History
Rehabilitation Associates of Connecticut, Inc. (RAC) is a private company registered with the Connecticut Secretary of State to do business in Connecticut. It was established in 1979 by Carol Landsman and Myra Watnick, who is Executive Director of the Birth to Three Program.
Our mission is to develop trusting relationships with families by respecting their cultural backgrounds and providing evidence based practices to build families’ confidence and competence in supporting their children within their daily routines and community.
Our Birth to Three program is staffed by experienced and qualified professionals who are dedicated and responsive to the needs of the families they serve. We maintain regional offices in Middletown, Hamden, Waterbury, Derby and Fairfield. We believe that knowledgeable, local staff are best able to assist families in developing strong linkages to community resources and supports. RAC has Memorandums of Agreement with many community agencies. These alliances strengthen our ability to enhance the health and well-being of infants and toddlers and families; as does our longstanding, positive relationships with local school systems.
In 1979, Rehabilitation Associates of Connecticut was designated as one of the preferred providers administering evaluations in addition to direct family centered services to children found eligible when the State Department of Education was the Lead Agency. In 1986, the Department of Developmental Services (now DDS) took over as the Lead Agency and we were, once again, chosen as one of the Birth to Three providers in the State.
In 2009 RAC expanded its scope to include autism specific services. Today, Rehabilitation Associates of Connecticut provides both comprehensive early intervention supports and specializes in Autism. Our program provides family centered services for over 1000 families in Connecticut. It is not the amount of service but the quality of these services that makes our program stand out. Our professional staff carries out our mission on a daily basis. RAC has been positively recognized by state agencies, school systems, organizations and individuals in the communities we serve. Office of Early Childhood Staff have commented on how few parent complaints have been reported given the size of our agency.
Kristina Gilbertie, our Director, is a Licensed Behavior Analyst as well as a Certified Special Education Teacher. Tina has a strong background in supervision as well as service provision. She has now been with us for more than 15 years and is a member of the State Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) and participates on its fiscal committee. She is one of only a few professionals certified in the Early Start Denver Model in Connecticut.
Nicole Neylon, our Assistant Director, is a Certified Special Education Teacher. She assists in NLE trainings provided by the Office of Early Childhood. She is an active trainer in-house sharing her expertise in NLE, coaching style of interaction, early childhood development and ESDM.
Knowledgeable, dedicated and tenured staff who live in the communities they serve has proven successful in strengthening the capacities of families to meet the needs of their infants and toddlers who have developmental delays or disabilities. Rehabilitation Associates is proud of the services it delivers and is privileged to serve the families of Connecticut.
Services
Rehabilitation Associates has a highly trained team of professionals working in homes and communities throughout Connecticut. Each of our 6 Regionally based teams support families in finding community resources including but not limited to local schools, libraries, play groups, and community centers.
Our teams may include:
- Physical Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Licensed Behavior Analysts
- Developmental Therapists
- Developmental Specialists
- Developmental Associates
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Social workers
- Nutritionists/Registered Dieticians
Evidenced Based Practices
All of the services we provide include these evidence-based practices based on the needs of the family and child:
- Activity Based Teaming
- Natural Learning Environment Practices
- Coaching Style of Interaction
- Primary Service Provider approach to teaming
- Reflective Supervision
- Early Start Denver Model: Developmental Program following Behavioral Principals when working with children on the Autism Spectrum
Referrals
A referral for evaluation by the Birth to Three system can be made by calling 211 at 800-505-7000 or by going to the CT State Birth to Three website at birth23.org.