As I was thinking about my interview I began to think about socioeconomic status and its influence on children and families with autism. The family that I interviewed was from a middle class family with enough to support their child financially through all of his service. This made me think about the families that do not have enough money to pay for all of the therapy and treatments. What is out their for them? I wanted to find out what parents can do to help their children but not hurt their wallets.
I began to look for programs in place for people in this situation. I found the National Autism Association that not only provides grants for families struggling to pay for medicine and therapy but it also provides the parents with assistance in marriage counseling due to the huge strains that can be put on a marriage due to caring for an autistic child. They also have a Project Lifesaver that is designed to help locate and rescue missing people. Often times children with autism will wander a way and this program is dedicated to helping their families find them.
Another great source of assistance is the Autism Society of America. Their are a nationwide program that even has a toll free number for information and referrals. This society helps the community be more aware of autism and how to best assist people with it. They have camps and events for people with autism and their families so that they can continue to be more social and active. This is a great opportunity for families that may not have enough money to provide and set up their own care.
Autism Speaks is a program that works a lot with families with children in the school system. They offer families with free legal aid that are dealing with problems with their IDEIA hearings. They also can help people find grants that will help in local organizations that provide services and programs for autism.
The last place I am going to talk about is Autism Cares. This is a good source for families struggling with living expenses. They provide some money to families that are dealing with living expense problems.
Resources:
http://www.mainstreet.com/article/family/family-health/financial-help-families-facing-autism?page=2
Amy- I actually did my interview with a single mother of a young boy with Autism. Since they live on one income, she was telling me about the free resources from the State such as Medicaid and Early Intervention Specialists that she used, no cost to her, from when her son was an infant to age two. The specialist along with his mother worked together to form a an early intervention IEP so to say. I forget the full name of the document. Anyways, twice a week her son would recieve intervention for behavior and social interaction. She was very thankful for the program and informed me that she "would have been lost without it".
ReplyDeleteBrooke
Amy, you found some great resources. You also offered up some great new information for me. I think it is neat that there is a missing children's resource that is helpful for families who have children with autism since they tend to wander. I'm glad you considered families who come from a lower economic status. Their economic status can be a burden in and of itself let alone adding on the stress of having a child with autism.
ReplyDelete