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Q: Will my insurance cover my child's treatment?
A: Indiana State law, IC 27-8-14.2, Health Insurance Mandate for Autism, requires certain health insurance plans to cover treatment for autism spectrum disorders. This law covers HMOs, group and individual plans that are regulated under state, as opposed to federal, law. To find out if your child is covered, you must find out if your health insurance plan is regulated under Indiana State Law.
To view the text of the law, go to www.IN.gov/legislative , choose the "Laws and Administrative Rules" tab, Choose the "Indiana Code" tab, then scroll down to the four empty boxes. Put 27 in the first box, 8 in the second, 14.2 in the third, and leave the fourth box blank, hit Go.
To view the Indiana Department of Insurance (IDOI) Bulletin on the Health Insurance Mandate for Autism, download the document here.
Bulletin 136 PDF
Little Star Center hosts periodic health insurance workshops with Michele Trivedi, a parent of a child with autism who has a background in managed care and worked with the IDOI to develop Bulletin 136. Please see our schedule of events for the next workshop, or call our Director for more information.
ABA is one of the treatments that is covered under this mandate. Little Star has had several families who have received full or partial coverage for their services.
Q: How can LSC offer such a high quality program but cost about half what other centers cost?
A: Little Star runs very lean and does not have a lot of overhead. This is why it is so important for the families of Little Star to be hands-on. From time to time the director may ask for a volunteer to do some sewing, help clean the carpets or do some computer work. This is one of the ways that costs are kept down. Little Star is also very successful at fundraising. The annual golf marathon fundraiser raises in excess of $150,000 each year. It is expected that each family will participate in this event to the best of their ability.
Q: Who creates the programs?
Who will be working with my child?
A: Buyer beware! At this time, anybody can claim to know ABA and work with a child in many states. It is really up to the parents to make sure that their child is getting a quality program! Remember that ABA, Verbal Behavior and the Lovaas Method are extremely detailed and specialize sciences. You wouldn’t allow a dentist to perform brain surgery on your child, nor would you allow a person who only attended a few workshops or seminars to either. It is the same with ABA.
Little Star uses board certified consultants and senior therapists as well as trained therapists that deliver the on-going therapy. Supervision is a constant and it takes more than one person to deliver, develop and monitor a successful, meaningful intervention.
Q: Is Little Star a school with grade levels?
A: No, Little Star is a therapy center. We offer one-to-one ABA that focuses on behavior, language, speech and other skills that your child needs to be successful in the world. Although some children attend Little Star on a full-time basis in lieu of school.
Q: Can my child attend LSC and a public or private school?
A: Yes. Little Star allows for each child’s program to be tailored specifically to meet their needs. This means that while some children attend Little Star on a full-time basis, others attend their public school part-time and Little Star part-time. Little Star works collaboratively with your local school district to ensure that the best program possible is designed for your child.
Q: What is the cost to attend Little Star?
A: The cost of Little Star varies depending on several factors, such as how many hours of week your child attends and the level of consulting needed. Cost can be determined once all the variable factors are worked out. On average, though, Little Star costs significantly less than other ABA centers.
Q: How do I pay for LSC? Do you accept insurance?
A: Little Star accepts private pay, most private health insurances, school district and DOE funding.
Q: Do you offer scholarships?
A: Unfortunately, because Little Star is a not-for-profit center, we do not have the funds to offer scholarships. However, other funding options such as health insurance, waivers and DOE funding may apply.
Q: What are the age limits?
A: Little Star does not have any set age limits. If we can offer a meaningful solution to an individual, we will. If there is aggression or other factors that apply, we can develop a program for the home. In the past Little Star has worked with a child as young as 2 and as old as 15.
Q: How long will my child have to attend Little Star?
A: This depends on the child. Some children need more intervention than others. The length of time at Little Star is determined on a case by case basis. Our goal is to get the child functioning at a level so he/she may transition successfully into the typical school setting. Little Star is just a stop along the way!
Q: What are the hours for full-time? What are the hours for part-time?
A: Since each child works one-to-one with a therapist, there is no official start or end times. Each family will decide how many and what hours their child will attend Little Star.
Q: What is ABA and Verbal Behavior? Is it speech therapy?
A: No, verbal behavior is not the same as speech therapy. Please see our glossary section for a more in-depth discussion of ABA. |
