MUI Hotline to report abuse or neglect: Call 419-889-2980
For over 50 years, the Putnam County Board of Developmental Disabilities (PCBDD), formerly known as Brookhill Center, has provided a full range of services from very young children to the elderly who have developmental disabilities/delays in Putnam County. We are able to do this by collaborating with a number of community entities to help improve the lives of those we serve.
The Ohio Association of County Boards (OACB) assists all 88 county boards in Ohio by providing advocacy, communications, professional development, and technical assistance. OACB has also put together a Life Map booklet that shows what a lifetime of services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities may look like.
A developmental delay means developmental milestones have not been met by the expected age of the child. Developmental delays may result from a variety of causes and it is often difficult to determine their origin.
If you would like to see examples of what developmental milestones look like for children ages 0-5, click here.
A developmental disability is defined as a severe, chronic disability that is characterized by all of the following:
Developmental disabilities can result from a variety of circumstances in the early years of development, including before or during birth. Often there is no known cause for a developmental disability, but several common factors include: genetic factors, personal biology, chromosomal variances, exposure to drugs or alcohol, premature birth, illness, or injury.
Depending on the age of your child and the diagnosis, there are a variety of community resources available to your family. Our Intake team will help you get started by assessing your child’s eligibility for services from Putnam County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Call us at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process for children over age 3.
We also offer Early Intervention services for children birth to age 3. Call 419-523-0124 to inquire about these services for your young child.
Putnam County Board of Developmental Disabilities receives local, state, and federal tax dollars to help meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities. Once you are eligible for services, we’ll work with you and talk about what programs may best meet your needs.
Some of the resources you may be eligible for include:
To find out if you are eligible for services, please call us at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process.
Early Intervention (EI), is a statewide system that provides coordinated services to parents of eligible children under the age of 3 with developmental delays or disabilities. EI is grounded in the philosophy that young children learn best from familiar people in familiar settings. Ohio’s Early Intervention program is a statewide system with coordinated supports at the local level.
To be eligible for EI, a child/family must complete a developmental evaluation with local EI service providers in the child’s natural environment.
Developmental screenings are a quick check to see how a child is progressing in learning skills that are typical for children the same age. A child’s development can be measured by how a child learns, speaks, moves, behaves and relates to others. A developmental screening is justified if your child is not talking, interacting, moving, or playing as you would expect.
Anyone can request a developmental screening, including caregivers. It is not necessary to have a referral from a medical practitioner, although it can be helpful to discuss your concerns with your child’s doctor.
Developmental screenings are free for children ages 0-5 at the Putnam County Educational Service Center or by calling the Putnam County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Learn more by clicking here.
Developmental delays and disabilities like autism and ADHD often are often missed until a child gets ready to start going to school. Research tells us that the sooner a developmental concern is identified, the better. Early identification leads to early support and services that can improve a child’s development now and in the long run. Check out Help Me Grow for more resources, or to find out more, go to Putnam County’s Help Me Grow.
If your child is under the age of 3 years old, Early Intervention supports parents and caregivers in their efforts to enhance the development of their children under 3 who have developmental delays or disabilities.
You should always talk to your child’s doctor about what you are seeing with your child’s growth, development and health and what your concerns are.
There are free developmental and monitoring screening tools available through Ohio Early Intervention to compare your child’s development with other children.
Help Me Grow is another system of supports for pregnant women, caregivers with new babies, and families with young children with developmental delays and disabilities. More information about Putnam County’s Help Me Grow program is available by clicking here.
Your EI Service Coordinator will begin conversations about Transition, starting at the initial Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), so that your family has knowledge about the next step of your child’s journey. Your Service Coordinator will set up a Transition Planning Conference (TPC) 90-120 days prior to your child turning 3.
At the TPC meeting, with your permission, you will meet a representative from your family’s school district. This person is referred to as the Local Education Agency (LEA) representative. They will explain the testing process that will happen as your child approaches age 3. If you have any questions along the way, please feel free to ask your Primary Service Provider (PSP), Service Coordinator, or LEA.
No, we do not provide preschool services. However, your child may qualify for preschool services through your local school district. You can call your school district and ask to speak with the Special Education Supervisor to find out if your child qualifies. We do provide some services and supports to children age 3 and older. Contact us if you are interested in other services for young children at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process.
The Ohio Interagency Work Group on Autism (IWGA) is a multi-agency collaborative effort with leadership from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) and Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI). Informed by individuals, families and stakeholders, IWGA meets monthly to review state policies, learn from current research and data, share learning and identify opportunities to better communicate and coordinate autism policy.
IWGA’s efforts has shown by their creation of a free, online video training series, ASD Strategies in Action. Being used by more than 10,000 people across Ohio, this training series gives them practical ways to care for and support loved ones with ASD, from early childhood through young adulthood. To see more facts and figures, visit the OCALI Policy Center Resources.
Additional information and resources for families about Autism are available here: Information on ASD for Families, Autism Statistics and Facts, Autism by the Numbers.
Our Case Managers are called Service and Support Administrators (SSAs). They work with eligible individuals and their families to coordinate services and supports. If you would like to request SSA services, please call us at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process.
We partner with several agencies that provide vocational services to job seekers with developmental disabilities. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) is the state agency that contracts with companies in the area to provide job development, job coaching, and other vocational supports. You can contact OOD at 419-866-5811 or toll free 800-589-5811.
Individuals enrolled in our services may receive assistance with coordinating vocational supports from their Service and Support Administrator (SSA). Individuals enrolled on Medicaid waivers or receiving Individual Support Services (ISS) may be able to receive ongoing vocational supports funded by local dollars or a combination of local and Medicaid dollars. Contact your SSA for more information.
