Copperas Cove ISD evaluates pre-school students to determine need for special education services

Special to the Leader-Press

Parents lined up with their three-year-old children hoping to find answers at Copperas Cove ISD’s Child Find outreach event, held to facilitate screening of children at age three to determine if any deficits exist in the areas of communication, motor skills, and cognitive abilities.

“Early intervention can change the trajectory of a child's future. The sooner interventions begin, the more time a child's brain has to learn or re-learn a skill,” said CCISD Special Education Coordinator Teresa Colvin. “If parents suspect their child may have a disability or are concerned that their three-year-old is not meeting the developmental milestones, we ask that they bring their child to us so we can partner with them and help determine if their child needs any supports or services.”

Upon arrival to CCISD’s Child Find event, parents viewed several different stations of activities under the supervision of staff members of CCISD's Special Education Department including occupational therapists, licensed school psychologists, educational diagnosticians, licensed school speech pathologists, compliance facilitators, and individual education plan clerks, who conducted and assisted with screenings of their children.

Parent Tiffany Ropple brought her son, three-year-old Kayson, to Child Find to be evaluated for possible deficiencies with his communication skills.

“My biggest concern for my son is his speech. As Kayson's motor skills grew, his speech development did not. He would say his basic few words like mama, dada, bubba, and no.    However, he is not forming sentences,” Ropple said. “Having Kayson evaluated before he starts school helps our family know what we can do to support him when he is in school.”

After children are screened, CCISD Special Education staff review the scores and will contact parents to let them know the results within two weeks. CCISD’s Child Find outreach event evaluated more than 50 children for the possible need of special education services. The CCISD Special Education Department also evaluates students in the district’s pre-K program at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy.

“Even if you are on the fence about your child's development, have your child evaluated and you put your mind at ease,” Colvin said. “If a student's score shows that he or she needs intervention, we will provide it.”

Parents who missed CCISD’s Child Find event and would like to have their children ages three or younger evaluated for special education services should contact the Early Child Intervention Office, 1012 North Drive, Suite D, Copperas Cove, or call (254) 699-2090.