SPEECH & LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Baseline SLPs will support the family in wayfinding, and navigating the world of support that is available to your child, whether those supports are in the community or in schools, or they are private services. All possible options will be discussed, and we will help you understand the many acronyms in this field (e.g., ECS, PUF, FSCD etc.) so you can choose the right path for your child.
I’VE BEEN ASSESSED … NOW WHAT?
Baseline was created in hopes of filling some gaps in the current world of speech and language support, and hopefully we help some families in the process. Numerous agencies will complete assessments, and provide your child with a diagnosis… but then what? At Baseline we are concerned about the “then what”. As part of your assessment we include wayfinding supports where we discuss, in-depth, all the support your child could be eligible to access – publicly, through preschools and schools, through funding agencies and/or through private channels. How are families supposed to advocate for their children, and give them all the opportunities in the world, if they are not aware of all the options? This wayfinding and support service option is a huge reason why Baseline was created as we all need help with the now what.
SPEECH & LANGUAGE ACRONYMS
What sort of things should parents know? Baseline will help you navigate the acronyms of the speech and language world! Here are a few:
ECS stands for Early Childhood Services. ECS are defined as “educational programs for children under the age of 6, and includes Kindergarten (or the year before Grade One), and educational programming for children as young as 2 years 8 months”.
Translation: ECS offers pumped up preschool options for children with language challenges. In order to qualify for ECS, your child needs an assessment for coding (that we can do at Baseline), and they may qualify for the next acronym:
Program Unit Funding (PUF) – government provided dollars to pay for ECS and pumped up supports. Qualifying for PUF and choosing the best ECS program (there are multiple agencies in Edmonton and area offering different types of ECS support), are two services included with Baseline’s wayfinding service.
FSCD stands for Family Support for Children with Disabilities. The Alberta government will give families money to receive in home, multidisciplinary care (e.g., Speech-Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, an aide) called Specialized Services. Your child may be eligible to receive these services if they have a severe disability that significantly limits their ability to function during activities of daily living. Some examples include toileting, sleeping, communicating with others, participating as part of a group, regulating sensory information and eating. Your child needs TWO areas of challenge in the areas outlined by the agency.
Baseline does not provide FSCD support or contracts; however, we can help you apply and direct you down the right path of support, and ultimately treatment and respite.
Code 47 is an Alberta Education assigned code for a severe delay involving language. This code is assigned to ECS students so they can access/ qualify for the pumped-up preschools. This code can be assigned because of severe delays understanding or using language, as well as a severe “total” language delay. Alberta Education gives the educational institution of the family’s choice money to support their children in the program.
We can complete the assessment for Code 47 and the report that needs to be submitted to Alberta Education to access support.
Code 57 is also an Alberta Education assigned code. Basically, it is Code 47 for kids grade 1-12, only it doesn’t come with as much money attached to it (as Code 47 does). However, after a comprehensive assessment, the student could possibly apply for this code (through their school) and be diagnosed with a communication disability/ disorder. Once a child is assigned this code, it opens up doors to additional support at the school level.
Baseline has the assessment tools required to support an application for this code, and we can’t wait to see you and your child so we can discuss all the levels of support you can advocate for on behalf of your child.
There are other external agencies and support opportunities that we would love to discuss with you! Please see some, but by no means all, below:
- EIP: Early Intervention Program through Alberta Health Services (EIP)
- CASA: Child and Adolescent Services Association (Mental Health Services for Children, Adolescents and Their Families)
- E4C/ ABC Headstart: Early learning support for lower income families
- iSTAR: The Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research
- GRIT: Getting Ready for Inclusion Today
- CASE: Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton
