Somebody please pick me up off the floor--extortion prices for SN kids

[Anonymous]

SO there have been a few threads on vision therapy recently and I contributed to some of them. We just got some testing results back and the psychologist is recommending vision therapy. It makes sense--my kid had strabismus and he has dyslexia too. I would be willing to try it despite lack of research because I've heard enough anecdotal reports that I think it may help my kid.

SO I called VCDC which was recommended by my kid's psychologist. Guess what they charge? $997 for a set of three appointments for the intake and then $3340 for a set of 12 appointments with a "therapist" who has a certificate. That works out to $278 for an hour long session. Those are psychiatrist prices for a person with a bachelor's degree and some training. The receptionist could not explain how they could justify those prices.

If you have done vision therapy did you pay that much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SO there have been a few threads on vision therapy recently and I contributed to some of them. We just got some testing results back and the psychologist is recommending vision therapy. It makes sense--my kid had strabismus and he has dyslexia too. I would be willing to try it despite lack of research because I've heard enough anecdotal reports that I think it may help my kid.

SO I called VCDC which was recommended by my kid's psychologist. Guess what they charge? $997 for a set of three appointments for the intake and then $3340 for a set of 12 appointments with a "therapist" who has a certificate. That works out to $278 for an hour long session. Those are psychiatrist prices for a person with a bachelor's degree and some training. The receptionist could not explain how they could justify those prices.

If you have done vision therapy did you pay that much?

I do not know, OP, but I hear ya about SN price extortion. My daughter has dyslexia too, and her school is expensive, her tutor is expensive, you name it, everything about this process is $$$$$$$$$!!!!

[Anonymous]

Keep shopping. Not all providers are that expensive but in general, therapies for children with disabilities is not cheap.

I do not think vision therapy is typically covered by insurance; at least it was not with our policy a few years ago. You can probably use flexible spending dollars for it which helps a little.

[Anonymous]

OP Yes I know our kids are not cheap but that is more than double what we have paid for any SLP PT OT or tutor and they all have master's degrees.

[Anonymous]

We did vision therapy, no where near those prices but we are in howard county. I think it was around $100 a session. For our daughter, the dyslexia was the bigger component, now we dump all of our money into that.

[Anonymous]

A friend paid $25K for Linda Mood Bell in one year. I almost fainted.

[Anonymous]

We contacted VCDC a couple of years ago and the quoted fee wasn't that outrageous (still high, but wasn't as high as you mentioned). I think $2,000 was for 10 appointments with a vision therapist and a check-up exam with the doctor.

[Anonymous]

There is a premium because they know families like us will pay. That is why I don't recommend Movement Center as they were clear we had to pay the SN prices when my child no longer needed 1-1 services after our LISS/Motion Education was over. Tried to follow one of the therapist when he left on his own and he was 2-3 times as much as another private lesson claiming SN (child was fine now). Its really frustrating. Luckily we found more reasonably priced options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend paid $25K for Linda Mood Bell in one year. I almost fainted.

OP here again. Ha! I am looking into the vision therapy because it was recommended after neuropsych testing. Guess what other program was recommended for my kid? Lindamood Bell! I am not rich enough to parent this kid. We are truly going broke trying to do everything. Vacations are gone and so are house improvements.

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a teenager on the autism spectrum, I’ve seen a lot of snake oil salesmen over the years. You need to be very careful as the parent of a SN child, because many therapists will see you as a cash cow. Carefully weigh the cost/benefit of any recommended service (PT, OT, ST, social skills groups, psychologists and psychiatrists) and regularly evaluate the results of any treatment plan. Don’t be afraid to say No or stop services. There are less expensive options if you look for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a teenager on the autism spectrum, I’ve seen a lot of snake oil salesmen over the years. You need to be very careful as the parent of a SN child, because many therapists will see you as a cash cow. Carefully weigh the cost/benefit of any recommended service (PT, OT, ST, social skills groups, psychologists and psychiatrists) and regularly evaluate the results of any treatment plan. Don’t be afraid to say No or stop services. There are less expensive options if you look for them.

PP continued. For example, I saw that the expensive OT was doing very little to help with handwriting, so I ordered pencil grips online and some “fun” handwriting books. Also, we started coloring together and voila, his fine motor skills improved. The 1:1 psychology appointments weren’t helping, so we signed up for cheaper social skills groups. Also, if a sports team or activity doesn’t work, find another. Same with schools. It’s hard sometimes, but you really have to develop a thick skin to help your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a teenager on the autism spectrum, I’ve seen a lot of snake oil salesmen over the years. You need to be very careful as the parent of a SN child, because many therapists will see you as a cash cow. Carefully weigh the cost/benefit of any recommended service (PT, OT, ST, social skills groups, psychologists and psychiatrists) and regularly evaluate the results of any treatment plan. Don’t be afraid to say No or stop services. There are less expensive options if you look for them.

PP continued. For example, I saw that the expensive OT was doing very little to help with handwriting, so I ordered pencil grips online and some “fun” handwriting books. Also, we started coloring together and voila, his fine motor skills improved. The 1:1 psychology appointments weren’t helping, so we signed up for cheaper social skills groups. Also, if a sports team or activity doesn’t work, find another. Same with schools. It’s hard sometimes, but you really have to develop a thick skin to help your child.

We did a lot of handwriting workbooks. OT spend a few minutes on handwriting which we needed but everything else was fluff. After a summer it greatly improved. We got a lot of pressure from the developmental ped to do OT and other stuff and it was a huge waste of time and money but it depends on the child and their needs.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend an exam by an optometrist who does not do vision therapy. Unless there is Convergence Insufficiency, I don't believe there is evidence to support vision therapy. The psychologist cannot make such a diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a teenager on the autism spectrum, I’ve seen a lot of snake oil salesmen over the years. You need to be very careful as the parent of a SN child, because many therapists will see you as a cash cow. Carefully weigh the cost/benefit of any recommended service (PT, OT, ST, social skills groups, psychologists and psychiatrists) and regularly evaluate the results of any treatment plan. Don’t be afraid to say No or stop services. There are less expensive options if you look for them.

+1 We did about 10 classes (2000$) worth of vision therapy at VCDC and stopped (mostly because my kid truly hated it, and I couldn't tell whether it was helping him.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend paid $25K for Linda Mood Bell in one year. I almost fainted.

OP here again. Ha! I am looking into the vision therapy because it was recommended after neuropsych testing. Guess what other program was recommended for my kid? Lindamood Bell! I am not rich enough to parent this kid. We are truly going broke trying to do everything. Vacations are gone and so are house improvements.

Exactly. Unfortunately, if you want to help your SN child you have to sacrifice in pretty much all aspects of your lives. I tell myself, it is what it is. I’m doing this so that my child will have the same opportunities as everyone else and a productive life… Especially after I am no longer here. It still sucks.