Please join us for an informational seminar

“Special Needs …Caring for Loved Ones Under Unique Circumstances”

Review the many issues you face as parents of special needs children.  Discover how government programs may pay for basic living expenses.  Examine some of the steps you can take to make sure your special needs children have the lifestyle you prefer, not only during your life, but also after your death.

 Sponsored By: Adam Wheeler, Agent New York Life Insurance Company 

Date: July 26, 2011

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Children’s Therapy T.E.A.M Fayetteville Clinic

Sign up at front desk or email alwheeler@ft.nyl.com

(Child care provided)

"No one gives you a package and says, 'Now this is where you go'," she said looking at her son jumping on the trampoline. Traci Sickels is still navigating her way around raising a child with Autism. "You're not used to that, no family is," she said. Nine-year-old Dallas requires speech and occupational therapy, in addition to powerful prescription medications. "Many families dip into retirement just to pay for it," Sickels said. "You would do anything for your child. But to what degree? Some people are going broke just to pay for it."Sickels and her family relocated to Northwest Arkansas shortly before Dallas underwent his first evaluation.
"That was $1,200. There was no way we could have paid for that," she said. "Luckily, we sold our home and then put that with our savings." Oftentimes, parents find themselves lost.
"There's a lot of families looking for services wherever they can," Sickels said. "When you meet another parent dealing with Autism, you immediately ask them what they do, where they go for treatment. There's no crash-course for this. You learn from parents who have already been down this road.

Searching for ways to pay for treatment can become a maze of money management.

"We hear that over and over again. I'm so glad you told me about this, I didn't know about this option," Children's Therapy T.E.A.M. Family Support Member Amber Spencer said. Many private insurance providers don't cover Autism claims. "Sadly, a lot of insurance companies have begun saying that they don't cover developmental disabilities or delays," said Billing Analyst Amanda Clark. "That's their way of getting around children with Autism.""I'm a public school teacher, so you know that extra money is not there. The insurance doesn't cover that," Sickels said. Traci Sickels, and mothers like her, have to jump through hoops to apply for Medicaid coverage. "I pay a monthly premium. It's not like I get anything handed to me free," she said. But there's a long waiting list. "It's a hefty packet, and it's about a four to six month wait once you get in," Spencer said. With possible federal budget cuts making Medicaid harder to come by, the costs could continue to climb."I am scared," Sickels said. "If any of that was cut, there's no way I could afford you know all the therapy."It's another worry for families looking forward. "There's a lot of struggles. It's not just medicine, it's not just therapy, it's your everyday life," Sickels said. It's a challenge Traci Sickels hopes she and Dallas can look back on as one they conquered so he could lead the healthy life every kid deserves.

Traci Sickels heads the NWA Autism Support Group to provide resources for parents who are just starting out on the journey of living with Autism or those who need a community of understanding. The group often hosts workshops to help parents apply for waiver programs and other funding opportunities.  You can click here to find out more.

You can also help support Autism Awareness on May 7, 2011 through the 5k Autism Walk to help families obtain mini-grants for support. It's happening at Gracepoint Church, 1201 McCollum Road, Bentonville, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

http://nwahomepage.com/search-fulltext?nxd_id=228416

Nearly one out of every one-hundred children is born with autism and as Autism Awareness Month kicks off, families affected say this is the perfect time to get involved.

Plus April 1st is actually Autism Awareness Day, so as 10-year-old Mason Main headed into his Friday therapy, his mother said his progress carried special significance. Mason works with members of the Children's Therapy Team in Fayetteville. "We are really focusing on his communication and trying to get him to use his communication system, because verbalization might not be possible for Mason but we want him to have a form of communication," says mother Kimberly. Mason is autistic, but that's not it, he's also recovering from an injury which adds to his difficulties. "Take one step at a time and you focus on what you need to focus in on at that time and go forward," says Kimberly. But Mason's mother says he's making progress. "When you have success, it makes you happy, and I think it even makes him happy to succeed... even autistic kids, I think, they feel their failure and their difficulties too," says Kimberly and she hopes society can make strides in helping those who suffer from the disorder.

"We have to be open to what causes autism and the components of it, and i think everybody has to learn," says Kimberly. And as she reflects on the last ten years raising her son - she hopes awareness months like this one will bring about a brighter future for Mason and others living with autism.

If you want to get out there and support families effected by autism - get on your running or walking shoes and head over to Gracepoint Church in Bentonville on May 7th. They're hosting the Autism Involves Me 5K and fun walk. Registration for the race begins at 7:30 am that day.For more information you can contact paula.taylor@nwaautismsupport.com or visit aimwalk.org.

As many as 3 out of every 100 people in the country have an intellectual disability (The Arc, 2001). Over 580,000 children ages 6 to 21 have some level of intellectual disability and need special education in school (Twenty-seventh Annual Report to Congress, U.S. Department of Education, 2005).

What are the Signs of Intellectual Disability?

There are many signs of an intellectual disability. For example, children with an intellectual disability may:

v  Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children;

v  Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking,

v  Find it hard to remember things,

v  Not understand how to pay for things,

v  Have trouble understanding social rules,

v  Have trouble seeing the consequences for their actions,

v  Have trouble solving problems, and/or

v  Have trouble thinking logically.

What causes an Intellectual Disability?

Doctors have found many causes of intellectual disabilities. The most common are:

v  Genetic conditions. Sometimes an intellectual disability is caused by abnormal genes inherited from parents, errors when genes combine, or other reasons. Examples of genetic conditions are Down Syndrome, fragile X Syndrome, and phenylketonuria (PKU).

v  Problems during pregnancy. An intellectual disability can result when the baby does not develop inside the mother properly. For example, there may be a problem with the way the baby’s cells divide as it grows. A woman who drinks alcohol or gets an infection like rubella during pregnancy may also have a baby with an intellectual disability.

v  Problems at birth. If a baby has problems during labor and birth, shuch as not getting enough oxygen, he or she may have an intellectual disability.

v  Health problems. Diseases like whooping cough, the measles, or meningitis can cause intellectual disabilities. They can also be caused by extreme malnutrition, not getting enough medical care, or by being exposed to poisons like lead or mercury.

For more information go to http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2530