Person-centered planning when there are no real options Sometimes the honest answer is that the county has nothing that fits. Person-centered planning does not require pretending otherwise. It requires writing...
Budget methodologies and ‘medical necessity’ language Two phrases do most of the damage: “more cost-effective option available” and “not medically necessary.” Neither one is a medical judgment. Both are budget...
When case managers cannot approve what you need Your case manager is not the wall. Your case manager is standing in front of the wall, absorbing your frustration for a...
Building a paper trail that actually matters Not every piece of paper protects you. A notebook full of feelings does not win an appeal. Four specific documents do: the incident...
Advocacy without burnout: pacing, paper trails, choosing battles The advocate who wins in year fifteen is not the advocate who fought hardest in year three. It is the one who...
Building natural supports and community inclusion Seventy percent of autistic adults report loneliness. The intervention is not another program. It is two named community members who know his story and...
Transportation barriers: building mobility without driving Two out of three autistic young adults do not have a driver’s license by 21. The mobility plan for the other two thirds is...
Meaningful activity when employment is not realistic Not everyone can hold a competitive job. That does not mean the day has to be television. Contribution, mastery, and connection are the...
Vocational Rehabilitation: using services before school ends State Vocational Rehabilitation is federally funded, free, and legally required to serve your student before graduation. Most families do not open the file...
Post-secondary options: supportive college vs vocational training Four-year college? Two-year certificate? Vocational rehab? Apprenticeship? Family enterprise? Some of these will change his life. Some will cost you fifty thousand dollars...
