Dear Drs. Beasley,
My husband was transferred to Oklahoma City and we arrived in June. We have a two-month-old boy who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Since our child was born, we have been trying to move closer to Oklahoma to be near our families so I am looking for services available to children with special needs here in Oklahoma. Since I may have to work, are there child care centers that accepts special needs children? Do you have any suggestions, so when we arrive, I can get started with services that will help our child be as successful as possible?
    R.W.

Dr. Lori:  Welcome to Oklahoma! I am so glad it worked out for you to be close to family. Support from extended family and community services is vital for families with special needs children such as yours. The first place to find out about services for young children, in any state, is with the state’s Department of Education and Department of Health. Oklahoma’s early intervention program is called SoonerStart. This program is for infants and toddlers, birth to 36 months.

Dr. Stewart:  SoonerStart is available statewide and employs professionals from all specialty areas to provide developmental evaluation and services to infants and children. If a child has a 50% or more delay in one critical area or 25% or more delay in two critical areas, he is eligible for SoonerStart services. These may include but are not limited to utilization of the services of a developmental specialist, speech therapist, occupational therapists, physical therapist, or dietician. For more information go to ok.gov/health/Child_and_Family_Health/index.html.

Dr. Lori:  There are other support networks available for parents such as OASIS which is the Statewide Information and Referral for Oklahomans with Special Needs. Anyone needing help can call 800-426-2747 or visit oasis.ouhsc.edu. OASIS has affiliations with national and community agencies offering  services to families with disabilities. Another valuable OASIS resource is their Respite Resource Network and the Respite Voucher program that provides a break for caregivers of disabled persons. It’s very hard work taking care of a disabled child 24/7 and respite provides just what it sounds like: a break from the stress and worries of caretaking.

Dr. Stewart: Another national site that links to Oklahoma resources is nichcy.org, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. This site serves as a central source of information for the nation and lists agencies, advocacy agencies and disability specific support and support groups for parents in each state.

Dr. Lori:  You mentioned that you might need child care for your son. A place to start for referrals in your area is the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (naccrra.org), a national link to statewide referral systems for child care through community-based resource and referral services. Child Care Connection is located in Oklahoma City and after a short interview to determine your needs, specialists will assist you in finding licensed care in your area for your child.

Dr. Stewart:   As you can see, Oklahoma has multiple accessible resources for parents with disabled children to research and locate the services they need or to find support services to assist you. We hope you will continue to read MetroFamily Magazine which is a rich source of services available to Oklahomans. Where else can you locate a magazine that devotes an entire issue to special needs families? Again, welcome back to Oklahoma.   

Lori Beasley, EdD is Asst. Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of Family Life Education at the University of Central Oklahoma. Stewart R. Beasley, PhD is a licensed psychologist who practices in Edmond and Oklahoma City  and is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Do you have a question about early childhood issues for the Beasleys?  E-mail it to
SRB@DRStewartBeasley.com.