With summer break right around the corner, we want to shine some light on a topic that takes no breaks — your child’s care team. Whether you’re new to a diagnosis and don’t know where to start, are in the process of organically building your support team, or are reevaluating what your child needs, building a care team can be an ongoing and often overwhelming challenge, especially as our kids grow and their needs change.
We’ve all experienced some stumbling blocks when deciding who the best team members are to support our kids — we’re essentially creating a team who will see our kids grow and support us in the process, ups and downs and all. No pressure, right? And it isn’t just about our kids — one of the most important aspects of having a care team is that we’re not doing it alone! It’s about creating a circle of care that includes you, your child, and your support squad that’s got your back!
What are the first steps in this journey toward helping our children grow to be their best selves? This week, we’re diving into the ins and outs of building a care team, from who can make up our kids’ team to coordination of care, in-network and out-of-network providers, picking a team who communicates, and more!
- A great care team, with their combined expertise, can help kids (and parents!) navigate challenges and equip them with the skills they need to thrive in various settings, be it at home, school, in the community, at camp, or during playdates. Read our article How to Build a Care Team where we break down everything you need to know.
- Undivided Conversations: How to Build a Care Team. Have only 10 minutes to spare? In our new series, Undivided Conversions, we speak to some of the fiercest providers out there who stress family-centered planning and collaboration when building a care team for our kids.
- Finding the right providers can be tricky. As you navigate the complex journey of getting the right support to meet your child’s needs, see our glossary of medical specialists who commonly serve children with developmental delays and disabilities, from audiologists to neurologists to developmental psychologists.
- Are you on the hunt for a developmental-behavioral pediatrician, or curious about what they do? This medical professional can play a central role in your child’s overall care, provide guidance, referrals, and support, and help coordinate care. Read our article Developmental-Behavioral Pediatricians 101 to learn more.
- Going in-network for therapies and feeling overwhelmed? Read our in-network therapies cheat sheet with tips from Undivided Director of Health Plan Advocacy Leslie Lobel on how to start looking for providers, getting on waitlists, and more. Plus, a list of the most important questions to ask on your search for an in-network provider.
We’d love your feedback!
Help us make the Unstoppable Together newsletter even better for our community! What topics are you most interested in learning about? Take the quick survey here.
Undivided Office Hours
Our next Office Hours speaker is Undivided Special Education Advocate Lisa Carey! On Wednesday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m. PDT, Lisa will be available to answer all of your questions about IEPs and special education. Stop by for five minutes or the whole hour. Bi-weekly Office Hours are virtual Q&A sessions with experts that are open to Undivided members only, so if you’d like to attend, sign up here to begin your free Kickstart!
- What if a provider you want your child to see is out-of-network? Check out these tips from Leslie Lobel, Undivided’s Director of Health Plan Advocacy. Watch on YouTube→
- How do you involve your child in conversations about the services they receive? Hear some ideas from OT Katherine Ambrose — including what to do if your child is resisting their therapy appointments. Check it out on Instagram→
- Have you recently joined our private parents-only Facebook group? Please introduce yourself and your family — we’d love to meet you! Participate in our inclusive community →
- Want to share our weekly newsletters? You can find the links to our resources and more on our company page! Check it out on LinkedIn→
This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 6/8/23. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, or check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
