Specific support services
During the team meeting, the team will have discussed and agreed upon the specific support services which the child/youth needs to receive. The ISS Manager is in a position to ensure that any supports and services which have been committed from any individual or agency are provided. For some children/youth, the supports required will be of high intensity and involve a variety of agencies and individuals. For other children, supports will be far less intensive and intrusive. Many children/youth can be assisted by natural supports, for example having a peer carry his supplies while he maneuvers the stairs with his canes, or having a buddy use non-carbon paper so that he can have a copy of the class notes. The team needs to determine the appropriate and least intrusive level of support considering both the child's/youth's needs and the ultimate goal of independence. The following system for classifying supports may be useful in team meetings when completing a child's/youth's profile. Keep in mind that the level of support should be determined for each specific area of the program rather than as a global classification for the child (see Profiling the Needs of Children and Youth for specific details).
Level 1 - Intermittent
Level 1 means that this child/youth requires between 1 and 6 hours of service (in all settings) per week; it does not necessarily mean that 1:1 support is required.
Level 1 supports are provided on an "as needed" basis for children who do not always need the support(s), or they can be short-term supports which are needed at specific times (e.g., during transition periods). Some examples include providing specific tutorial instruction from the special education teacher for a child who requires the help in certain academic areas but not in other areas; providing a respite worker to aid with mobility for a child who requires help after a surgery with the expectation that increased mobility will occur; providing a specific enrichment unit on a topic of interest for a child who is exceptionally able; providing community support to a youth who is in the transition period between school and work; providing specific instruction from the Community Health Nurse for a child learning how to self-catheterize.
Level 2 - Limited
Level 2 means that this child/youth requires 7 to 12 hours of service (in all settings) per week, it does not necessarily mean that 1:1 support is required.
Level 2 supports refers to an intensity of supports characterized by consistency over time (e.g., a relatively low level of support but on a regular basis). Examples would include an ongoing physiotherapy program for a child who requires consistent intervention for that portion of the individual support services plan and who, with specific adaptations, can function more independently in other aspects of his/her program; ongoing monitoring by the itinerant teacher for the hearing impaired for the child who requires assistance to ensure that his/her hearing aid is maintained, that the parents, day care providers and teachers are instructed in the use of the amplification system and that the team is aware of appropriate accommodations regarding positioning in all environments (vehicle, church, home, school); a specific alternate course designed for a child who requires direct instruction from the special education teacher in the area of personal care/daily living skills; support for the child who is working with a mentor and who needs periodic but regular meetings with the teacher to assess the achievement of the goals of his/her contract; community support for the youth who is learning to generalize positive social skills.
Level 3 - Extensive
Level 3 means that this child/youth requires 13 to 18 hours of service (in all settings) per week; it does not necessarily mean that 1:1 support is required.
Level 3 supports are characterized by regular input (e.g., daily) in at least some environments (e.g., the classroom, community environments) and not time-limited (e.g., long-term support). This would include support for the child who is gifted and who is working on an individualized accelerated program for most or all of his/her program; interventions from the behavior management specialist and the guidance counselor for the child who requires individual counseling on an ongoing basis and an extensive behavior management program which is implemented at home and at school.
Level 4 - Pervasive
Level 4 means that this child/youth requires 19 or more hours of service (in all settings) per week; it does not necessarily mean that 1:1 support is required.
Level 4 supports are characterized by constancy and high intensity and are usually provided across environments. Children requiring a pervasive level of support may be on a completely alternate curriculum in school and/or may be receiving interventions from a variety of agencies and individuals. Examples include a child who is multiply handicapped and is receiving interventions from a developmental pediatrician, a "challenging needs" teacher, a student assistant, and a physiotherapist; a child who is living in open custody and who is receiving intervention from a guidance counselor, a special education teacher, a behavioral counselor and a youth corrections social worker; a child who is exceptionally gifted, who may be on a completely alternate curriculum and accessing independent studies in environments outside of the school (e.g., a research facility, a post-secondary institution, working closely with a mentor).
Support needs to be discussed in its broadest sense, since not all supports are material, human or financial in nature. Example of this kind of support include scheduling joint planning time to enable a social worker, classroom/subject teacher and a behaviour management specialist to meet with the special education teacher on the child's program providing a parent or teacher with consultation from the behavior management specialist regarding a child with challenging behaviors. While material, human and financial supports are necessary in many cases, other kinds and degrees of support should not be overlooked.