FoggyRock General Forum

02/04/2008


Nearly 70 families with an autistic child will receive financial aid from the National Autism Association Northeast Ohio Chapter.

When a child has an autism label, it's sometimes an uphill battle with health insurance companies to get them to pay for treatments such as speech therapy, occupational therapy or biomedical, said Don Pattison, president of the NAA-NEO.

"They don't think it's curable," he said.

Pattison's group has worked to raise funds to help these families. All 68 applicants were awarded some amount for the care of their autistic child. The recipients include families in Willoughby, Painesville, Mentor, Chester Township, Wickliffe, Mayfield Heights and South Euclid.

Pattison is the father of an autistic son.

"Of the 68 applications, $60,000 worth of total need was based on the amount of the application received," he said.

Requests ranged from $300 to $1,000. All who requested $300 were given the full amount, while most who requested the higher amounts were given half, with the hopes that recent fundraisers will allow the group to award the rest, he said. Money is paid directly to the service provider the family requests.

"No one was turned down, but those who didn't make it in that funding cycle are on a waiting list," he said, adding that $21,000 has been awarded so far. "Some people on the waiting list are for summer camps, and they don't need funding right now."

Families' requests ranged from money for speech and occupation therapy to money for sending the child to a special-needs summer program. Others requested it just to help with therapies or for schools with special programs.

Many of the funds came through as monetary donations, but Cleveland Heights-based Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy donated $500 worth of compounds to an area family that is treating their child biomedically.

The group hopes to raise more funds through two benefit concerts planned for February. Todd Snider, who won the 2006 Top Album honors by Rolling Stone Magazine, will perform at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. Tim Easton, also honored by Rolling Stone, also will perform.

In addition, Easton will perform at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 in Akron. Tickets are $30 for the Beachland show and $20 for the Akron concert. All proceeds go to NAA-NEO to help these families. Tickets can be obtained by visiting www.autismnortheast ohio.org.
"It's a really good fundraiser, and hopefully, we could hit the waiting list," he said. "If not, we could prioritize based on financial need."

The group also is seeking corporate sponsorship.

"None of our funding is from government sources," Pattison said.

Autism is a neurological disorder that affects as many as one in every 150 children. It causes significant problems with social skills, behavior and communication. Necessary interventions for these children can cost as much as $70,000 a year, with insurance companies typically paying very little, according to the NAA-NEO.

For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.autismnortheastohio.org or write to National Autism Association of Northeast Ohio, P.O. Box 221195, Beachwood, OH 44122. Interested corporate sponsors should call (216) 280-4544.




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Last edited by 4muskateers (2008-02-05 11:09:15)