When a new diagnosis comes our way, it might feel overwhelming at first — there’s a lot to process and understand. Many of us on the Undivided team have been there: navigating the journey and trying to figure out what comes next, and feeling like the weight of the world is on our shoulders, whether our kids are one week or ten years old. Which providers do we go to for help? Where do we find services that work best for our kiddos, and funding for it all? How early can we start early intervention? What does it all mean?!
Dear new parent of a child with a disability —
You might be feeling devastated, terrified, relieved, or all the above and then some. You’re probably going to need (and want) a lot of guidance and support. Start by reading our Letter to a New Parent of a Child with a Disability, from your fellow parents at Undivided.
When you’re ready, make time to explore the resources and benefits that are available to your child. Read all about building a care team, finding funding for services, and more in our article A New Diagnosis: Now What?
If your child is under 3, early intervention is a powerful tool that can make a huge positive impact on their life. But figuring out how to prioritize care, funding, providers, and diagnoses can frustrate anyone. We’ve gathered expert advice and useful information to help you through every step of the journey, from birth to kindergarten in our series: The 4 Ws of Early Intervention:
- WHO Do You Go To for Help?
- WHAT Is Early Intervention and How Is It Funded?
- WHY (Or Not) Is it Beneficial to Get a Diagnosis?
- WHEN Should You Start Evaluations and Therapies?
This week’s parent win: members love our Kickstarts! Members are loving Undivided after their first call! One client said, “I’ve been slammed at work the last couple weeks and the help has been amazing. UD is brilliant. Thank you for all the help so far.”
Undivided Spotlight: Nominate Your Favorite Provider! Undivided wants to celebrate your favorite providers! Do you have a favorite OT, PT, SLP, behavioral interventionist, Ed Therapist, etc.? Reply with name of person, title/specialty, practice name, email, and socials (if you know them!) so we can reach out to them once we’ve chosen our winner. Nominations are open until 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, July 24, so make sure you send in your fav provider asap!
On Wednesday, July 26 at 12:00 p.m. PDT, Lisa will be available to answer all of your questions about finding in- and out-of-network providers, funding therapies and medical supplies, and more! 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!
Undivided Conversations:
Found out your child has Down syndrome? Congratulations!
In this installment of Undivided Conversations, we sat down with Nancy Litteken, executive director of Club 21 Learning and Resource Center in Pasadena, and Emily Mondschein, executive director of Gigi’s Playhouse in Buffalo, New York, both of whom are also parents of individuals with Down syndrome, to gain expert insight into what families need. Watch their top tips on our YouTube page!
How many of these types of specialists are part of your child’s care team? Check it out on Instagram→- See how a developmental pediatrician can act as the “coach” of a child’s care team. Watch on YouTube→
- Have a fun, disability-friendly event to share this summer? Post in our parents-only group on Facebook→
- Find links to our past newsletters on LinkedIn! Connect with us on LinkedIn→
- Organize everything you need to know about your child’s diagnosis in the Undivided app. Start here→
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This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 7/20/23. 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.
