Working the Room

We received a form from school telling us about the annual resource fair held by the SEPTA program. (Special Education Parent/Teacher Association). This is a very strong program in our school district. I have never heard of such a PTA and was impressed enough to want to check it out.

I'm so glad I went! The resource fair comprised of about 45 various vendors, providers, etc. that are in our area. There was a booth from the state, county, hospital, therapy providers, adaptive recreation programs, Special Olympics and respite agencies.

The lady at the Easter Seals booth was the most informative as far as giving concrete facts. She gave me an 8 page handout explaining what each of the various medicaid waiver programs are in the state of Texas. It even describes which services are provided by which programs. The bad news is that there is an 8-10 YEAR wait list for some of the programs.

On a positive note, we found out that there are several agencies that don't need the waivers, and just require the medicaid qualification. Steven had that in AZ and will qualify for it here in TX. But, we can't apply until 6/1 as services in AZ cancel 5/31. There is a sliding scale of what the family pays for, but we are fortunate to be in a position to afford that.

I also found information regarding local support groups and sibling workshops and camps for Megan to attend. I think the best connection I made was a man named Lamarque. He is a Dad to 2 children with autism. When his children were first diagnosed, the doctor handed he and his wife a sheet of paper with grim statistics and sent them on their way. He decided then and there that he would someday start a program that advocates for people with autism. He and his wife started the "Connections" program that links people with us with programs that meet their child's needs.

I was invited to several group meetings and everyone was very welcoming and helpful. Kinda cool day!

Betsy