I'm fuming w/anger right now. It's been 2 wks since we found out Mason probably has PDD, and I haven't even been able to get an appointment for an evaluation yet.
We called UIC the same day we went to the pediatrician. We've been playing phone tag w/them for nearly 2wks, and today, finally, I did the "intake exam" over the phone. I spent, maybe 20 minutes on the phone w/the lady. She asked a bunch of questions about Mason, from my pregnancy w/him, his development, what we are concerned about and what goals we have right now. I assumed we would be able to schedule an appointment. Nope. She has to "triage" what we talked about, talk w/the head of the department, and then, IF he qualifies, he will be put on the 3-4 MONTH waiting list to get into the clinic. I am outraged to tears. My child needs help, and everyone is telling me I have to wait months to get it.
UIC isn't the only avenue we've been pursuing. I've contacted the school system, and I am pushing them to evaluate him before they are gone for the summer. I need to know if he will qualify for the special ed pre-school, or if he will go to the pre-school he is currently signed up for. I don't know, at this point, which is best for him. Even if we get in for an eval. now, he still won't start receiving therapies until school starts in the fall. So another 3-4mos of waiting. I will be calling the psych tomorrow to try and push an eval. date.
We've also contaced ABA Chicago. They've been the most promising, as far as getting help soon goes. I've been in contact w/them, they've been in contact w/our insurance. ABA starts a new session on 6/8, so hopefully he can start w/them, then, and get an eval beforehand. That leads me into my insurance rant. The insurance says that services aren't covered. The state law in IL says they HAVE to cover it. I truly do not have the energy to fight w/them, AND fight to just get my son in for help. The system is incredibly broken. They play stupid, and hope that when people hear "Services aren't covered." that they won't push it. They flat out lie. It should be illegal. We pay a high premium for this insurance. Jerime's company pays over $1500/mnth JUST for my family to get this coverage. We should NOT have to fight w/them. If he had cancer they would pay for him to get treated, but because he has autism, they don't want to. It makes no sense to me.
He is currently scheduled to start Group Behavior Therapy at Wee Care at the end of June. I'm lucky they would take him w/o an "official" DX. The downside....insurance will not pay for that because the behavior analyst doesn't have the degree they want her to have. (She has a degree, but not a psychiatry degree). It's very expensive to pay out of pocket for it. All the more reason I need him in at ABA or UIC. We will still have to pay some out of pocket, but not nearly as much.
I started out today feeling incredibly optimistic. I've been in contact w/the lady from ABA. I knew I would have this intake exam w/UIC, and I was sure I would have an appt. date after that. That's all gone now. Jerime "forgot" to print and fax some paperwork to ABA that I need him to do, because we don't have Word on our PC, so I can't print it. I did all the freaking work. All he has to do is print, sign and fax. 5 minutes of his friggin lunch hour. Douchebag. Doesn't he realize how important early intervention is?!?! %^&^%%$$^&**(*()*(*&^^&%!!
I'm really surprised at how therapeutic this blogging is. I feel slightly better already. Probably, mostly, because now I don't have to repeat this 500x for people.
Please keep sending good thoughts and prayers for my little boy! I will keep everyone updated on his progress, and our progress w/getting him what he needs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4. Investigate sources of financial aid. Autism can quickly exhaust your resources, but, fortunately, funding and assistance do exist. Financial aid is generally available at the county level for children under the age of 3 (you’ll need to apply for the Medicaid waiver). Also, keep good financial records, and avoid using the words “autism” or “PDD-NOS” with insurance companies, especially HMOs, as many exclude autism in their policies. If there is a biological abnormality that’s being treated, have the doctor code it as such.
ReplyDelete7. Begin therapies. You may be referred to other specialists for therapy, including speech, occupational and physical therapy. These therapies will help your child gain communication, social and physical skills. Insurance providers, including Medicaid, often cover the cost.
from autism.org. Looks like you are going to ahve to try to go around the blood suckers (I mean, insurance) by asking the Drs to code tests in such a way as to not list "autism" and "PDD" in the order/ referals. Good luck dealing with them.
In the mean time hon, take a few deep breaths, hug your rug rats and try to relax- you're not doing anyone any good all freaking out. Remember, you are doing everything you can and Mason WILL get the help he needs. You are too stubborn for him not to. :) And while early intervention is important, we are really looking at a matter of weeks for official diagnosis- it's not going to delay his development. Do what you can, read all you can, keep the journal.
Remember when you last borded a plane and they told you that in case of emergency, put your oxygen mask on first- then your child's? If you don't take care of yourself- you are no good to anyone else.
Take a few deep breaths and hang in there sweetie, you are in for a long ride.
Remember what I said earlier, Tracy. Every little step is a step in the right direction. It may not seem like much when you have 18 million steps to go, but even two steps gets you that much closer. Closer than you were before!
ReplyDeleteYou CAN do this and you WILL do this, because you have no other choice. I suppose you can give up and just wait, but you and I both know that that isn't even a choice for you!
Hang in there, hon! Get your rest, take a deep breath, and prepare for another hike tomorrow!