Did you know 1 in every 6 children has a developmental delay of some sort. For these children with a delay early intervention is key and can make a huge difference in how the child progresses. In the state of South Carolina there is BabyNet to help. Many families in South Carolina have never heard of BabyNet until they are being referred by one of their child's health care providers. We wanted to take a minute and explain all there is to know about BabyNet, if your child can benefit from it, and how to get enrolled.
What is BabyNet?
Babynet is South Carolina’s interagency early intervention system for infants and toddlers under three years of age with developmental delays, or who have conditions associated with developmental delays. BabyNet is supported by the Individuals Education Act (IDEA) Part C program, which aims to help children with developmental delays and their families.
Babynet will provide families with the services and information they need to be the best possible teachers and caregivers for their children. These services can include service coordination, physical therapy, speech language therapy, occupational therapy, family planning, and more.
How do you get BabyNet services?
What is great is anyone (parent, doctor, caregiver, teacher, or friend) can make a referral. If you have concerns about a child’s ability to think, talk, see, hear, play, or move it is important to seek out help as early as possible. The first three years of a child’s life are so important for development and it is best to address any concerns early. So you think you need to refer your child, what next?
All you need to do is complete an online referral form or call the central referral team at 1-866-512-8811. Once submitting the form you will receive a confirmation email and someone from the office will contact you about next steps. Families will be assigned an Early Interventionist who will conduct an evaluation. BabyNet considers significant developmental delays to be at least a 40% delay in one developmental area, or delays of at least 25% in two or more developmental areas. BabyNet also grants eligible status to children with an established risk condition. Meaning although minimal to no evidence of developmental delays are apparent at time of evaluations the risk is still considered significant. If for any reason, the diagnosis for eligibility evaluation results do not meet criteria, there can be an Informed Clinical Opinion (ICO) category in order to obtain eligibility. Parents will have to give consent for BabyNet to obtain documentation that can be used to determine eligibility.
Once your child is evaluated and meets BabyNet criteria for coverage the Early Interventionist will provide Service Coordination and Family Training/ Special instruction. Services are highly personalized to the needs of the individual child. It is important to note that if you are wanting a specific provider for a therapy service they must be BabyNet credentialled and you must convey that request with your early interventionist.
How much does BabyNet cost?
BabyNet services do not cost the family anything; they are either billed through Medicaid or to the family’s private insurance. In some cases, the services may even be covered by federal or state funds to ensure there are no out-of-pocket costs to the family.
Bottom Line
BabyNet is a wonderful program provided in the state of South Carolina. Many families have benefited from the therapies provided to their little ones. If you think your child qualifies for BabyNet services you can make a referral using the links above. Unfortunately, it can often take up to 2 months to get approved for BabyNet services and assigned a therapist to meet your child’s needs. If you would like to get an OT/PT evaluation with an individualized home exercise program so you can start working with your little one NOW, we would love to help you! If you would like to work with our team once you are approved for BabyNet, you just have to convey that request with your Early Interventionist.
If you have any questions and/or want further information do not hesitate to reach out to our team by filling out a Contact Form or emailing admin@masteringmilestones.com