Talking about Autism Sometimes a really wonderful opportunity comes up, and I can’t pass on it. What was the opportunity? There is a terrific, energetic autism mom that I know, Shannon Penrod. We had heard about each other for a few years before actually meeting. A mutual person knew both of us and he kept saying to Shannon, and then to me, that our families should meet—we had something in common. What did we have in common? We were both moms of sons on the autism spectrum. Our sons are close in age and diagnosis. We knew about our son’s … [Read more...]
California Regional Centers and Your Child with Autism This may come off as a rant, but really it's a warning to new parents out there. What is a California Regional Center? From the CA.gov website: "Regional centers are nonprofit private corporations that contract with the Department of Developmental Services to provide or coordinate services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities. They have offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find and access the many services available to individuals and … [Read more...]
29
Sep 2014
Autism Insurance News for California. Here is some recent insurance news for the State of California for autistic Californians. The following information comes from Autism Deserves Equal Coverage. “Starting Monday, September 15, 2014, Medi-Cal is now required to pay for behavioral therapy for individuals aged 0-21. Please share this information with your networks to ensure that families understand their rights under this new opportunity.This a new excellent opportunity for many children but it also has some potential significant problems. … [Read more...]
Talking about social skills for an autistic child. My son's social skills service changed all within a two month period. And, not for the better. Here I'm talking about social skills for an autistic child. Social skills are more or less something that is universally lacking in children with autism. They need to be learned; social cues, communication, listening, responding to other appropriately. Social skills are something that every autistic child struggles to learn. Over a two month period, there was a change at my son's social … [Read more...]
18
Dec 2011
When do you gear up for an autism fight? When parents have been been in this "autism business" for a while, we sometimes can feel a fight coming on.We've developed a radar, we see the signs. Your gut tells you that a new aide isn't working out or a program needs to be changed or your child needs a service that he or she isn't receiving. I've had that radar looming before. When do you gear up for an autism fight? One time, my child's social skills services was being provided by a California regional center. My child is a client of one of the … [Read more...]