If you do not currently receive our supports and would like to find out if you’re eligible for vocational services, call 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process.
Our Service and Support Administrators (SSAs) help individuals plan and coordinate their residential and community supports. If a person has significant needs, then typically Medicaid waivers are the desired funding source; however, many factors are taken into consideration for Medicaid waiver enrollment. The support and services that each individual needs can be very different. SSAs help develop person-centered plans that address what is important to and for you. Talk to your SSA if you are interested in living on your own.
If you don’t have an SSA, please call us at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process.
Individuals seeking Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits can apply by contacting the Social Security Office:
Individuals seeking Medicaid, food stamps, or other social services can apply for these benefits by calling the Putnam County Department of Job and Family Services at 800-523-5799.
The Putnam County Probate Court handles the application and appointment process for legal guardianship. There are alternatives to guardianship, like a power of attorney or Supported Decision Making by a team or a person who knows the individual well. We encourage you to look into these alternatives before considering legal guardianship.
For more information on legal guardianship, contact the Putnam County Probate Court at 419-523-6200.
To learn more about Supported Decision Making, give us a call at 419-523-0122 and ask about our Intake process. If you have an assigned SSA, contact them to help with your questions.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction. It is generally evident before age 3 and adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with ASD include engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. (Educational Definition (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA 2004). Source: https://www.ocali.org/project/learn_about_asd
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms. But for people with ASD, these characteristics can make life very challenging. Learn more about signs and symptoms here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
People with ASD have behaviors or interests that can seem unusual. These behaviors or interests set ASD apart from conditions defined by problems with social communication and interaction only. Examples of restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests related to ASD can include:
There is no known single cause of ASD, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Learn more about causes here: https://www.ocali.org/project/learn_about_asd/page/autism_causes
Many studies that have looked at whether there is a relationship between vaccines and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To date, the studies continue to show that vaccines are not associated with ASD.
However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) knows that some parents and others still have concerns. To address these concerns, CDC is part of the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), which is working with the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) on this issue. The job of the NVAC is to advise and make recommendations regarding the National Vaccine Program. Communication between the IACC and NVAC will allow each group to share skills and knowledge, improve coordination, and promote better use of research resources on vaccine topics.
Yes, adults can be diagnosed with an ASD. Diagnosis includes looking at the person’s medical history, watching the person’s behavior, and giving the person some psychological tests. But, it can be more challenging to diagnose an adult because it is not always possible to know about the person’s development during the first few years of life, and a long history of other diagnoses may complicate an ASD diagnosis. Because the focus of ASD has been on children, we still have much to learn about the prevalence and causes of ASD across the lifespan. Behavioral interventions can be effective for adults coping with a new diagnosis of ASD. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html
The American Psychiatric Association publishes a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that is used by clinicians and researchers to diagnose and classify mental disorders. Learn more about the criteria here: https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Practice/DSM/APA_DSM-5-Autism-Spectrum-Disorder.pdf
More people than ever before are being diagnosed with an ASD. It is unclear exactly how much of this increase is due to a broader definition of ASD and better efforts in diagnosis. However, a true increase in the number of people with an ASD cannot be ruled out. We believe the increase in the diagnosis of ASD is likely due to a combination of these factors.
CDC is working with partners to study the prevalence of ASD over time, so that we can find out if the number of children with these disorders is rising, dropping, or staying the same.
We do know that ASD are more common than we thought before and should be considered an important public health concern.
There is still a lot to learn about ASD. In addition, increased concern in the communities, continued demand for services, and reports estimating a prevalence of about 1.7 percent show the need for a coordinated and serious national response to improve the lives of people with ASD.
Mitochondria are tiny parts of almost every cell in your body. Mitochondria are like the power house of the cells. They turn sugar and oxygen into energy that the cells need to work.
In mitochondrial diseases, the mitochondria cannot efficiently turn sugar and oxygen into energy, so the cells do not work correctly.
There are many types of mitochondrial disease, and they can affect different parts of the body: the brain, kidneys, muscles, heart, eyes, ears, and others. Mitochondrial diseases can affect one part of the body or can affect many parts. They can affect those part(s) mildly or very seriously.
Not everyone with a mitochondrial disease will show symptoms. However, when discussing the group of mitochondrial diseases that tend to affect children, symptoms usually appear in the toddler and preschool years.
Mitochondrial diseases and disorders are the same thing.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html
A child with a mitochondrial disease:
A child with ASD may or may not have a mitochondrial disease. When a child has both ASD and a mitochondrial disease, they sometimes have other problems as well, including epilepsy, problems with muscle tone, and/or movement disorders.
More research is needed to find out how common it is for people to have ASD and a mitochondrial disorder. Right now, it seems rare. In general, more research about mitochondrial disease and ASD is needed.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html
Encephalopathy is a medical term for a disease or disorder of the brain. It usually means a slowing down of brain function.
Regression happens when a person loses skills that they used to have like walking or talking or even being social.
Regressive encephalopathy means there is a disease or disorder in the brain that makes a person lose skills they once had.
We know that sometimes children with mitochondrial diseases seem to be developing as they should, but around toddler or preschool age, they regress. The disease was there all the time, but something happens that “sets it off”. This could be something like malnutrition, an illness such as flu, a high fever, dehydration, or it could be something else.
Most children with an autism spectrum disorder do not and have not had an encephalopathy. Some children with an autism spectrum disorder have had regression and some have had a regressive encephalopathy.
Autism Speaks has a directory of services. You can search nearby supports by typing what you are looking for near your current location: https://www.autismspeaks.org/directory
Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI): https://www.ocali.org/center/autism
Ohio Department of Education: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Students-with-Disabilities/Resources-for-Autistic-Children
Please contact CDC at Contact CDC-INFO