Sorry, I didn't think it was what was really gonna fit the needs, but maybe you can call some of them and they can direct you to a reputable Dr. that is closer in your area.

I called Dr. Laurence Hirseberg's office and they said that people from Connecticut drive there as they are the most reputable and best in the area. They sounded very skilled. I asked them for any other offices that they may know of and they said that there really aren't any in CT, everybody goes there. Sorry I couldn't do better.

Nice work, MM!

need some social skills for my daughter we live in south
jersey any info would be appreciated.

A lot of the therapy is not accepting medicaid and my daughter is on medicaid she is l0 years and needs socialization and behavior therapy in the home
thanks
debbie

Hi Riley,
I hope some of the parents can help you a bit. As an older man with no kids, I'm not in a good position to offer all that much advice. Welcome!

I don't know what your financials situation is and wether or not you have full time work that offers insurance. also what type of help are you looking for her in particular?

trying to find providers that accept medicaid is going to be hard, have you tried looking through medicaid website seeing if they had providers that accept it?

I am not totally sure what therapies or behavioral skills you can help her with either. I find that trying to modify behavior is easier through a parent (s) if they know what they need to do or are doing in the first place. unfortunately not that many can say that, I know I can't say I know how to modify my kids behaviors without outside guidance. socialization is something that YOU CAN affect or control. not always easily accomplished however depending on her. you can try interacting with other kids her age and arranging play dates. then guide her along the friendship path on what is acceptable actions. try social stories or situations to help her. research it here and there are several recent post regarding this.

there are several books and tons of information available on the internet about behavioral adaptation and such things

Riley,

Welcome!

Try the following:

Autism New Jersey: http://www.autismnj.org/

Autism Society of America: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer Note: They may also have local chapters (go to "Autism Community").

Grants for Families Living with Autism: http://autism.about.com/od/financialresources/tp/grantsforautism.htm

Also, contact the following universities/hospitals and ask if they can provide reduce cost services:

Cooper University Hospital: http://www.cooperhealth.org/content/SpeechHearing.htm

New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association: http://www.njsha.org/faqs/

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital: http://www.rwjuh.edu/medical_services/speech-and-hearing-program.html

Although I do not have kids, it has been my experience that if I want social skills help, I also need to tackle my auditory processing disorder (APD) issues as well. Although I'm not sure if your child has APD issues, you might want to contact them and just see what they have to offer. I was surprised to learn that one of the D.C. universities had a speech clinic in their speech department - and not only that, but they had social skills therapy for those with APD and autism issues (and for adults!). Since I didn't have a job at that time, I was able to ask for reduced services. Sometimes, you just have to do some research, look around, and ask questions - if one person says no or isn't able to help, then just go on to the next person!

- Serenity

I would start with some of the links that Serenity posted. Also, don't forget to explore all the services available through your school. You are entitled to those services even if you home school. Unfortunately, plenty of people develop an adversarial relationship with their school district, so they get discouraged from requesting services that they should be able to get. I don't know what it is called in New Jersey, but in Oregon we have an Education Service District (ESD) that has autism specialists, speech therapists, etc. In Michigan, it was called the Intermediate School District.

Also, don't be too discouraged that you can't get in to see the people who don't take Medicaid. There are a lot of unproven therapies out there that are quite happy to take your money, but medicaid won't pay them because they haven't been shown to be beneficial. Medical Schools/universities and their outreach programs are a great place to start, because they are usually supported in part by the state, take medicaid for medical-related services, and have discount programs based on ability to pay.