Autism

I would suggest contacting Dr. Seshagiri Rao's office in Plano. He is an allergy and immunology specialist who also sees children with autism spectrum disorders. He is a member of DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!--an organization of health professionals) and is very interested in finding treatments for autism. He can be reached at ###-###-####. Good luck!

Hi,
If you live in Plano, you can contact the Early Childhood Hotline at ###-###-####. In Plano, there are 3 early childhood schools for children with medical diagnoses and developmental delays (speech, gross motor, cognitive, etc...). The schools will also provide speech therapy and any other therapies your child may need. The program is around $300 per month for children without delays and free for children with delays.
Also there is a support group/playgroup at Inflatable Insanity (bounce house play area) for families of children with special needs. They meet monthly and it's free for the child with special needs and $5 for siblings. This might be a good chance for you to meet other parents in the area who know about the resources and what you and your child need to do.
I know it can be devastating to be diagnosed, but there is a lot of information out there and lots of other families going through the same, or similar, things. There are lots of support groups online and in real life, so getting in touch with other families will be a big help in finding local resources. Good luck to you!

I wanted to make sure that you knew about the Autism Society of Collin County (http://www.autism-ascc.org/). I bet that they would be able to give you the best advice.
Also, your child should get preschool for FREE from the Plano Independent School District, because he has a disability. The PISD preschool program for children with disabilities is GREAT. You can get him speech, OT, etc.
Whomever gave you the diagnosis should have given you a referral for this, but if not, let me know and I can give you the numbers. I am the Special Ed PTA Liason at my daughter and son's PISD schools.
PLEASE e-mail me if you need anything.

There is a lot of great info on the internet to get you started. Also, the public school system offers preschool programs for children with issues such as autism, contact them. They start at the age of 3. You caught this at the perfect time. As far as insurance, have you looked into the CHIP program through the state of Texas? Good Luck, TARA

I am assuming your three year old is already in the school system? Correct? The district should provide In-home training (it has to be ARDed in) but is a service available to you.

As for services out side of the school district, one parent I had in my class was able to use six (i think) sessions for ABA therapy to try to potty train her child...they used it under the mental health part of her insurance. The dad kept asking and looking and finally found out that was one avenue. Other than that, it is tough to get what you need with any relief financially. I would recommend finding a local support group and collaborating with them---you will and probably already do need it.

I don't know if that helps....
K.

Dear S.,

Although your child is too old for ECI services, you are eligible for the PPCD program in Plano I.S.D. This is a free program. If you are interested in exploring this program, call Plano I.S.D., and ask to speak with the special education department. The PPCD program is open to all children ages 3-5. I am a speech-language pathologist, and was the team leader and speech-language pathologist for one of the PPCD programs (that was almost ten years ago).

If you are interested in a program you can participate in with your child, I have a program called S.T.A.R. Music (S.T.A.R. is an acronym for Speech Therapy And Recreational Music). You already may be aware that music is often a wonderful medium for working with children who have autism. Attached is the spring brochure. Please let me know if you should have any further questions.

You might also want to contact the Austism Society of Collin County. They are a wonderful resource, and offer support to many families. Finally, there is a FREE workshop that will focus on what you can expect from the school districts, and how to navigate the special education system. It will be Sunday, December 1, 2005 at 1:30-3:00. This is FREE, and childcare is FREE, with a reservation. To reserve your spot call, ###-###-####, and ask for Dr. Shelly Middleman. The workshop will be held at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas, 7900 Northaven Road, in Dallas.

There are many resources out there. Since you have already been so proactive in having your child assessed and reaching out for more information, I know your child is very fortunate to have such an advocate as a parent.

If I can be of service, please let me know.

Respectfully,

S. B. Ambers, M.S., CCC-SLP
Director/Speech-Language Pathologist
S.T.A.R. Music
###-###-####
www.startherapyprograms.com

You can contact the following agencies, they may have services that can help. Services may be free or on a sliding scale depending upon your income.

Infant and Toddler Intervention program of north Texas

http://www.itipnt.org/

You can also look at the United Way to see if they can refer you for help

http://www.unitedwaydallas.org/

Easter Seals also provides services on a sliding scale...you can see if they have something that may help

http://dallas.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=TX...

My nephew was diagnosed with autism at age three, also. He is now 6 and is doing quite well. We were able to get assistance from the state and he is enrolled in a special program.

To what degree is your son autistic? Does he speak?

Hi,
I do not have children with autism. But I have a read a couple of books that have info. in them re: autism. They are: Nobody Nowhere and Child of Eternity. The first book is written by a woman who is a high funcioning autistic person. The second one is written by the mother of an autistic girl. Both have info. on schools, treatments, understanding autism, etc. Best wishes to you and your family.

ECI - will provide testing and treatment for free - (Early Childhood Intervention) and Frisco Horse Park does free riding therapy for kids w/autism

Someone else has probably told you, but you need to contact your school district. They will do an evaluation on him and most likely put him in a preschool program. This will all be free to you and every school district is required by law to offer these services to children with disabilities.

By the way, I have two friends who have(had) their children in the Plano program, it is one of the best around!!

Good luck to you.

Our friends own a business that deals with children with autism. It is called Behavorial Inovations in Dallas. They can really help you and your child. They specialize in this and have a dayschool.
There names are Billy and Carla Edwards.