Families worry about DES cuts
Advocates and parents are concerned children under the age of three with developmental disabilities will have to go without therapy after the Department of Economic Security announced budget cuts about a week ago. According to Southwest Human Development, the cuts would take away state-funded speech, occupational and physical therapy for these children, and essentially leave them without these therapies as they are too young to receive federal funding.
Parents like Shawnie Huff say they can't afford to wait three years. Huff has three children with down syndrome. Five-year-old Tyler knows how to write his name on his own. His older sister Tia is functioning in a normal first grade classroom despite both of them having down syndrome. Huff said these accomplishments would be impossible if it weren't for the therapy they received since they were just a few months old. "I can't imagine my kids not having it, because I know the growth that they did in the first three years," she said.
Developmentally disabled children are eligible for federal funding once they turn three, but that delay could end up costing the state more in the long-run. "There's a tremendous amount of research that says early intervention makes a huge difference," said Dr. Trudi Norman-Murch of Southwest Human Development. "Every dollar you spend helping children during the first few years pays off tremendously...just purely economically in terms of how much special ed they need later on, how much help they need in being independent."
Huff and her husband adopted two-year-old Max nine months ago and have seen major progress in his development. He also has down syndrome, and Huff said she can't imagine him no longer receiving therapy. "I keep telling my husband I hope I know enough," said Huff.
DES said all the cuts are difficult, but they have to manage within the resources the state gives them. The cuts are set to take effect March 1st. But advocates and parents are appealing to lawmakers and the governor to reconsider.
Thank you, thank you for blogging about this too! I was beginning to wonder if anyone else was out there. The more people we have talking about this, the more likely they'll listen to us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Stacy! I just left a comment on your blog .. but I think I left it under a different profile - oops!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is so important that families and providers unite in the effort against the latest DDD cuts and future cuts!
Thank you for linking to me on your blog!