Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

Spectrum House Focuses Support and Therapy on Military Families with Autism

scottie — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:56:15 +0000

Teaser:

When Linda O’Brien couldn’t find an autism therapy center near her, she opened one; in fact, she has opened three in Florida.

Body:

When Linda O’Brien couldn’t find an autism therapy center near her, she opened one; in fact, she has opened three in Florida. Spectrum House provides certified applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to children and adults on the autism spectrum. Spectrum House focuses on families in the military and accepts TRICARE insurance. In addition to ABA, Spectrum House therapists help with military-specific issues, host a mock apartment for living and cooking skills, and provide therapeutic horseback riding.

Read original article: Woman Opens Therapy Centers

Responding to insurance

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:00:07 +0000

I live in North Carolina. My daughter was diagnosed with autism and in the hopes of getting the best treatment and intervention available, she is being left behind. Her insurance, medicaid, pays for very little of her early intervention services. And to add to our disappointment, medicaid does not pay for ABA services.

Responding to insurance

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:57:34 +0000

We have private insurance for which we pay a premium and deductible. It covers occupational therapy, language therapy, physical therapy and psychological therapy but at a combined 75 visits for calendar year. This is not for each therapy but rather 75 total for all together. Thus, even with illness or vacation times taken, we do not have enough alotted time slots covered to continue therapy for a full year. Once we run out of the 75 covered slots, we must pay out of pocket. We pay a copay of $20 per visit. So, for example, if my child sees a language/speech therapist and the ot once per week it is $40 out of pocket until we hit the magic 75 allowed under the insurance. Then we woud have to pay $150 for one therapy and $160 for the other per week. The psychology/psychiatrist appointments are monthly. All of these therapies would be available more frequently and I am told by the therapists very helpful if we could do more than once a week for 1/2 a session but we cannot afford to do this. The children on the autism spectrum benefit greatly from these therapies and it is something that should be covered under the insurance policies, just as any health or mental health issue should be.

Responding to relationship development intervention (RDI)

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:36:07 +0000

Thank you to all the RDI defenders. It is ridiculous to believe that there is just one tried and true therapy for kids with autsim. I believe ABA works for some kids, but it wasn't even an option for mine. We had a very well-known doctor who agreed with our decision and believed because of our son's personality, ABA might cause of problems for him. We started RDI at home about 2 years ago. We then moved into extendeder services at our home and now have him in an RDI therapeutic school 5 full days a week. WOW, what a difference! My son has made such striders. The extenders are wonderful people who really care about him and his progress. He has built peer relationships at school that I never thought was possible. RDI is not a fad. Because of the nature of the program, progress is documented on a regular basis via videos made by parents, consultants, etc. It is amazing to look back and see how far my son has come. As a parent, you feel supported and a huge part of your child's progress which is so rewarding. I urge other families to take a look at RDI and not be pushed into other therapies that they are not comfortable with. BTW, my son's RDI is covered 100% through insurance after we reach our deductible.

Mom Writes Book About Journey with Child’s Autism

scottie — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:42:05 +0000

Teaser:

Melanie Fowler, with degrees in speech pathology and special education, was still unprepared for her son’s diagnosis of autism.

Body:

Melanie Fowler, with degrees in speech pathology and special education, was still unprepared for her son’s diagnosis of autism. She and her husband Seth decided that they could help other parents “navigate” the system of schools, therapies, family interaction. Melanie wrote Look at My Eyes to help parents and to provide information for teachers. The book covers practical issues that include: finding a baby sitter, dealing with insurance companies, and having fun with your child. While Melanie wrote the bulk of the book, Seth provided insights that only a father can, and he blogs frequently on their site, www.lookatmyeyes.com. Since writing the first book, they’ve learned even more and want to share that in a second book.

Read original article: Family Crafts a Guide for Living with Autism

Kaufman Children’s Center Offers Intensive Applied Verbal Behavior Program

scottie — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:27:36 +0000

Teaser:

Mechelle Geier’s son Trevor was diagnosed with autism and had a difficult time communicating.

