How do people pay for ABA therapy for their children with Autism?

Question

My 2 year old son has just been diagnosed with Autism and we are told he will need ABA therapy. I have started to check on this and it is SO expensive. The cheapest I can find here where we live in COlorado is over $1,000 a month. I just want to know how people afford this. I can not afford to do this but I cant seem to find any help in paying for this for him. I want to get him all the therapy he needs but not sure how finacially to do this. I found out that I can get Medicade to help pay for

part of it but it takes over a year to get in the system.

Untill then I feel a little lost. My insurance will pay for him to get Speech therapy but no luck with the ABA part. I hear good things about this type of therapy and how it really helps children and want to do whatever I can for him. He is so young and early intervention with therapy will really help him but not sure what to do next. Does anyone know of any financal help to get therapy for children with Autism. Any help appricated.

Answer 1

Here is the Colorado autism information

http://www.autismcolorado.org/resedtx.ht...

Start with child find and find the your local area and contact these people. Yo may want to find out to get "services" and what services are available etc. before requesting ABA or something specific. The appropriate people will do an additional assessment to see which type of services your child will qualify for. Once your child turns 3 years old the school district is responsible for providing special services to meet your child's needs.

Also check out www.wrightslaw.com

for ideas on advocating for your child. It is likely you will be offered services that may or may not be ABA the website gives you good ideas for advocating for specifically what you want. I do believe Colorado in general has a number of providers and good resources so you just need to get contacted with other parents to find out how they made it happen, but your child is entitled to services and a good portion of the financial burden should be taken care of for you.

Answer 2

Check out this website:  autismcolorado.org

I'm in California, but I'm familiar with your situation.  This site should answer alot of your questions directly.  Good luck

Answer 3

I live in California, and all my son's ABA (he got it 5 days a week!) was paid for by the state.  We have something called regional centers that are state funded, and they have an intake process where they determine how much, and what type of therapy your child needs, and then they pay for it.  My son had ABA, Speech, & Occupational Terapy, and I never paid a dime of it.

Good luck.  I know how hard it can be!

Answer 4

Any help that your child needs should be paid for by the state. You should check with the department of education and they should provide both an evaluation and the treatment.  He will be covered under the children with disabilities ACT even though he's only a toddler. The program that you're looking for is called the Early Intervention Program and you're department of education is the place to start.   Social Security for the disabled is based on family income I'm sorry that you're not eligible but you can always try again.  And this time if they turn you down don't just accept it. You should tell them that you want to appeal the decision and you might need a lawyer.  But your son should definitely be eligible for the early intervention program.

Answer 5

Talk to your local Regional Center.  They fund children with special needs, that qualify under strict diagnosis' (which autism does) to attend programs that are "related services".  ABA is expensive therapy, and if you have that particular related service written into your son's IFSP, it must be provided to him.  At the center I work at, children with autism, under age three, are funded to come to our center 9 hours a week, with an additional 20-30 hours a week of ABA in the home.   This helps to give them the structure that they require at home, as well as the opportunity to interact with other children their age in the classroom.  The earlier intervention your child gets, the greater probability that he will flourish and begin speaking/communicating.  Once your son turns 3, all provisions for his IEP will be paid for by the school district you live in, including related services such as ABA.  In the meantime, call your local school district, your child's pediatrician, or look on your state's Dept. of Education- Special Education website to find your local Regional Center so that he can get ABA funded free of charge.

Answer 6

Aside from medicade I would try for ssi cuz he has a dissability you should be able to get some sort of payment. That will probibly take a while to get too but it will help in the future. My mother in-law worked for ssi and said that rude people always went to the bottom of the pile so be nice to your worker.

Answer 7

This varies from state to state. In Florida it is very difficult to get the state to pay for anything. Have you checked your own insurance?

Have checked with the school district to see if they have early intervention programs? Though ABA is a good way to work with your child, it is not the only way to go. Many early intervention programs do very good work, especially in socialization, which your child will need.

It is not outside the realm of possibility for you to use the techniques yourself. At your child's age, there are many things you can teach, especially with naming. Look up errorless learning on the 'Net. It is an ABA technique. Also, Look up Dr. Patrick McGreevy's website, which discusses Verbal Behavior, which is another ABA approach. He may be speaking at some time in your area. It is not rocket science and you can certainly do it.

Answer 8

You want your child to be like everyone else?

If so, that will be a lot of work in getting him to that point...

Is he a high functioning autistic? or is he non verbal?

People with Autism are over a wide spectrum.

I don't want to be like every one else... Yea, I need to know enough to be able to function and communicate with others, but I do not need to be like the 'normal' or 'standard' like everyone else.

I do not think I can assist you with your quest in seeking funds for therapy. Maybe it will peter out some how.

Answer 9

You will have to take into consideration other options as financing therapy can be terrible expensive (as you have discovered) should the government be unwilling to pitch in.

Have you thought about being trained in ABA therapy?  There are many training centers across the nation.

Have you and your husband considered moving to a more progressive state that offers this type of support at no cost?

I know that these options are very drastic, however you are fortunate enough that your son was diagnosed early and thus has time on his side...don't let it slip away.

In the meantime, try reading some of the information on this site:

http://www.mariposaschool.org/programs/