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Question
I have a 20 year old son with pd, he does not receive services because he is unwilling to go to any agency to have the evaluations done. Do you know of any agencies in the NYC area that would be willing to come to my home to do the testing? I would also like to know if you know of any families, preferable in Brooklyn that might have similar difficulties with their child. Maybe there is a support group of some kind. I would be very interested.
Hi Doreen,
I'm sorry, I do not live anywhere near New York. You will do best to do a web search (Google, Bing or Yahoo) including the terms "autism" and "New York". This should give you many resources to contact for referrals. Support groups are probably most accessible through one of the agencies you find in this search.
On the practical side, does your son leave your home for any other reason? Did he attend public school? Was he diagnosed there? Perhaps the special education specialists would be willing to point you in the right direction.
Whether there are any services available for him depends on how severely affected he is. You're right, you need evaluation to start the process. You need to be aware that he is a legal adult and unless he has been declared incompetent by a court of law, he can refuse any evaluation, medication or services.
Best wishes,
Catherine
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Answers by Expert:
Catherine Ridenour
Expertise
I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.
Experience
I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.
We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.
Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.
Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.
I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.
NOTE:
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