I got a phone call today from my Service Coordinator of Prince George's County officially welcoming me and my daughter, Olivia, into the Autism Waiver program - a state funded program intended for families with an autistic child offering funds for state approved services such as Aqua therapy, Occupational community trips, Speech therapy and even respite for Brenda and I. This has been a nine year wait since getting a diagnosis for Olivia at age 2. The waiting list is horrific. After waiting that long to have your name come up, there's no guarantee that you qualify. There's another meeting to determine eligibility based on level of need. Olivia easily qualified which is good for funding but terrible in that it's reflective of just how far she needs to go to live a semi-independent life. There's so much she needs to learn to function as an adult. I can't list all that she needs, but simply want to revel in the notion that if:
1. I can think of it.
2. I can find a provider.
3. The State will pay for it.


One Reply to Let Loose The Pigeons!

Scott Hardie | December 1, 2013
That's great news, Steve! Definitely an important program for your family and I imagine many others. I'm glad to know that it exists and you're in, even if you don't really know yet what to do with it. :-)


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