Today’s Special

Waiver Woes

Alex, being forever autistic, has a Medicaid waiver, which opens the door to funding for a variety of services, from dental insurance to payment for recreation camps and activities. The social services people, however, keep sending us the wrong forms year after year. We dutifully fill them out, his waiver gets axed, and Jill has to go stand in line in an office neither of us ever dreamed she’d see the inside of. Here’s how we intend to attack this problem, and tips for special-needs parents wrangling in their own version of this growing problem.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [13:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (15)

April is Autism Awareness Month, and as Jeff said to Jill, “What the hell do we need this for? I’m always aware of autism!” Then an old friend of Jeff’s sent him an email saying, “I searched in vain for a Happy Autism Awareness Day card to send you.” Jill and Jeff, whose 9-year-old son Alex has PDD-NOS, then wondered what message these cards could carry. Would they be humorous or heartfelt? Caring or callous? They discuss some possibilities and the idea of caring for someone who is going through something you just don’t understand.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [13:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (140)

In a perfect world, parents of autistic kids would have every need met. But Jill and Jeff don’t live in a perfect world, and in this cast they talk about what they’d like to see available for services to autistic kids and their families, with ideas — playgrounds, insurance, rec programs, tax breaks — ranging from the fantastic to the commonsense.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [17:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (177)

Scads of movies and TV shows have featured developmentally challenged characters, from “Rain Man” to “Something About Mary” to “The Office.” As parents in the trenches of special-needs, Jill and Jeff offer their insights into some of these portrayals, and recommend what movies to catch, and avoid.

Some movies we mention (but don’t have time to discuss): “Bill,” “Pumpkin,” “I Am Sam,” and “Riding the Bus With My Sister.” Pascal Duquenne is a Belgian (not French) actor with Down Syndrome with roles in “Toto the Hero” and “The Eighth Day.”

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (292)

Jill and Jeff would love to see Alex start to mainstream with typically developing students. They discuss the pluses and minuses, the worries and hopes of putting him in an unfamiliar situation for a few minutes a day. Will the new teacher accept him? Will the other students? Will it help him learn some social behaviors?

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [12:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (198)

Jill and Jeff’s friend Mindy is the mother of a special-needs child — and a whiz at fashioning devices for him with little more than everyday household materials and a glue gun. In the first interview on “Today’s Special,” Mindy discusses what she’s built for her son, how she got started, where she gets her ideas, and how adaptive devices for special-needs children don’t always have to look so “medical.”

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [16:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (202)

For autistic kids, learning how to go to the dentist can be at least as critical as toilet training, but the visit can be a real trial: screeching, squirming, bolting, and an almost unbelievably tight clamping shut of Alex’s mouth. His latest visit went well, and Jill and Jeff share their thoughts on getting him both through this appointment and comfortable with this vital and lifelong part of health.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [15:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (291)

Jill has come up with 10 can’t-miss tips and pointers for Early Intervention providers and service coordinators, based on her (sometimes exasperating) experiences with Alex in EI. With just a right amount of edge she recalls the bad stuff that could have been done better and the great stuff that was done well to make her family’s EI work the best it could, and to give Alex a start toward school.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [15:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (279)

Saturdays, school holidays, vacations… anytime’s a good time to go crazy with Alex at home. He loves structure; we love to sit around and catch up on reading, do a little housework, sip coffee. In short, no structure. This is fine for an occasional weekend. But a long school break (and we’re on Day 9, with a few days to go) brings its own challenges. Here’s a slice of what it’s like and how we cope. This podcast is available in our archives.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [15:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (291)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Alex pours milk down the sink … asks for pizza/chicken/hot dogs in a restaurant, then won’t eat them … refuses to sit at the table with us. Sometimes it’s typical 8-year-old behavior; sometimes it’s autism. Whatever it is, it’s frustrating. Especially on a long weekend. Here’s how we cope.

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [14:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (886)