What Does the Child Really Need? Moving Beyond “Medically Necessary” Versus “Educationally Appropriate” Service Conflicts

Families of young children with suspected or confirmed developmental delays and disorders may seek the opinions of physicians and other clinicians in both hospital-based and community and school-base settings. Differences in recommendations for frequency and intensity of services can be a source of confusion for parents, creating conflict between parents and schools in the development of service plans.  The first part of the presentation focuses on factors contributing to differences in perspectives between these settings. The second part proposes a service model that integrates these perspectives and reduces conflict among health and education sectors.