Body:

Mechelle Geier’s son Trevor was diagnosed with autism and had a difficult time communicating. Geier was told that he might never talk. She enrolled him in Kaufman Children’s Center’s TrainIn, which is a 4-week intensive applied verbal behavior program. TrainIn’s goal is to “jump-start” communication. A therapist at TrainIn explains, “The children come for two and a half hours a day, five days a week … to receive intensive intervention in speech language and play interactive type of skills." Geier is so impressed with Trevor’s results that she has started a foundation to assist families in paying for speech and other therapies that Michigan insurance companies will not cover.

Read original article: Kaufman Center's "TrainIn" Program Gives Autistic Boy's Family Hope

Could Neurofeedback be Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders?

scottie — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:22:12 +0000

Teaser:

The only FDA-approved biofeedback/neurofeedback equipment use is for “relaxation,” however, some scientists, therapists, and parents say neurofeedback has been helpful to children with autism.

Body:

Currently the only FDA-approved biofeedback/neurofeedback equipment use is for “relaxation,” however, some scientists, therapists, and parents say neurofeedback has been helpful to children with autism. The National Institute of Mental Health will announce the results of its first study of neurofeedback for ADHD on October 26, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The study director said that parents and teachers of the 36 children in the study reported improved behavior. While most insurance companies do not cover the controversial treatment, the Magagnos of Lynbrook, N.Y., found that their insurance company did. Their son, who was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, was treated by Dr. Norman Doidge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research at Columbia. Dr. Doidge discovered the child had suffered tiny, asymptomatic seizures, and through neurofeedback “stabilized the child’s brain activity” and eliminated the seizures. The parents report their son has improved skills. Many scientists and doctors caution parents to be careful when approaching this therapy method for their children until more testing has been done.

Read original article: Neurofeedback Gains Popularity and Lab Attention

Public vs. Private Insurance: Cost, Use, Accessibility, and Outcomes of Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

scottie — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:47:18 +0000

Title	Public vs. Private Insurance: Cost, Use, Accessibility, and Outcomes of Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Young A, Ruble L, McGrew J
Journal Title	Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	3
Issue	4
Pages	1023-1033
URL for Abstract	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleListURL&_method=list&_ArticleListID=1481466879&_sort=r&_st=13&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=7a55d236a33c919303aa46ab1d50c244&searchtype=a
Teaser	Children with autism who have public insurance seem to do as well as children with autism who have private insurance.
Full Text	Children with autism who have public insurance seem to do as well as children with autism who have private insurance. There are very few studies that look at how the type of insurance a family has affects the therapy received by a child with autism. The purpose of this study was to compare families with public and private insurance to see the services that they received for their children with autism. In the state of Kentucky, families with public and private insurance had the same out-of-pocket expense, service use, and mixture of services used.

Innovative Autism Network (IAN) is One-Stop-Resource Shop for Kids with Autism

scottie — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

Marcela Nunez created Innovative Autism Network (IAN) as a single place where children with autism could receive all their therapy needs.

Body:

Marcela Nunez created Innovative Autism Network (IAN) as a single place where children with autism could receive all their therapy needs. IAN, in Connecticut, currently offers support to families as well as music and exercise therapy. IAN’s goal is to provide insurance-covered physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and social and emotional therapy. “When IAN opened, we were already approved providers for ABA therapy for Aetna, Tricare and Cigna,” said Nunez. Having therapies under one roof allows therapists to communicate about the children they help and keeps parents from having to travel from therapist to therapist to get treatment for their children.

Read original article: One-Stop Resource Site for Autistic Children Sees Path to Profits in Year

Grandparents at the Forefront of Helping Their Grandchildren with Autism

scottie — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

The Interactive Autism Network (IAN) reported that 30% of grandparents are the first to notice when a child’s development changes.

Body:

The Interactive Autism Network (IAN) reported that 30% of grandparents are the first to notice when a child’s development changes. IAN surveyed 2,600 grandparents online and shared results in a National Public Radio (NPR) story. IAN also found that many grandparents were able to offer emotional and financial support to parents and children. One grandparent spoke about how she tried to give her daughter, the child’s mother, some time off. Connie Anderson, IAN's online community facilitator says, “one grandfather commented, ‘We are paying for services that aren't covered by health insurance. We have spent our retirement, and we would do it again.’"

Read original article: Grandparents Often Help Support Kids with Autism