Therapy Funding

When I first became a therapy mom funding was not an issue. My husband was a soldier and all therapy was covered through our insurance. However, things changed quickly when my husband entered into the civilian world. With our new insurance, we only get 30 therapy visits a year per child. My son goes through the 30 allowable visits in one month. My daughter goes through the 30 allowable visits in a month and a half.  With their combined therapy cost being $60,000 a year with insurance, I quickly began to research funding options.

Early Intervention

I soon found out that every state offers an Early Intervention Program for children 0 – 3. It is a FREE program that helps babies and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays. If you Google “Early Intervention” with the name of your state, you will find out who to contact and how to apply for a referral to have your child evaluated. 

After you have applied, Early Intervention will send a state coordinator to your house to evaluate your child to see if your child has a disability or developmental delays. After the evaluation, you will meet with the coordinator and anyone else involved with the testing to review the data from the test. They will talk to you about whether your child qualified and the services available.

If your child qualifies, they will write up an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan). This document will explain the services that your child and family will receive. You will then give your consent for services to begin. After receiving services for six months, your child’s goals will be reviewed until they are no longer receiving services.

This program has been amazing for my daughter. The thing I love about this program is that the therapist comes to your house. They also work with you and your child, so you learn how to help them at home.

Special Education through Public School

My son did not qualify for this program because he is over the age of three. However, I found out through Early Intervention that my son could receive services through the public school system for FREE. I went through the same process as I did for my daughter, but through our local school system. I contacted the special education department, and they arranged for my son to be tested. After testing, we set up a meeting for an ARD (Admission, Review, Dismissal process) to go over his IEP (Individualized Education Plan). After the meeting, we scheduled his first therapy session and services began.

 

Once services began , my son did not get the one on one therapy that he was receiving through private therapy. They had a lot of children to service, so they tried to group them in groups of two or three. It was good to help with socialization and focus, but my son made more progress when he was one on one.

 

This program also was a drop off program. I took him to the school and dropped him off with the teacher for an hour. At the end of the session, he would sometimes get homework, and they would talk to me about what they did. I didn't feel like there was a lot of parent training with this program.

Other State Funding

Later, I found out one of the best kept secrets to therapy parents…there are even more services available if you ask and seek them out. I came upon this secret when talking to another mom about my son at gymnastics. She told me that some states have programs available to special needs kids through Medicaid that act as supplemental insurance. These programs help pay what your insurance does not cover. To apply, you contact your local DHS (Department of Health and Services).This program is not free to everyone. If you fall under a certain income bracket, you may pay a monthly fee for services. The paperwork for this program is very intensive, but worth the time and effort. You have to submit all medical forms, evaluations, and therapy progress reports; however, once approved, your child has more therapy options. This program starts at birth and follows your child to age 22 if they continue to qualify. It is definitely something to look into.

Having a special needs child comes with many expenses. Not having to stress out about therapy funding has really helped our family. I really hope this information can help your family too.