Kyle was getting services through early intervention, yes he was coded as other health impairment. When they get into school, it is extremely hard to get services. You have to prove that the injury impacts their ability to learn. As you can see, I have been fighting this for over two years now and nothing. Kyle is such a bright little boy and compensates so well, that they feel it does not impact his learning. It is worth trying to get, but it is hard.
Karrie

[Nettie]

My understanding of the process is that as long as you already qualify for speech you should be able to get OT along with that. You can get specialized services if you already have speech relatively easy. With my daughter she qualifies for speech and receives OT for sensory integration dysfunction, but my son who is LOBPI was unable to get any services because he does not qualify for speech and due to compensatory actions his arm does not affect his ability to learn. He is R. hand dominant. However, just having your child evaluated will get your foot in the door for a future evaluation, esp. if your child has any surgical intervention and would then need services. Our school district told us that and they told us that at any time if we want him re-evaluated to let them know. The biggest struggle I have seen is if you don't get your child evaluated early within the school districts before kindergarten, it is very difficult to say the least to get a timely evaluation later on. They do have I believe 90 days just to respond to a request and additional time to complete the evaluation, so the earlier the better. I hope this helps a little. Good Luck