Heritage Behavioral Services Blog

Developmental services clients and providers rally outside California State Senate It’s about time. California has been falling short of fulfilling the Lanterman Act’s promise of services sufficient to allow those with developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible.  It was a tough slog, but at long last the state Legislature did right by California’s most vulnerable people. Substantial financial relief is on the way for the system that serves those with developmental disabilities. The two-bill package that the Assembly and Senate passed Monday afternoon will provide an additional $300 million or so in state funding to developmental services for Californians with autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on the bills in a foregone conclusion.   Read more....

By Monica Villar  Developmental Disabilities: The Promise of March   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines developmental disorders as "a group of conditions due to impairment in physical, learning, language or behavior." Although in many cases specific causes are still unknown, a number of developmental disorders are thought to be due to factors that include genetics, parental health and behaviors (smoking and drinking) during pregnancy, complications during birth, infections during pregnancy, early infections in the baby and exposure to high levels of environmental toxins such as lead to mother and/or child. Read more.....