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" . . . our mission is to support families and youth with special health care needs as decision makers at all levels of the health care delivery system."

Family Voices of Washington

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Family Voices Washington and Family 2 Family Advocates for Special Care Children.Welcome to Family Voices of Washington.

It is estimated that 10.2 million children in the United States have special health care needs. Like other children and youth, those with special health care needs deserve a happy, healthy childhood and youth – attending school, enjoying community events, living with their families, and worshiping with friends and neighbors – as well as the opportunity to become productive adults.

However, unlike other children and youth, ours also have challenging health conditions – physical, mental, or emotional – that can make their lives and their families’ lives more complicated. Any child or youth at any time could develop a disability or chronic health condition.

We have the latest general news, health news and educational information for special needs, updated each week or more frequently.


Recent News

  • Pierce County Survey Assistive/Information Technology Use by Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Pierce County Developmental Disabilities and Washington Initiative for Supported Employment (WiSe) are interested in your responses on the eight question survey linked below. This survey is about technology such as cell phones, iPads, and other handheld devices. The results of the survey will help WiSe design the content for two upcoming community trainings on these devices and influence longer term planning. The trainings will be on Tuesday, May 8th, from 3:00 till 5:00 at the Pierce County Library Process and Administration Building at 3005 112th St. E. in Tacoma, and Saturday, May 19th from 10:30 - 12:30 at the University Place Pierce County Library at 3609 Market Place W., University Place, WA. Complete information and sign up will be distributed in early April.

    If you are a family member, individual self advocate, provider, agency personnel, or government staff, we would appreciate your participation in the survey. If you are able to distribute this to others in Pierce County or assist someone who experiences developmental disabilities to complete the survey, it would be appreciated. Click on the link below to take the eight question survey. Click here to take the survey.


  • Autism Services Demonstration (ASD) Extended through March 2014 TRICARE Management Activity has extended the Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration (ASD) through March 2014. This demonstration program allows eligible beneficiaries to receive applied behavioral analysis (ABA) intervention services from board certified behavior analysts and paraprofessionals under their supervision. Click here for more information.


  • Preschoolers in Surgery for a Mouthful of Cavities In the surgical wing of the Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Devon Koester, 2 ˝ years old, was resting last month in his mother’s arms as an anesthesiologist held a bubble-gum-scented mask over his face to put him under. The doctors then took X-rays, which showed that 11 of his 20 baby teeth had cavities. Then his pediatric dentist extracted two incisors, performed a root canal on a molar, and gave the rest fillings and crowns. Read the entire online article.


  • Delayed and Forgone Care for Families with Chronic Conditions in High-Deductible Health Plans Read the online article.


  • Learning to ‘talk things through in your head’ may help people with autism - Article
    The study, led by Dr David Williams from the Psychology Department at Durham, found that the mechanism for using ‘inner speech’ or ‘talking things through in their head’ is intact in children with autism but not always used in the same way as typically developing children do. Dr Williams found that the use, or lack of, thinking in words is strongly linked to the extent of someone’s communication impairments which are rooted in early childhood. Click Here to read the entire article


  • How Patient Engagement Creates Tailored Solutions - Article
    As the concept of the medical home gains increasing attention as a way to redesign primary care, it will be essential for providers to adopt new strategies to better engage patients in their healthcare. Click Here to read the entire article.


  • Can Someone Tell Me What is "Evidence-Based"? - What Works?
    Teachers are always looking for evidence-based practices to support struggling learners. The question is, evidence-based according to whom? Textbook and curriculum developers will always claim their product is evidence-based, and educators don't have the time to evaluate all of the resources. Fortunately, there is a source you can trust.

    The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) was established by the U.S. Department of Education in 2002 to be a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education. In our new guest blog, the WWC gives us a taste of what it offers for educators.

    Check out the What Works Clearinghouse blog at http://nichcy.org/finding-what-works-for-children-with-special-needs


  • Project Locate - "Do you know someone prone to wandering? Visit the project website at: www.projectlocate.org or email locate@wapave.org


  • Autism Professionals and Advocates - New Program
    Families for Effective Autism Treatment has an exciting new program for teens in the South Sound. Experience Learning Project (ELP) is FEAT of Washington's model service learning program targeted at teens with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. In ELP, teens work to improve their self-management and social problem-solving skills within a service learning context. Our next meeting is January 20 from 4:30-6:30 pm at Mt.Cross Lutheran Church in University Place. The group meets two Fridays a month and two Saturdays a month. The cost is of this program is very reasonable at $15 per hour for ten hours of therapy.

    Please contact Ruth Burks if you have further questions about Experience Learning Project or know of families who would like more information. She can be reached at ruthburks@featwa.org. Her phone number is (253) 232-4493. Download the ELP Brochure


    The Latest Professional Parenting News


    About Us

    The Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) is a non-profit organization that helps families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and the professionals who serve them.  Because the health care needs of CYSHCN are chronic and complex, parents and caregivers are often challenged with finding the resources to provide and finance health care for their children. 

    F2F HIC is in a unique position to help families because parents of CYSHCN staff/run it themselves, and as parents, they have traveled through the maze of services and programs designed to help CYSHCN.  We can help families with our unique resources:

    • Staff at F2F HIC understands the issues that families face, provide advice, offer a multitude of resources, and tap into a network of other families and professionals for support and information.
       
    • Family Voices, through the National Center for Family/ Professional Partnerships, provides technical assistance, training, and connections to other F2F HICs and collaborating organizations.
       
    • We also offer individual counseling and group education on health care issues in your communities.
    • Disability specific resources.

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    Connecting Families

    Our goal is to connect families statewide to other families who are experiencing similar challenges in accessing quality services and supports for their children.

    Believing that parents are experts in their own respective journeys, the Family to Family Information Center (F2F HIC) navigator team guides our efforts in identifying service delivery shortcomings and raises awareness to state and federal policy-makers, stakeholders and “others”  that action is urgently needed. If you are a family member of an individual with special needs, or a youth/self advocate and are interested in joining this fun and important group, email Julie Finholm at jfinholm@wapave.org 

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    Health Information Center Partners

  • The Center for Children with Special Needs
  • ESIT/Early Support for Infants and Toddlers
  • Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
  • WA State Fathers Network
  • WA State Medical Home
  • WA State Parent to Parent Programs (P2P)
  • PAVE

     

    Developmental Milestones

    The Family to Family Health Information Center will be collecting information from time to time on the training and information needs of families in advocating and navigating health care systems.Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving "bye bye" are called developmental milestones.

    Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (crawling, walking, etc.).

    Take the Developmental Milestones Quiz









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    Contact: Julie Finholm jfinholm@wapave.org or call 1-800-5-PARENT. /

    Family Voices of Washington is a program at PAVE. This website was developed with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) /Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)/ Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs (DSCSHN) through grant #H84MC09369.

    PAVE | 6316 So. 12th St. | Tacoma, WA 98465
    (253) 565-2266 | 1-800-5-PARENT | Fax: (253) 566-8052

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