Grafton program brings disability services right to families' doors
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By M.K. Luther
mkluther@nvdaily.com
WINCHESTER -- Karringhton Harrell loves being at home, playing with her big sister and the family cat.
Thanks to the Infant and Toddler Connection of Shenandoah Valley, she's able to spend more time there.
Karringhton, who turns 2 in November, has Down syndrome and requires extra care and time to learn basic skills, and is currently receiving hour-long physical and occupational therapy sessions once a month in her home from the program.
"[They are] really good at showing us what we need to do with her," said Karringhton's mother, Jennifer Harrell.
The Infant and Toddler Connection of Shenandoah Valley offers eligible children under age 3 with disabilities the opportunity to have in-home Medicaid Part C services.
To be eligible, a child must have a diagnosed mental or physical condition that can cause a delay in development, show a 25 percent or more delay in various forms of development, or demonstrate development disorders, according to information posted on the ITC of the Shenandoah Valley website.
The program concentrates on giving specialized in-home services -- such as physical, occupational or behavioral therapy -- by crafting a service plan tailored to each family's individual needs and goals, said Shweta Adyanthaya, director of communications with Grafton.
"You are focused on what the parent wants to be able to achieve with their child," Adyanthaya said.
Grafton School Inc. was contracted by the city of Winchester in January as the local lead agency for the Shenandoah Valley, Adyanthaya said. The program serves Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Page and Shenandoah counties and the city of Winchester.
The infant and toddler early intervention services had previously been managed over the years by different public agencies, Adyanthaya said.
"This is the first time that a private provider has been selected as a lead agency," Adyanthaya said.
Karringhton works with the same team of professionals, preventing her from having to constantly adjust to different providers.
It also allows the service providers to become personally acquainted with the child, understanding his or her emotional and physical needs, and letting children and parents truly know the people providing care and therapy, Harrell said.
"Now, she is like 'Oh, hey, it is you again,'" Harrell said.
The voluntary program is designed to support the child and the family, explained Sharlene Stowers, local system manager.
A child is first referred to the program, usually by a doctor, a family member or the Department of Social Services, Stowers said. Then, working with the program's "central point of entry" and eventually, a case manager, screening is conducted to determine the child's eligibility, Stowers said. The family is then given an option to go through a formal assessment and create an individual service plan.
"The model is that the clinicians go in and work alongside the parent to teach them how they can, on a day-to-day basis, help the child, because they are with the child more than a clinician is." Stowers said.
The program allows licensed program providers, therapists and clinicians to work at the child's home or care center, but the majority of children receive services in their home, Stowers said. The ITC program, with local headquarters in Front Royal, currently maintains one full-time physical therapist, an educational counselor and a service coordinator.
Currently, the ITC program has about 188 children on a status list, including those "actively receiving services" and those who are being considered for eligibility, Stowers said.
The program maintains separate contracts with other individual clinicians for services, Stowers said. Many children have conditions that cause cognitive impairments, or a delay with motor skills and communication.
"It is a wide range of needs and disabilities that we serve," Stowers said.
The ultimate goal of the program is not only to provide support and assistance for families, but to help the child need less services as they progress, according to Stowers.
"Sometimes children do very well, and they might not need continued services," she said.
The clinicians and therapists capitalize on being in the child's natural environment, Stowers said, working with what is available in the home
"When they are in their home, therapists teach families to use things in their environment to help their child," she said.
Letitia Smith, a full-time physical therapist who previously worked in a traditional hospital setting, said the program's at-home method gives both the families and children a higher quality of services and care.
"We are able to cater to the family and we are able to cater to these children," Smith said. "And we are able to do what is going to benefit them the most."
Smith said the program's ability to reach the child at an early age is not just about therapy, but also about prevention.
"Education is key, education is power," Smith said. "We are making these families stronger for the long term."
For more information, visit www.itcshenvalley.org
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