Community Services and Supports for
Children with Mental Retardation

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health is responsible for the development of community services/supports for children with mental retardation with state dollars and federal grant funds. The services and supports offered provide opportunities for children to choose those supports which increase their independence, productivity, or integration/inclusion in their own community.

Services/supports options for children with mental retardation are available through DMH include:

• Case Management - Case Management Services are services which are performed, provided, or otherwise accessed in order to assist individuals with mental retardation/developmental disabilities in achieving maximum utilization of available community resources which enable him/her to be self sufficient and remain in the community in the most integrated setting. These include: follow along services which ensure a continuing relationship, lifelong, if necessary, between a provider and a person with mental retardation/developmental disabilities and the person's immediate relatives or guardians; coordination services that provide support, access to, and coordination of other services; information on programs and services; and monitoring of progress.

• Early Intervention - Early Intervention/Child Development programs are designed to enhance the development of infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities or children who are at risk for developing disabilities. The early intervention services are intended to promote development of intellectual, physical, emotional and social growth of children as well as provide support and educational opportunities to their families.

• Support Services - Support Services consist of those therapeutic and case management services provided by community mental health service providers for individuals with mental retardation/ developmental disabilities who are eligible for Medicaid and are approved for services by a physician. The Medicaid service available for children is School Based Services. These services are professional therapeutic services provided in a school setting that is more intensive than traditional case management services. School-Based Services may be provided to children with mental retardation/developmental disabilities and include consultation and crisis intervention.