School Readiness

Case Study

One of the Resource and Eligibility Specialists met with the parent of a child with a mild type of autism. The child had been placed in several centers but was constantly transferred because the centers had difficulty dealing with the child’s violent fits of rage, including banging her head against the floor. The parent was desperate to return to work but each time she did, she was called many times during the day regarding her child’s behavior. As the calls increased, the employers were angered and the parent had difficulty working. Initially, the parent seemed resistant to addressing the child’s behavior but following the child’s additional terminations from child care centers, she was willing to look for some possible solutions. The Resource and Eligibility Specialist suggested the parent consider a smaller placement such as a family child care home and also made a referral to CHILDFIND for additional assistance. The child was eventually enrolled in an early intervention program with wrap-around care at the family child care home. The mother continued her employment and stated that the provider was a life-saver for her family.