District officials are trying to help parents recognize the signs of autism in children as young as infants, saying delayed diagnoses cause a frustrating bottleneck in the city’s public schools. The city hopes that increased awareness of what developmental delays look and sound like in young children will increase the graduation rate, combat delinquent behaviors, drive up test scores, and “reduce the special education pipeline,” said Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright.
The D.C. Early Intervention Program is not new: parents already can reach out for free screenings and, in some cases, financial support for services proscribed.
Per federal law, assessments are free, and the city or Medicaid pays for families who can’t afford services like physical therapy or speech pathology.
But on Monday the program was recast more aggressively as “Strong Smart,” urging parents through radio, television, and Metro ads to address anything off-kilter.
“She doesn’t look at pictures like her big brother used to,” a woman remarks in the radio spot about bedtime stories, which runs in English and Spanish. A Metro ad reads, “If your child isn’t talking, maybe it’s worth speaking up.”
According to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, “hundreds” of eligible children in the District are not receiving services for development disorders. Only about 400 are; the city wants to add 100 by the end of 2011.
“It’s a subject a lot of people don’t know about, and certainly a subject a lot of people don’t want to talk about,” Superintendent Hosanna Mahaley said.
Several officials applauded Mayor Vincent Gray’s focus on early childhood education, a staple of his campaign last summer. But parents and city officials are urging the mayor to go further by lowering the eligibility threshold for services.
Currently, a child must be assessed as at least 50-percent delayed to receive services. Most other states require a child to meet the 25-percent mark.
Parents applauded when Beatriz Otero, deputy mayor for health and human services, said she told Gray, “You’ve got to move to 25 percent. The investment is high,” but many more children need the benefits.
Spokesmen for the mayor did not reply to requests for comment.
Almo Carter, whose 3-year-old is non-verbal, said she hopes the city continues to focus on the transition of special-needs students into schools. “I can’t ‘wait and wonder’ if my son is going to be able to contribute to society,” she said.
