sibling needs testing but insurance wont cover.

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i have a 12 year old sister who shows intense symptoms of autism, and ive brought it up to my therapist about where i can go to get her tested. She gave me some reccomendations but every place either wont accept insurance or isnt covered. I need help. are there any clinics or oter such places that my parents can take her that will do it for free or will accept any insurance. i wont disclose what insurance we have for privacys sake.

What country are in? Depending on your location, if she's 12, the school system should be able to get her tested.

If I win the Lotto Max this Friday, I'd help you guys out. Other than that, I there isn't anything that I can do. I wish you, your family and your sister luck in finding the money that you need.

I'm American, and the school just thinks she has ADHD, they havent seen the "her" outside of school. I myself didnt get diagnosed until i was committed, and i dont want my sister facing the same thing.

Your parents can perhaps push harder, but I don't know if you have any standing since you aren't her legal guardian. Do your parent think she is AS as well?

I am JadeEyes' RL mom and after her being committed for a nervous breakdown on the job, she was diagnosed. Upon learning what my daughter had, I started doing extensive research on it and have come to the conclusion that JadeEyes' two younger sisters may indeed have it as well. Thankfully her third sister, (one under her and above the two who I feel HAS aspergers) doesnt exibit the same symptoms as they all do. She however may have bipolar! The school district the girls attend WONT test, in fact CANT test, as they DO NOT have a certified clinical psycologist on staff. JadeEyes has asked a number of people in the mental health field as have I for help in getting her sisters tested and we are falling short of any assistance. As she has stated, either there arent any people who CAN test in the area or those who can WONT accept ANY type of insurance. I am striving to get my two youngest daughters tested AND (if need be) confirmed so they can get the assistance they need in school. IF they do indeed HAVE aspergers, they can get a one on one aide to help them deal with the cruelty that the kids in school inflict on them on a daily basis, and in the event they react, they WONT get into trouble because it is due to their condition and they cant help it.

I hate bureaucracies.

Are you near any major cities? Maybe you could try getting some help through some autism organizations.

doesnt matter one whit. if this is a public school district, they have to evaluate for disability if you request it. go to the school or the district office and submit a request in writing for an evaluation, cite a family history of autism spectrum disorder. while you are there, make sure you sign the paperwork that gives them permission to evaluate. by federal law, they must assess her and have a limited time to do so after you sign the permission paperwork.

there is also federal law in place that requires all states to have a "child find" program, its a program that exists to locate and identify disabled children (autism counts as a disability) and refer them for evaluation. they may simply refer you back to the local school district, but if the district is not cooperating with you, having the child find program initiate it may put more force on them to comply. you should be able to find the website for your states child find program by just googling child find and your states name (ie, "child find michigan").

other avenues for testing... some universities have autism centers, they may or may not take insurance. one here in michigan tho lets you apply for research programs and if accepted, they often will do the evaluation for free as part of the research project.

try calling your insurance company. let them know you need diagnostic testing for autism, and ask for a list of in network providers in your area (psychologists, developmental pediatricians, neuropsychologists are a good start). you would then need to contact the providers and double check if they do the evaluations, as many of them wont. if you cant find someone locally or in network, widen your search. talk to your family doctor about getting an out of network referral if needed.

the easiest and often best place to start is usually with the local public school district tho. they HAVE to do disability evaluations if requested, they dont have the option to say no. even if they dont have a psych on staff, they have to arrange for the evals to be done.

btw, even if you get an independent medical diagnosis, the school still will need to do their own assessment before you can get special education assistance and an IEP. a medical diagnosis wont get the girls school services, they need an educational diagnosis through the school system for in school services, which means they need to be assessed by the school. that is one reason the local public school district is often the best place to start. having the medical dx will sometimes make it easier to get the school to assess if they are reluctant, but they still have to do the assessments which take time, so best to get the school going asap.

Azurecrayon -
Thank you for the information. I'll look into it. My youngest has special ed services in school and is in fact due for her triennial eval. TWICE I have requested in writing that they test her and her 14 year old sister for Aspergers since the diagnosis of their older sister. I havent gotten a reply from the school. When I got the letter for the eval for my youngest, I again asked, then signed it. She has an IEP, so it IS in the system that she is a special ed student... she is listed as an ADHD child with a disability... and they STILL havent changed it. GRRRR