FoggyRock General Forum

Don't know where you live in North Carolina, I'm in Lexington. We have physical therapy in a heated pool at our local hospital on medicaid. If your local hospital has such a department odds are they have a heated pool.  Check with your local hospital's rehabilitation/physical therapy outpatient department. We also get occupational therapy on medicaid/health choice at Caring Hands in Winston Salem, check a large town near you, Winston is 30 minutes from me. ABA is expensive, we don't have it, but there is an agency in Winston that takes medicaid to come out and teach parents to do their own ABA therapy, the physcologist is called Kristie Thompson.

Hi-
If you type the words "North Carolina" in the search box at the top of the page, you might find some helpful resources for your area.  There are also 2 NC groups here on FR as well and you may be able to make more local connections....I would also recommend contacting your local Autism Society of North Carolina for help and connections....good for you for reaching out.

Amber I have private ins. that reimbursing a little (very little) for the B12 injections. I just ordered a two months supply and it was $126.00. We also struggle to make ends meet especially with the price of gas, ugh!! But the B12 has by far helped my son the Most. His speech has exploded since he started taking it. We just do the best we can with what we have at the time. Good luck and I hope you can find the resources you need. The horse is a wonderful therapy tool. I have been trying to get my son into hippotherapy but there is a very long waiting list here and it is expensive. It is wonderful you were able to save that horse and he is doing so well with your son. Just caring for and feeding a horse is expensive. Maybe you could find another Autism family that would help with his expensive in exchange for riding him.

How I wish we lived closer together!!

There is not a great answer here, short of make more money, but you should do everything in your power to avoid using debt for therapies.  That is a short term fix that will cause you long term problems.  When you start making payments, you will have even less cash flow.  You are in effect, kicking the problem on down the road where it will become an even bigger problem.

I highly recommend that all Autism families get to know Dave Ramsey ... http://autismparents.net/category/dave-ramsey/

Money problems are the #1 cause of divorce + Autism is major stress = Perfect Storm

The #1 thing Dave's plan does is get spouses on the same page and communicating.  If you aren't doing a budget, that's where you should start.  Spend every dollar on paper before the month begins.  Just doing a budget will make you feel like you got a raise.

Fielding

Yeah, too late on the debt thing.. We filed bankruptcy not too long ago. Bleh. Can't even afford to do the GF/CF diet.

I have the Dave Ramsey Financial university but just haven't been able to take any of the steps.  (SIGH)  My husband works an hour from home and just isn't interested in finances at all.  He works....I make the money work.  It's VERY difficult.

We have absolutely no help.  I'm VERY worried becasue the only services Hannah gets are through the school district.  I have to travel nearly an hour for any other services and that just hasn't been possible.  I fight alot of guilt for fear that I'm not doing all I can to help her.  We did just get her in aquadic therapy every Sat. for free thankfully, but I have to drive an hour for it there and an hour home.

Before school age (3) I submitted a legal document citing a case that deemed autism to be likened to a 'brain' injury and subsequently got 'therapy' for my son through our medical insurance (it took almost a year to be approved), 100% paid.  He went to the NPI Unit at UCLA in Westwood, CA, through the summer.  When I approached our Insurance company they were adamant that autism is not 'covered' .. however I had a special case management team through our union who 'fought' for these services.  The case went before a review board and they agreed that Raymond needed 'therapy' due to his injured brain by autism. 

Some of our battles will feel without end .. I know I have been there many many times.  I continue to climb uphill, I know eventually I will get to the top.  There were times I just dropped to the floor and cried with my son in my arms, just aching for someone to help, to understand, to WANT to help.  I've met people in this industry who are just wolves, but there are people who genuinely care .. it's just up to us to find them.  I am grateful I had the financial means to tackle all these goliath's, but where there is a will there is a way.  When I started asking for ABA; I was told it was a 'contreversial' treatment and 'not' funded by any government agency .. look how far it's come.  It's almost a given now. 

In CA we have Regional Centers that help.  I used them as my main resource when Raymond was first diagnosed, I went out and got a computer and the rest was history.

++ Added as a post thought.
In CA the district is mandated to provide travel.

Last edited by Mom4Autism (2008-09-11 05:26:54)