Living in Kansas and Unhappy With ASD Services?

Then show up and make your voice heard.

SRS Holding Statewide Autism Forums
WIBW
Posted: 9:51 PM Jun 26, 2007
Last Updated: 10:50 PM Jun 26, 2007

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services is looking for public feedback on a plan to help families dealing with autism.

Topeka hosted the first of three autism forums Tuesday night.

SRS is getting input from stakeholders before submitting the formal application for its Autism Waiver program, which would allow Autistic children into early intervention services.

Louise Heinz is a parent of an autistic child. She supports the program because of what it's meant to her and her family. "My daughter did not speak until she started the Early Intensive Intervention and now she does. What we're trying to promote is there can be great gains made from early intensive intervention. We want all kids on the Autism spectrum to be able to have access to this waiver and therefore, the intervention."

SRS hopes to get federal funding for the program from the Center for Medicaid Services.

SRS will hold a forum on Autism Wednesday in Hays from 6 to 8 p.m. at Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas, 2703 Hall St. Thursday's forum will be at Wichita's Independent Living Resource Center, 2022 W. 2nd St.

Early Intervention HCBS Autism Waiver Program
Children will be able to enter the Waiver program from the age of diagnosis through the age of five.
A child will be eligible to receive waiver services for a time period of three years.
To be eligible for Autism Waiver services, the child must receive a diagnosis of Autism per the current DSM or ICD9 criteria from a licensed Medical Doctor or Ph.D. Psychologist and be assessed for a Level of Care Determination to establish functional eligibility for Waiver services.
Waiver services:
-Eligibility Determination: Eligibility Specialist assesses the child for the Level of Care Determination.
-Respite Care: Respite Care provides temporary direct care and supervision for the child to provide relief to families/ caregivers of a child with an autism spectrum disorder.
-Parent Support and Training: designed to provide the training and support necessary to ensure engagement and active participation of the family in the treatment process and with the ongoing implementation and reinforcement of skills learned throughout the treatment process.
-Intensive Individual Supports: Services provided to a child with an autism spectrum disorder designed to assist in acquiring, retaining, improving, and generalization of the self-help, socialization, and adaptive skills necessary to reside and function successfully in home and community settings.
-Consultative Clinical and Therapeutic Services: Sercives provided by an Autism Specialist to assist the family and paid support staff or other professionals with carrying out the individual program that supports the child's functional development and inclusion in the community.
-Family Adjustment Counseling: Counseling provided to the family members of a child with an autism spectrum disorder in order to help them cope with the child's illness and the related stress that accompanies the initial understanding of the diagnosis and the ongoing continuous, daily care required by the child with an autism spectrum disorder.

Autistic Adults Lack Services

Anne Dachel won the Age of Autism Award last year for her tireless advocacy for our kids.

In an email today she calls attention to the lack of services for adults with autism.

What will happen when the autistic children of Chandler's generation no longer have their parents to care for them?

Before I drive myself crazy here, let me send this. These scary stories about the lack of services are out every single day. They're local and state items. They'll sometimes use the words "crisis" and "epidemic"---but never with a demand for answers. Only rarely do reporters project that the situation will get worse as these kids age out.

With the medical community diagnosing more and more autism, patting themselves on the back for doing it earlier and earlier but with no alarm, and federal officials promoting the myth that there is no increase and that autism is genetic............I truly think that no bad how bad the situation gets, doctors and health officials will continue to pretend it just isn't happening.

We'll have disabled people in the streets with nowhere to go eventually when mom and dad are no longer there.

I have to laugh........every year John who's now twenty, gets a letter from the county telling him his status on the waiting list....

last year, he was #42....this year, he's #36............

I honestly don't know what happens when he gets to be #1..........there are no services in the area for autistic adults.

Anne

Wait Is All Many Disabled Can Do
The Ledger, FL

"We're going to put people in crisis," said Debra Dowds, executive director of the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. "We recognize there needs to be some changes. The problem is the level they've done is way too severe."

Treating Autism at the Marcus Institute
WXIA-TV, GA

Autism Spectrum Disorder is at a crisis level and the Marcus Institute and Easter Seals of north Georgia are two places trying to help autistic children and their families.

When 'the cuteness is gone'
Bridgewater Courier News, NJ

Much of the media attention focused on autism is directed at children -- but once a child is 21, the state no longer mandates any services to be provided, and a person with autism is on his or her own.

As the growing number of autistic children in New Jersey grows up, parents and service providers are worried about the supply of public resources to help autistic adults live, work and interact with the community with independence and dignity.

Autism epidemic being ignored

Daily Telegraph, Australia

Autism's Angels: Women Start School for Children with Autism
First Coast News, FL

Virginia fails to provide care for children with autism
Fauquier Times-Democrat, VA

People with autism with no other qualifying "label" are eligible for services under the Developmental Disability Waiver. And guess what? That waiting list is also years long. Children do not have three to five years to wait until their slot is open.

Children should not be on 'waiting list' for services
Central Maine Morning Sentinel, ME

Families struggle to care for the mentally disabled
Victoria Advocate, TX

The Texas Legislature is looking at funding that could impact families like the Sausedas, who were on a waiting list for 11 years before finally receiving mental health support for the twins in 2005. Local mental health caregivers, meanwhile, are waiting to learn if 212 other area families can similarly finally stop waiting this year.

Parents plead for aid from county services
Appleton Post Crescent, WI

Group works to help the developmentally disabled
Baltimore Examiner, MD
"There's a bit of a debate over whether that's just a more exact diagnostic capability [or an actual rise]," Morgan said. "Regardless, it's clearly a condition that's increasingly presenting itself for care and treatment."