Cannot afford OT; what would you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have not looked into it but I assume that D.C. public schools are not going to be able to help with this next year when he is in kinder. thank you!

This is not necessarily true. The right IEP can get a child OT, and once a child has an IEP it is good for 2 or 3 years. Please call Bridges. Once your child is enrolled the special ed coordinator (a very sweet and loving woman named Alexa) can work with you to get an IEP (which must be honored at any DC public school - DCPS or charter).

[Anonymous]

I work in DC with kids of special needs. DCPS has an obligation to pay for services. To enroll, go to your neighborhood school (where'd go if he was in school) and tell them he needs an OT eval. He might not get the services there - but that is the entry point for Child Find. Beware though - there is a backlog of children needing services in DC - and the wait can be long. But be persistent and get an advocate if you need to.

[Anonymous]

Another thought if DCPS, etc. doesn't come to fruition is to try one of the universities in the area. Some of them provide OT, PT, speech, etc. so their students can get hands-on experience. I believe Lasalle in Baltimore does something like this, and they either don't charge or it's scaled. Also, I know Scottish Rite (Masons organization) in DC provides speech therapy; they may also do other therapies.

[Anonymous]

i don't know if someone already suggested this, but we paid for OT for a short time and tried to take the lessons and ideas home with us. you'll get a detailed eval and lots of ideas about what to do.