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Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities
Cannot afford OT; what would you do?
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Anonymous
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OUr son would benefit from occupational therapy, but our insurance will not cover any sessions with a therapist. They are very clear on that. We cannot afford to pay the cost of therapy ourselves.
He is 5 and we live in D.C. He is not in public school yet. Is there anything that can be done in this situation, other than "go without"?? I have not looked into it but I assume that D.C. public schools are not going to be able to help with this next year when he is in kinder. thank you! |
Anonymous
| Can you go to an OT and get a home program that you can follow? When my DS needed speech services, I did only a fraction of the typical amount of sessions by using this approach. |
Anonymous
| I am in the same position. My son would most likely benefit from services once a week. I can't afford OT at all let alone once a week. So I talked w/ the OT who was very understanding. We did weekly OT sessions for a month and then she showed me what I can do at home. She also spoke to my son's teacher (free of charge) to tell her what can be done at school to help him. Unless your child's needs are academic in nature, he probably won't be able to get OT at school. If it is a fine motor issues that gets in the way of writing for example, the school probably won't take him on. |
Anonymous
| I am the PP. Also, ask about group classes. My son could have done small group OT (for sensory issues). It was cheaper than 1 on 1 therapy. |
Anonymous
| Montessori pre-school is sort of like all-day OT. Check it out. |
Anonymous
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Montessory is NOT an appropriate program for most kids requiring OT. Our OT strongly advised against a Montessori program simply because many kids in need of OT would be overwhelmed by it.
Your son is 5, get him into the system, have him evaluated by DCPS and get services from them. Why do you think DCPS would not help? It's a major pain in the butt, but if he qualifies, then he will get services through the school. The question, however, is what he would need OT for. If it is sensory regulation, don't count on a school OT to tackle that. If it is poor coordination, motor skills delays and other things, you may see improvement. And don't let your insurance have the last word yet. Do they not cover therapy, period, or do they not want to cover your son's OT specifically? If it is the latter, get an evaluation and get a diagnosis. That may help with having them cover costs. We provided DC Early intervention evaluations (they're free) to the insurance and they cover OT. (out of network though) |
Anonymous
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Thank you everybody. Our insurance does not cover OT, period, unless the claimant has MS, Lou Gehrig's disease, muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy.
The idea of working at home with our son is appealing, I guess I will ask the OT what she can give us, given that we're not actually going to send him to her. Do DCPS elementary schools actually have an OT within the school, or one who travels among schools? I guess I had heard 3rd hand that you can "forget it" if your child is not severely disabled (in which case, you sue and get $ to send your Dc to a private school). |
Anonymous
| I can't speak to public schools in DC directly but in my county, your child can receive OT in school from the OT at school only if their issue is an academic one (ie, fine motor skills are very poor and interferes w/ their academics). Some schools share an OT so he/she will travel between or among schools. Can I ask what OT issues the OP's child has? That might help. |
Anonymous
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There is a federally-funded program that provides in-home therapy to kids who meet certain criteria. DS received speech therapy in our home through this program. Your child is ineligible for the program once he enters school, when he's eligible for OT only as it relates to school.
I can't remember the name of the program, but if you call up DCPS, they ought to be able to tell you. The fees are on a sliding scale, depending on your ability to pay. If your child qualifies, whatever he needs -- OT, PT, speech, etc. will be provided. |
Anonymous
| Buy a couple books on SPD, though the The "Out of Sync Child Has Fun" has a ton of activities. Also, invest in a cheap indoor trampoline. |
Anonymous
| I believe you can enroll your child into your local public school as non-attending and go from there. |
Anonymous
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I'm 13:50 and I still think Montessori is worth looking into, despite what 14:13's OT said. It really depends on what your child's fine motor issues are. I have a close friend who is a physician who has two children with a genetic neurological condition that causes very delayed and impaired fine and gross motor skills. (The same condition as my child has.) She put her children in Montessori in part because of how much fine motor work the children do in that program.
My unaffected child thrived in Montessori, and my child with disabilities went to the Mont county preschool program and had OT there, and prior to that, in-home county services. Unfortunately, he is so impaired that his need for services has never been challenged. But if he were less disabled, I would have chosen Montessori for him, too. |
Anonymous
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OP, you are IN DC? If you are a DC resident, PLEASE call Bridges pre-school (http://bridgespcs.org/) on Tuesday morning (Monday is a holiday) at 545.0515. Tell them you have a child who may have some OT needs and you'd like to enroll him.
It is a public charter pre-school for children with and without special needs. It is free for DC residents and I believe there are one or two open slots at this time. Your child can immediately start getting positive one-on-one interaction with early childhood educators in very small classes (12 students: 2-3 teachers)with a background in special ed. Plus, they can get your child evaluated and get an IEP in place for him so that he can start receiving OT (and any other necessary services like ST, PT, counseling, etc.) ASAP. If you have any questions about the program, feel free to post them and I'll try to answer. You will be SO relieved to have him in an environment that can address his needs, is focused on early literacy, and won't cost you anything. |
Anonymous
P.S. He doesn't even have to be potty-trained, they will help potty-train him. |
Anonymous
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THere are tons of things you can do at home. But first I'd make an appt or two with an OT to get some additional ideas from her. Incorporate her ideas at home.
1. Get a heavy duty blanket and have you and your husband or someone else swing him while he's lying in it. DS is 5 also and thats what we do. He's heavy but we can still do it in spurts. 2. Let him have water play in the sink or bathtub alot. 3. Let him climb tress 4. Let him jump on a bed or mattress oreven your sofa If you don't want him doing this, buy a trampoline for the house 5. Give him deep massages 6. Take him swimming 7. Let him do heavy work - picking up some slightly heavy objects 8. Let him knead dough 9. Take him to those sport bounce / pump it up/ gym places 10. Google occupational therapy activities for home 11. Check out www.southpawenterprises.com for OT toys for the home DS is in Montessori with 26 kids in his class and he does fine. He is hardly overwhelmed. He probaby was at first, but after a month in school, he was fine. It depends on how large the classroom is, how quiet they maintain the classroom, and whether they allow the kid to get some fresh air and exercise during the day in a gym or outside. How a SPD child does in Montessori is hugely dependent on the child really. I would definitely tell the teacher to be sensitive to his needs as some Montessori schools will punish children who aren't adhering to their rules if they don't know of the child's particular issues. For example, taking a toy away, letting them sit out from the activity, tc..They assume the child is acting out behaviorally. |