Autism services: Pittsburgh Vs. Houston? (Early: low income, 2013, health insurance)

[Pgh2Hou]

Desperately hoping there is at least one person who has been in this situation and can compare. Are they comparable? One far better than the other? We are relocating for my husbands job and I am terrified!

How do Houstons medical assistance funded services compare to those of Pittsburgh? My son is 3, so I am not yet at the point of worrying about school districts and such. We are currently receiving speech, Ot, Pt, and wraparound services which is essentially an in home aide who provides behavioral therapy.

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by Pgh2Hou

Desperately hoping there is at least one person who has been in this situation and can compare. Are they comparable? One far better than the other? We are relocating for my husbands job and I am terrified!

How do Houstons medical assistance funded services compare to those of Pittsburgh? My son is 3, so I am not yet at the point of worrying about school districts and such. We are currently receiving speech, Ot, Pt, and wraparound services which is essentially an in home aide who provides behavioral therapy.

You get all this free with government assistance??

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Pgh2Hou

Desperately hoping there is at least one person who has been in this situation and can compare. Are they comparable? One far better than the other? We are relocating for my husbands job and I am terrified!

How do Houstons medical assistance funded services compare to those of Pittsburgh? My son is 3, so I am not yet at the point of worrying about school districts and such. We are currently receiving speech, Ot, Pt, and wraparound services which is essentially an in home aide who provides behavioral therapy.

Pennsylvania is one of the best states for autism services. Texas is one of the worst although it depends on the level of functioning, your company insurance and too many other things.

http://www.autismhandbook.org/index....-_Pennsylvania
Support for Parents of Autistic Children | Autism Support PA | Providing Autism Support in Pennsylvania

For adults with autism in Pennsylvania
Keystone Human Services - Comprehensive community based intellectual disabilities services and mental health, autism and early intervention services

Texas has waivers, but they make you jump through all kinds of hoops and the funding is much worse.

FEAT-Houston » General Texas Medicaid Waiver Information

You may have to pay out of pocket for a lot of services here unless your company covers autism which they do not have to do if they are self-funded.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Htown2013

You get all this free with government assistance??

In Pennsylvania and a few other states there is a lot of assistance. Here in Texas not so much.

[texas7]

As it has been said, texas is a great state for a lot of things; however, it is a very bad state to be poor in.

[Texas Ag 93]

The services are not necessarily provided due to OP being low income. How many companies relocate their low paid staff across the country for example?

I had my youngest daughter get in-home Speech Therapy for about 6 months here in CO for "free" provided by a state supported group. It was free for anyone, regardless of income level (even very high income levels), until the child was age 3. It was utilized by people from all socio-economic groups and it was a top notch service.

I use the parenthesis describing it as "free" because, of course, nothing is free. We all pay for it as taxpayers.

[nana053]

Early Intervention is a federal program administered by each state. From 0 to 3, every child is eligible. Free to everyone in some states, sliding scale in others, btw. Illinois has a sliding scale. Lousiana's was free. Yes, this is paid for by taxes, but the idea is that early intervention may mean a child who can function in a real job as an adult.

Note for autism: ABA is intensive one on one therapy and it is very expensive. You can be quite well-off, but not be able to afford the entire cost of such therapies or of a special school like the Monarch School ($30,000 a year, I think). When you think about having a child with these kinds of special needs, think many thousands of dollars for each year.

Cost of ABA Therapy - Special Learning Article
I Love ABA!: Paying For ABA
https://gooagoo.wordpress.com/aba-therapy/

[Htown2013]

Originally Posted by texas7

As it has been said, texas is a great state for a lot of things; however, it is a very bad state to be poor in.

I agree that Texas is a terrible state to be poor in. This is something completely different. If you have a child with true special needs, then private special needs schools are so expensive that you have to be wealthy, not just well off, but make in top 1% household income to afford to self fund special needs treatments and schools.

[Lbjen]

At 3 my son aged out of ECI and we moved into the public school system. They provide once a week speech therapy, and he attends a program at school for 3 hours a day that is part socialization, part behavioral, to get him ready to be mainstreamed for kindergarten. Our school district provides different level programs for various spectrum levels. My son doesn't need any further therapy beyond that, friends with kids who do need more go through their employers health insurance to get private therapy.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by Lbjen

At 3 my son aged out of ECI and we moved into the public school system. They provide once a week speech therapy, and he attends a program at school for 3 hours a day that is part socialization, part behavioral, to get him ready to be mainstreamed for kindergarten. Our school district provides different level programs for various spectrum levels. My son doesn't need any further therapy beyond that, friends with kids who do need more go through their employers health insurance to get private therapy.

If your child can manage in mainstream classrooms, that works. My grandson has managed in our school since Kindergarten as well. Special needs that are more severe, however, can be a problem. Classes in the schools vary greatly in terms of managing these kids.

Also, while he's young, his needs may seem less pronounced. Kids with autism *grow into* their autism as they age because the social demands become greater so their differences stand out more.

Many employers in Texas do NOT provide the extra therapies that kids with autism need unless they have to - so if they are self-funded, they stop funding ABA.