Developmental and Educational Teams

Throughout the child's lifetime, the family will be involved with a number of interdisciplinary teams that address developmental and educational issues. Depending on their roles and job descriptions, nurses working with children who have cerebral palsy will be more or less involved in these teams. Case managers, for example, may attend team meetings and play a strong advocacy role for the child.

Infants and toddlers with cerebral palsy are eligible to receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that mandates special services to children with disabilities. These services are provided in two very different systems.

The early intervention system covers services from the time the child is born until the child's third birthday. From age 3 through 22 years, the school system is responsible for providing special education and related services. Nurses working with children who have cerebral palsy need a working knowledge of these systems and the services available to the population.


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Infants and toddlers in the early intervention system all receive the same services.
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Within the early intervention system, infants and toddlers with CP can benefit from a wide variety of services to address impairments in speech and language, oral motor function and feeding, fine motor function, gross motor abilities, cognitive skills, and social interactions. Many early intervention programs provide a small, family-centered group setting for social interaction, supplemented by individual therapy and a home visit component.

Typical personnel at an early intervention program include:

Parent education and role modeling are very important components of the early intervention system, since most of the youngster's development will take place in the home.


Assistive technologies are those that help the student:


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The school district must provide the child with services to maximize his potential.
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False