Jean Said:

Speech therapy question?

We Answered:

Speech pathologists usually do take most insurances. A recommendation is not required, but some insurances require you to have a referral. Check your insurance company on that.

Eric Said:

What state or city is the best for autism treatment?

We Answered:

My school district in south Florida does serve children with autism in separate classes. However, the use of ABA in those classes is not done across the board.

Tampa has just opened an autism charter school called the Florida Autism Center of Excellence. The tuition is partly paid by the McKay scholarship and all the staff members are trained in ABA. Check them out on the 'Net or give them a call. I believe this school is in Hillborough County.

The Eden Institute in Fort Myers offers ABA services and is partly covered by the McKay scholarship.

The Devereaux Foundation in central Florida also practices ABA and serves a variety of disabled students.

There is the Victory School in Miami.

There are a couple of religious schools you might want to check out, but I don't know what practices they use.

Crossroads school in Lakeland and the Jericho School for Children with Autism in Jacksonville.

THE Peace by Piece Learning Center in Fort Myers is now accepting students. Seats will be limited at this school, so call now.

The Palm Beach School for Autism is another one, though I don't know a thing about it.

Finally, go to the Autism Speaks website. They have a big list of autism schools in Florida. I only gave you Florida alternatives because I assume you like it there!

Crystal Said:

speech therapy. How I can review my insurance for my autistic child?

We Answered:

Medical insurance is for medical issues, not developmental or educational. Up to a certain age they will sometimes consider the issues that cause a child to need speech therapy to be from medical issues, but once they are school age it usually turns into developmental/educational issue. Also, speech therapy for medical issues tends to be for a specific time period, like 60 days. If the person doesn't improve by then, the insurance company will likely consider it a developmental problem.

You need to look at your insurance policy and find out if speech therapy is covered and under what circumstances. Then figure out how to fit your child's needs to their guidelines.

You need to make sure that any recommendation that anyone writes for your child mentions medical issues, nothing to do with education/development. The school based therapist may not be the best person for that, since they deal with educational issues. It may be the pediatrician or another doctor that needs to write the recommendation and include medical reasons why your child has the speech problem and needs additional speech therapy.

At this website: http://www.ldonline.org search for: speech therapy, insurance and see if there is any good advice.

Good luck!

Alicia Said:

ADHD therapy in USA will be free of charge should treatment is necessary?

We Answered:

yes we have programs that make all of that free in the united states.

Sergio Said:

How much does treatment cost for someone who has Prader-Willi Syndrome?

We Answered:

The cost of HGH alone is between $10,000 and $30,000 per year; it has become a cornerstone of early care as it reduces fat ratio and builds muscle in addition to achieving more normal height. Not all PWS patients need physical therapy or speech therapy, etc., but if needed those costs can add up to $15,000 (or more) per year for each specialist therapy. Nutritional counseling is usually needed to help the family provide low calorie foods in adequate quantities to satisfy the patient's food cravings. This may cost roughly $5,000 per year. There are very few facilities that provide specialized life care for PWS patients. I worked at one, but honestly have no idea of the yearly cost. My best guess... $50,000 to $80,000 per year?

There are many other unique medical and social needs for PWS patients. Many have type II diabetes and related complications. They often suffer from sleep apnea and need sleep studies and require CPAP or BIPAP(assisted breathing machines) at night. Life expectancy is not shortened if the patients weight is controlled, otherwise health issues related to obesity can shorten a PWS patient's life expectancy.