His school provides bare minimum with therapy. Our kids (only) were once on Medicaid and it seemed to provide pretty decent therapy throughout the week, however, with a pay bump at my job, and my wife now going back to work, we are just over the threshold for Medicaid. Private therapy is something that I know is worth it but again cannot simply afford it. Meanwhile our son has gone on 25min tangents in his classroom to the point where the teachers are growing intolerant. What are options for us… read more
If you live in California, visit the Regional Center to see if he qualifies for a long-term care Medical program + IHSS. Ask your Regional Center to tell you more about long-term care Medical Program
I was surprised but my employer’s medical insurance covered speech and OT therapy (after the deductible, and with a copay).
https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-grants-fami...
I too am having this problem. My son had all the therapy available to him with no charges or copay needed by me but once my pay went up so did Medicaid the following year. It's disheartening!
It's difficult. Sometimes Autism Speaks will know of some grants that you can apply for. Look for local places that may have sliding scale fees. Ask if your pediatrician knows of any grants or programs in your area. Look up techniques for OT and speech or ABA and try to imitate them at home. Try not to beat yourself up about it. Even 2 or 3 co-pays for therapy visits a week with the deductible met can still be an extra $400 a month or more and that is a lot to trim out of a budget. Remember that on the hierarchy of needs food, shelter, love, and acceptance are the big ones. Ask for a behavior assessment and school and see if they can add more support and services. I have been in this situation myself and it does feel like a loss but not all the therapy out there is quality anyway. We just do the best we can. Also look into Medicaid waiver programs even though they have long waiting lists. https://ddsn.sc.gov/