Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities
You’ve planned for and now have begun the school year with your kids, there were myriad questions and concerns you’ve had to deal with. Have you bought all the supplies your child is going to need? How about the clothes? Have you met all the preliminary requirements for classrooms, teachers and all of the other in-school items?
Along with everything else, it is important to consider the mental health support your child might need throughout the new school year.
Rich with resources
The National Center for Education Statistics says that approximately 7.5 million elementary and secondary school students (ages 3 through 21) received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the 2022-2023 school year. That represents around 15 percent of all public-school students. Here in Ohio, more than 250,000 elementary and secondary school students receive special education services (about 16 percent of the public-school population).
How does a family go about finding the services they need?
“Toledo is very rich with resources,” explained Kate Schwartz, executive director of the Autism Society of Northwest Ohio (ASNO). “And parents have a choice. It’s important for them to realize that they’re not alone, that there’s a ‘daisy chain’ of people before and after them” who have had similar experiences.
The Toledo area offers a range of organizations that provide specialized services for children, from diagnostics, intervention and assessment to programs and counseling catered to a child’s age and situation. The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities works closely with families to support the child’s development and coordinate associated programming.
“We encourage parents to consider all types of programs” that will help support their kids, said Donn Wobser, service and support coordinator. The organization conducts early intervention programs for kids aged 3 to 6, along with assisting families to coordinate programs throughout life. “We do a lot of linking families to programs in the area, and assist with matching families to the right agencies,” he said. The organization also sponsors and supports events and activities for families throughout the year.
Supporting programming and families
The Board of Developmental Disabilities’ staff works closely with local schools – and parents – to evaluate disability services and search out the best programs to meet children’s needs. “It can be very overwhelming for parents, who are often accustomed to hearing ‘no’ from providers,” Wobser said. “We can help families advocate for the specific programs they need for their children.” They organize programs and services through many of the region’s schools, as well as with organizations such as Unison Health, the Zepf Center, Harbor and Ohio Guidestone.
They are also closely affiliated with OhioRISE (Resilience through Integrated System and Excellence), a statewide managed care program for youth with complex behavioral health and multisystem needs. The Board of Developmental Disabilities in Toledo works with OhioRISE to help families get referrals for mental health services through Ohio’s Medicaid program. “It’s another way to find an agency that meets a child’s specific needs,” Wobser said.
Sharing life experiences
ASNO provides families with references to a variety of services that are available to meet their needs and help them as they’re making their decisions about what services they choose. “We offer our lived experiences of navigating the local health care systems, and provide families a list of referrals,” Schwartz said. “We were built on word of mouth and parent to parent.”
By participating in public events and promoting other events around the community, ASNO learns about what’s working and what’s not. And large events, like the annual Acoustics for Autism, offer the organization lots of referrals for programming.
Schwartz, who is a parent of two children on the autism spectrum, shares her own story and recommendations with other parents. “I sat through IEP and social security meetings, and I know what that feels like,” she said. “It sucks and it’s going to hurt and it’s okay to be sad. But you can’t unpack your bags there. We share our experiences and give them referrals so they can make their own choices.”
