Our son Zachary was diagnosed with Autism in March of 2018 at the age of 8. He had none of the typical symptoms that you seen in younger Autistic children so it wasn’t until he got a little older that his pediatrician even mentioned the possibility of Autism to us. He had already been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety and has been taken medication for each since he was 4 years old. But we knew the doctor was right and there was something else going on with Zach. After having him professionally evaluated, we found out that he is high functioning autistic.
Unfortunately, our insurance didn’t cover the $3100 evaluation and also doesn’t cover any of the therapies he needs in order to have a shot to potentially live a normal, independent life. Several years ago the state of Maryland required insurances to cover Autism treatment but self funded plans like the one we belong to through my union are excluded from this requirement. We went directly to the board of trustees for our health plan as well as through the Dept of Labor and was denied at every request. We’ve also tried going through the school system for help, again with no luck. Because he’s on the upper end of the Autism Spectrum and is doing OK in school (he has the typical autistic flare ups in school but with extra attention from the teacher he continues to do OK in school) they won’t utilize any of their available special resources on him because they don’t see it as necessary. The good news is so far he has been able to go to regular public schools and is getting ready to enter the 4th grade! But ultimately without the necessary therapies, we know it’s only a matter of time before even school becomes a struggle for him.
Since we’ve tried every avenue available with no success, we decided to proceed with getting him some of the treatments he needs, starting with occupational therapy. This is costing us $115 per treatment, requiring 2 treatments a week, and this is just the start. He also needs additional therapies as well which each cost a similar amount. We can only afford so much on our own without additional help. All funds raised on this site will go to help pay for these necessary treatments. Our hope is that with a little bit of help, Zachary will thrive through these treatments and will one day be able to live a successful life!!
Thanks in advance and God Bless to all!!