Programs to Assist. with Paying for Therapy for Autistic Kids

If you get a medical dx then you can apply for Medical Assistance for him. They will usually pick up what your insurance will not pay for. You also have the option depending on your income to apply for SSDI for him. This will give you additional funds as well. Yes, he needs help with socialization ALL kids on the ASD spectrum do. From High Functioning to PA kids. That is the disorder. Unfortunate, this is where you as a parent has to do a lot of footwork. You have to get him into programs with typical peers. These are usually social programs that you will have to pay for (just as if you had a NT child). You have to sign him up for camps and play groups with typical children. You can also write into his IEP ways to get him to interact appropiate with NT peers. Know there are not programs out there which have a lot of NT kids waiting around to socialize with ASD children. Neither can the school district pull NT kids to work with your child. They can pull other kids on an IEP, but can not interfer with NT kids.
I suggest over breaks and the summer, put him into typical camps. I also suggest you going a little over and beyond to make playdates. Take him out to as many social situations as possible and teach him as you go. Do look into MA & SSDI though. Good luck. Know it gets easier with time.
*********************************************************************************
Yes SSDI is based on income; but not Medical Assistance. With Medical Assistance, you have to sign up for a supplemental insurance. You pay a parental fee and then he is covered. So basically it is a secondary insurance that you pay for. The amount you pay is based on your net income. You will not be given this automatically nor will anyone hand you the information. You have to call your county and ask for social service for children with disability. They will assign you a financial worker, you will need to fill out a TON of paperwork and give them the written DX. They will come and do an intake and process your paperwork. The nice thing is, it picks up your co-pays as well. The Parental fee can be high though. Here in Minnesota, many parental fees thanks to our govenor are higher than family insurance premiums. It is still worth it in many cases just to pay for the OT, ST & PT. So it is something you have to do the footwork to get started.

You can check with your local Easter Seals organization as well as http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/helpinghand.php and also check with your city/county special needs DOH. I know how hard it is to pay for the therapies our children with autism need.

Medicade and Easter Seals are the only help I know of. You are not alone by any means, most of us with autistic kids struggle at some point. It stinks, but you may have to choose some day between new tires and Occupational therapy. I wish I could give you better news, but there are many hard choices ahead.

Sometimes taking out a secondary insurance will be helpful, if you are going to pay extra anyway, a monthly charge may pay for itself, depending on what you need.

I do not know if we would have made it if my husband did not join the Navy reserves at about the same time my oldest was diagnosed and after several deployments, we have earned the benefit to purchase a secondary insurance that pays for most of our childrens therapies, but even with two, we still pay out of pocket. A second job and income help too.

It may not help you, but it might help someone else, you can join the fight at Autism Speaks to lobby States to mandate insurance parity for Autism treatment. Many States allow all treatment for autism to be denied by insurance.

M.

Has he had an official diagnosis? If so, did he get a medicaid card? That should cover the services he needs but you may need to FIGHT for him to get the services.

It's my understanding that with any type of a disability in a child--the parental income is NOT taken into consideration with regard to Medicaid. Can you find a mentor of sorts--someone who lives near you that has been down this road to guide you? Does your pediatrician have a social worker you can talk to for guidance? Seems like this should have been done years ago.

C.,
Are you in Texas? Insurance has changed now. It should be unlimited for autism. Look on Autism Speaks site to see if they have the new law on there. If you cannot find it, email me and I will get it for you.
L.
____@____.com

My family is in a similar situation.
Insurance has completely denied O and PT,
even though my son still needs these services.
I have looked into a place called It's A Sensory World
that does OT, PT, and social skills classes. They do not
take insurance, but the sessions are only about $20.
I am hoping to start my son in their program this Fall
or next Spring (depends on some other family issues).
I hope this helps :)