Anonymous
09/13/2025 11:50
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op—what grade is your child in? Is he in a discrete program or gen ed?
3rd. In gen ed, for now, but things are slowly moving there. Probably to a learning center.
If he’s struggling in school and you “don’t know what more the school could do”, why hasn’t the placement changed to a self-contained classroom?
LOL! Kids sit on waiting lists for months and years trying to get a seat in a private special ed school. Self-contained classrooms are full. Everything is full.
Anonymous
09/13/2025 11:48
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op—what grade is your child in? Is he in a discrete program or gen ed?
3rd. In gen ed, for now, but things are slowly moving there. Probably to a learning center.
If he’s struggling in school and you “don’t know what more the school could do”, why hasn’t the placement changed to a self-contained classroom?
You know it doesn't work like that, don't you? It's very hard to get other placements.
Anonymous
09/13/2025 10:17
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Op—what grade is your child in? Is he in a discrete program or gen ed?
3rd. In gen ed, for now, but things are slowly moving there. Probably to a learning center.
If he’s struggling in school and you “don’t know what more the school could do”, why hasn’t the placement changed to a self-contained classroom?
Anonymous
09/12/2025 16:52
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:OP, are you looking for a mental/behavioral health treatment facility or a residential school placement for kids with developmental disabilities? It seems that most of these responses are for the first, but your description of your DS seems like you are looking for the second.
Sheppard Pratt has a neuro behavioral short term stabilization unit for kids with ASD: https://www.sheppardpratt.org/care-finder/child-amp-adolescent-neuropsychiatric-unit/ Kids often go from there to another placement.
There are residential schools for kids with higher need developmental disabilities: https://mansef.org/
These are more special education focused as opposed to psychotherapy.
Yes, residential school placement. That's exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you.
Anonymous
09/12/2025 16:41
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
OP, are you looking for a mental/behavioral health treatment facility or a residential school placement for kids with developmental disabilities? It seems that most of these responses are for the first, but your description of your DS seems like you are looking for the second.
Sheppard Pratt has a neuro behavioral short term stabilization unit for kids with ASD: https://www.sheppardpratt.org/care-finder/child-amp-adolescent-neuropsychiatric-unit/ Kids often go from there to another placement.
There are residential schools for kids with higher need developmental disabilities: https://mansef.org/
These are more special education focused as opposed to psychotherapy.
Sheppard Pratt has a neuro behavioral short term stabilization unit for kids with ASD: https://www.sheppardpratt.org/care-finder/child-amp-adolescent-neuropsychiatric-unit/ Kids often go from there to another placement.
There are residential schools for kids with higher need developmental disabilities: https://mansef.org/
These are more special education focused as opposed to psychotherapy.
Anonymous
09/12/2025 14:07
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Have you checked out boys town residential care as an option? (Their main campus is nebraska)
I haven't. But to be clear, we're absolutely not in a position to self-pay.
It's a non-profit and is not self-pay
Anonymous
09/12/2025 13:45
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Have you checked out boys town residential care as an option? (Their main campus is nebraska)
I haven't. But to be clear, we're absolutely not in a position to self-pay.
Anonymous
09/12/2025 12:59
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Have you checked out boys town residential care as an option? (Their main campus is nebraska)
Anonymous
09/12/2025 08:03
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Op—what grade is your child in? Is he in a discrete program or gen ed?
3rd. In gen ed, for now, but things are slowly moving there. Probably to a learning center.
Anonymous
09/12/2025 07:43
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Op—what grade is your child in? Is he in a discrete program or gen ed?
Anonymous
09/12/2025 04:38
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Figure out how your child can get into Medicaid. It’s an easier enrollment criteria than for adults, but varies widely by state. Parental income will not necessarily limit you.
Some states have plenty of facilities for children mental health treatment. Without knowing your residency it’s hard to give advice.
We're in Maryland
Anonymous
09/12/2025 04:25
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Figure out how your child can get into Medicaid. It’s an easier enrollment criteria than for adults, but varies widely by state. Parental income will not necessarily limit you.
Some states have plenty of facilities for children mental health treatment. Without knowing your residency it’s hard to give advice.
Some states have plenty of facilities for children mental health treatment. Without knowing your residency it’s hard to give advice.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 23:47
Subject: When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:if school isn't going well, talk to a special ed lawyer. if it's just home going badly, talk to a lawyer from the special needs alliance in your state about medicaid waiver programs--most have waitlists and some will only work once the kid is 18 but might as well get on the list. in terms of finding new psychiatrists, again it might just be getting on waitlists at this point. My experience is that going to the ER may or may not lead to inpatient, but inpatient doesn't guarantee that you'll get followup care with practitioners from that facility. I'm sorry. The health system is so broken and especially the mental health system.
School isn't going well, but I don't think there's anything they can do either.
Residential programs can be part of an IEP and if the district will pay, that is likely easier than getting Medicaid to cover a child.
But it probably involves struggling through everything the district provides in-house plus private day school.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 21:51
Subject: Re:When is residential placement an option?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Two things. First therapies never worked for my child. Medications did. Residential did. But it was the structure and physical activity and consequences in addition to medication That worked.
Second, I never found any psychiatrists who knew resources. They might exist but I feel like they are a unicorn.
Unless you are very wealthy, you aren’t going to be able to private pay. Eight years ago I was paying $650 a day. And a lot of programs would not accept my child without an insurance back up. I had to either have a school commitment (which didn’t work because schools don’t have to pay for residential) or Medicaid. A private pay contract wasn’t enough for many places.
So from what I experienced, the juvenile justice system is a real option. The other step to consider is a Medicaid application, but finding a program for anyone under 14 is tough.
Good luck. FWIW, my child is now successful at home and doing well. It’s evident that they lost years - you’d think they are about 5 years younger than their age. But the outcome is good.
I appreciate the insights and I'm glad things are looking up for you, but that is incredibly disheartening to read...
I’m very sorry. It is the hardest road I ever traveled.