8 Year Old with Severe Autisim Please Help!!!!

Is she aware that he is eligible for a Medicare card? All of his treatment will cost her nothing. Is this child is school?

Wow! That's awful! I don't have experience about services in Texas, but generally, you can get a lot of services without insurance. First, the school district has to provide services during school hours. These type of problems can be addressed in a special ed classroom setting. Second, many states (if not all states) provide services for when the child is not in school. Lastly, there is medicaid insurance for kids with disabilities, so additional services can be provided. Your friend is going to need services from all three levels if she has a severely autistic son. She needs to get help ASAP!

C.
www.littlebitquirky.blogspot.com

They have programs under Medicaid for long-term health solutions for children. She can have a decent income and still get it (my dad makes between 60-80 grand and my 17 yr old sis gets them).
She used to do the same thing, and alot of times she would go to the neighbours' houses and ring doorbells and thankfully they'd bring her back. She's gotten alot better since then, but still always worried.
So, she just needs to go to:
https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/wps/themes/html/SSPorta...
and choose medicaid for children PLUS longterm solutions for mental retardation (yeah, although i don't thin of autism as that, that's what it's under) she can get help for behaviour therapy, meds (if she chooses), someone to be at her house to help him (like a therapy nanny), etc. it's endless. good luck!!
oh yeah, forgot about social security (how could i...i'm on it..lol)
getting ssi for him would be a good idea, unless she has too much income. my sister doesn't get that, but once she turns 18 (in july) she will get ssdi off my dad's record. and then medicare 2 yrs from that date.
EDIT:
just for the record, he is NOT eligible for medicare. he is for medicaid! big difference. and only eligible for social security if his mom is low income. trust me, my sister has an 8 yr old on ssi, and i myself am on ssdi. he does not nor will not ever get medicare, only medicaid. i, on the other hand, will get medicare once i hit 2 yrs.

This child should be receiving services through the school system. If he is not in school, he should be. I she is afraid or intimidated by the school, and has had bad experiences, she should go to www.wrightslaw.com and look in the yellow pages for the Dallas area and find an educational advocate in her area to help her access services.

If she is having trouble paying for the therapy he needs outside of school, she should contact Easter Seals. Children with spcecial needs will always need more help than the school will provide, and Easter Seals is there to help with assessment and therapy.

She should also contact the social security adminstration, because he is severe, he may qualify for monthy payments and medicaid. She may need to start with the County Board of Developmental Disablities, but she should find out how to start the process to access these benefits.

As for the doors, she is doing the right thing by locking them. There are some simple devices that will help, and multiple locks may be needed. Most municipal police stations will have a form for parents of special needs children to fill out so that they have the inormation on file. Wearing a medical id bracelette is also a good idea if he can tolerate it, and if not, an alternative is to write the information inside the fold of his shirts with a fine tip permanant marker. His name, her name, phone number, and Has Autism-lacks social skills and language etc.

Hope she finds help,
M.

One suggestion may be to go to Home Depot or something of the sort and get an alarm that will go off if the door is opened. It just attaches to the door frame and if it is turned on and someone opens the door, an alarm will sound. Most children with Autism do not like loud noises and this may be a deterrent for him as well as a signal to her that he has gotten to the keys again.

My step daughter is autistic and moderately retarded. She is on long term disabilty thru the state. All of her health care is covered for her lifetime as well as she gets a care provider and therapies provided free of charge. Have your friend check into the state services. Good luck!

I would check to see if Project Lifesaver is in his community and get him signed up. This program puts GPS buttons in a child's shoe or on them as a bracelet, and if they go missing uses it to track them.

http://www.trsar.org/project_lifesaver/proj_lifesaver.htm

This child will qualify through social security for disablity and would be eligible for medicare.