Elias's school, LEEP Forward, has a non-profit arm called LEEP Beyond which provides services for children whose families are unable to pay for them. They are currently running a GoFundMe campaign to raise $250,000 and are about halfway there.
You may recall that when we first started researching options and services for Elias we were told by his Developmental Pediatrician and the autism clinic at Illinois Masonic that it was significant that we had private insurance and would be able to get services for him more quickly simply because of that fact. There was a long waiting list for children who are on Medicaid to see speech, occupational, or behavior therapists. It's true that research shows that outcomes are better for children who start services earlier and so these long waiting lists are often very detrimental to autistic children, particularly minority children who tend to be diagnosed later than their caucasian peers. For those minority children who were diagnosed late, who are not insured, AND have to be placed on long waiting lists for services the problem is compounded.
We love LEEP Forward. Elias has made great progress there, as I have documented in this blog and on Facebook. His therapists and the classroom aides truly care for him and want to see him reach his full potential. I love that his therapists can (and do) talk to and consult with each other because they're in the same building and they see him in a variety of different circumstances: one-on-one, in a classroom setting, in a small group setting, and with me since I sit in on one speech therapy session per week and occasionally on OT sessions. From Day 1 he has been so happy to go to school each day which is a huge relief and weight off of my shoulders.
He is there in the mornings and there are 6 children in his classroom and a minimum of five adults in the room. He has a personal speech and OT and will be getting a new behavior therapist at the end of this month. This level of care is expensive. Our insurance company pays them thousands of dollars PER MONTH. Insurance companies drive me bonkers but I am so grateful to have them. If we didn't have insurance I would have quit grad school (which has been a dream of mine for over a decade) and found a job in order to help pay for this school, which is indicative of how much I believe that this school can help and is helping Elias. I am also so very thankful that he has one more year there since they have a Transitional Kindergarten program and I'm starting to preemptively stress out about the IEP process.
Lastly, but most importantly, they protect his dignity and invest in his strengths. They are not trying to change him or make him less autistic; they are giving him the tools that he needs to make it through the world. I appreciate that so much.
All of this to say that we'd be honored, encouraged, and grateful if you would consider contributing to the LEEP Beyond fund to allow children who could not otherwise access these services. You can do so here. There may be homemade chocolate chip cookies involved for those in Chicagoland for your contribution :) Your investment will help fund the following:
- Financial assistance for families who would struggle to make copays or meet deductibles
- Additional but needed therapy sessions for children that are not covered by insurance
- Training sessions for parents to learn philosophies and techniques used in therapy in order to use the same methods at home
- In-home training sessions for families to help parents and caregivers learn about methods to maximize their interactions with their child
- Purchase of needed therapy items for children when needed such as sensory supports, swings, adaptive seating, Lycra bands, gym equipment, and visual supports
Thank you for considering!
No comments:
Post a Comment