Marketing the Navigator Clinic

Community Education

Group Members & Lead Faculty

Krista Lofton, MPH

Public Health

Lucila Saccone

Family Support

Sonia K. Aller, Ph.D

Speech and Language

Fran Goldfarb, MA,

MCHES

Family Support

• Parents have limited

participation in the IEP

meeting

• Parents have difficulty

with identifying their

child’s needs

“Marketing the Navigator Clinic”

Why was the Navigator Clinic Developed?

child’s needs

• Parents also have difficulty

in understanding the

assessment reports

• Lastly, parents have

difficulty identifying

priorities and selecting

which type of therapy will

benefit their child

What is the Navigator Clinic?

� To identify their concerns about their child’s IEP.

� To understand the components of the IEPs.

� To determine if IEP goals are based on the assessment results.

The Family Navigator Clinic Helps Parents…

� To determine if IEP goals are based on the assessment results.

� To identify if the child needs other assessments.

� To understand assessment results and recommendations so that parents feel that they can use the information.

� To plan the steps needed to develop an IEP that is based on assessment results.

Why is this Important?

� Children need good goals to make progress in school.

� Special Education services have to match the child’s need. �

� Both aspects must work together in order to have the child meet his/her goals.

� A failure to work together may cause frustration and disorder and obstruct the development of an effective IEP.

The Family Navigator Clinic helps parents participate in

developing the right goals and services to meet the child’s

individual needs.

Process…

• Research potential

clients and develop a

list of contacts

• Meet with potential

• Revise proposal to

individual needs of

the client

• Create timeline and • Meet with potential

clients and present

Navigator Clinic

logistics

• Develop proposal for

outreach to Regional

Center(s)

• Create timeline and

budget

Background Research/Best Practices/Guidelines

• Empowering parents is an essential piece toward ensuring that

parents become advocates for their children when dealing with

issues of healthcare and education

• Empowerment combined with education strengthens the parent-

professional relationship

• Empowerment of parents aids in

coping mechanisms

A Day in the Life

“My Visit with Little Reggie”

• Mom: “This is how he

is and will always be.”

• Sister: “I honestly • Sister: “I honestly

think he was able to

do more when he was

younger and in certain

ways my parents have

handicapped him.”

A Day in the Life

“My Visit with Little Reggie”

“It’s important for professionals to understand what the

diagnosis means to each family and acknowledge the

loss that a family experiences when they learn their

child is not going to be able to live the life they child is not going to be able to live the life they

imagined for them. I also think the ability empathize

with each member of the family is important. Parents,

siblings and extended family members will each have a

different response and need to learn the tools to help

them assist in the early intervention process.”

A Day in the Life

• The family consisted of 5 members: Dad and mom with 2 boys 6

and 5 years old with autism and a 1 year old girl.

• Each family is different, they react and think differently about the

challenges of having a child with a disability even if they come

from the same cultural background.

• One of the things that we learned is that we needed to respect the

different points of views and reactions of each families.

• As observers, we became more sensitive to the problems and

situations that a family with a child with a disability has in their

daily routines.

Agency Visit

“Fiesta Educativa”

History

Fiesta Educativa was founded in

California in 1978 to inform and assist

Latino families in obtaining services

and in caring for their children with

special needs. Fiesta Educativa was

formed by family members and formed by family members and

professionals who recognized the need

to provide assistance and advocacy to

these Spanish-speaking families.

Mission Statement

Fiesta Educativa, a partnership of families, professionals,

consumers, friends, and agencies embraces as its mission the goal

of universal support towards the enhancement of the lives of

persons with disabilities.

Agency Visit

“Fiesta Educativa”

• Goal: To assist families in

gaining knowledge,

accessing key resources

and understanding their

fundamental rights.

• Programs: Fiesta Familiar,

Autism Parent Education

Program (APEP), Autism

Conference, Stands for

Community, Parent

Resource Center (CPRC)

Community Education/TA

Los Angeles Community Impact

• Created a new brochure for the

LACI program

• LACI is a service that will be

offered to communities with low

economical resources

• It will provide different

workshops on how to have more

successful IEP meetings

• Advocacy services will be

provided at a low cost

• If the family is still not able to

pay there is an opportunity to

receive the services through

community service

Policy Brief

“IDEA 2004”

Policy:

1.The right to a copy of

the IEP document in the

primary language of the

Problem:

1. There is currently

NO time frame for

translation of primary language of the

parent at the parent’s

request.

[5 C.C.R. Sec. 3040(b).]

translation of

IEP’s!!

Policy Brief

“IDEA 2004”

Policy:

2. There is no specific

entitlement under

federal or state law to

Problem:

2. There is currently

not a right that

mandates the federal or state law to

translated assessment

reports, but some

school districts do

provide them upon

request.

mandates the

translation of

assessments and

receipt of translated

assessments prior to

the IEP.

Policy Brief

“IDEA 2004”

Recommendations:

1. Original IEP must be

translated and given to

the family in the SAME

time frame as the time frame as the

English IEP

2. Development of policy

that REQUIRES the

translation of

assessment materials

Product/Outcome“IEP Coaching Service for

South Central Los Angeles Regional Center”

Product/Outcome

“SCLARC Model”

Lessons Learned

• Program Proposals take TIME!

• The difficulties that families with children who have

disabilities face

• The ability of families to handle day-to-day activities

with strength and perseverance

• To remain humble and open to how much we can learn

through personal interaction

• Sensitivity and respect for individuals

• NOT to Generalize!

Next Steps…

• Create a Budget

• Present Proposal and

Timeline to SCLARC

• Revise Model according

to SCLARC preference

• Sign Contract and Begin

Program!

Acknowledgments

Special Thanks To:

Sonia K. Aller, Ph.D

Fran Goldfarb, MA, CHESFran Goldfarb, MA, CHES

Cary Kruetzer, MPH, RD

Fiesta Educativa

South Central Los Angeles Regional Center

Little Reggie and Family