Bringing attention to special needs children

By Danielle Lynch

From the southern part of Chester County all the way to the northern tip, there are families with special-needs children. Parents with special-needs children struggle day in and day out. And for some families, it’s an uphill battle from issues of special education to health care.
In Chester County, the special-needs children population continues to grow. In 2000, there were 36,781 boys and 34,671 girls with disabilities between the ages of 5 to 15 years of age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Six years later, the male population with disabilities rose to 37,178 and 35,023 for females, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Chester County has several departments and agencies to help those who have children with special needs. The Chester County Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation staff specializes in three different units including early intervention, mental health and mental retardation, according to the department’s administrator Gary Entrekin.
“The worst thing I could say to a parent is: ‘I understand,’ because I don’t,” Entrekin said.
Entrekin said it’s important for families to get their children help early on.
“It’s OK to be out there and get help from professionals,” he said.
Chester County Council on Addictive Diseases, also known as the COAD Group, provides services to those with special needs. Among COAD’s services are the alcohol safe driving program, Chester County highway safety project, community prevention, educational services, a student assistance program and mental health services.
Project Coordinator Tracy Behringer said COAD provides newsletters and reading materials to schools. She said some students may have issues that keep them from doing well in the typical school setting.
“The stress level today is off the chart,” Behringer said.
Chester County also has a program called System of Care which is under the direction of coordinator Tracey Johnson. The System of Care helps multi-system involved children find natural supports so that they aren’t placed outside of their homes, Johnson said.
At the same time of the increasing special-needs children population, special-education costs continue to rise. Special-education allocations in Chester County have increased in total by approximately 74 percent over the past five years. Back in the 2003-2004 school year, the total special allocation of all 12 school districts was $86.8 million. The total special- education allocation at the beginning of this school year was $151.4 million.
With special education, there are several laws that cause parents and school districts to hire attorneys to represent them. When there is a conflict between two parties, there’s a process called mediation. If issues aren’t worked out in mediation, the parents and school districts can go to due process.
In the area of health care, there has also been an increase in those under the age of 18 that utilize medical assistance. In Chester County, there were 11,782 residents under age 18 eligible for medical assistance in August 2004. And in August 2008, the number eligible increased to 14,156, according to the state’s Department of Public Welfare’s division of planning, evaluation and budget analysis.
In addition to the county programs, many parents have formed their own support groups and programs.
Susan Rzucidlo, the mother of an autistic teenager, teamed up with the former New Garden police chief to form a nonprofit organization called Speak Unlimited, which has a mission “to serve those who serve and help those in need.”
And Steve and Kimberly Niggeman in West Vincent took a proactive approach when they found out their daughter had Turner Syndrome. They founded a local support program called Chain of Love.
Karen Brenneman, who has a son that was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, became an advocate and formed a program called “Sibshops” for siblings of special-needs children. But similar to other parents with special-needs children, she dealt with many struggles.
“Until you live it, you don’t really get it,” Brenneman said.
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For more information about the Chester County Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, visit www.chesco.org/mhmr.
For more information about the Chester County Council on Addictive Diseases, visit www.coadgroup.com.
For more information about the Chester County System of Care, contact Tracey Johnson at 610-344-6534 or by e-mail at tjohnson@chesco.org.

To contact staff writer Danielle Lynch, send an e-mail to dlynch@dailylocal.com.

Today is the first part of a three-part series in which the Daily Local News will look at the multifaceted issue of special-needs children in Chester County. Each day will touch on different aspects including education, health care and laws.

Monday: More about syndromes and disorders that affect children and what’s out there to help them and their families. Specifically, there will be profiles on bipolar disorder, autism, ADHD, and Turner Syndrome.