Where can I find a live in facility for my 14 yr old nephew with Autism?

First of all I want to reassure you and your family that you are making a good decision for not yourselves, but for your nephew. So often that is forgotten by people when they start looking for this sort of assistance.

With that said – there are a number of resources out there to help you find the best schools. Based on that you say he has “high functioning autism” I assume that it is in the same part of the spectrum of autism as Asperger’s and based on the outbursts, I am pretty sure I am right if not close. I’ve put links at the bottom that might be of interest to you and your relatives.

I have heard great things about a school in North Carolina called Stone Mountain School. http://www.stonemountainschool.com/

I wish you all the best!

What you need more than a school for autism is a school that works with children with more than one diagnosis. Psychotic breaks are generally not part of autism (although never say never) and your nephew needs to work with experts with expereince not only in developmental disorders, but possibly with children with early onset emotional/mental health issues as well.

That being said, it can be tough to find a facility and even tougher to find one that is financially accessible. Unless the condition is so severe, many insurance companies will not pay for placement in such a school unless and until all other resources through the public schools have been exhausted and the district is recommending residential placement. If your family is planning to seek this placement on their own, without the recommendation of the schools, you will need to contact their insurance company to find out what it’s rules are and what it may or may not cover or reimburse. Since he is on Medicaid, this can limit placement even more as you may need to work only with certain schools associated with them and within your state (medicaid is run on a state by state basis and what you may have in one state may not cover placement in another without prior approval). Call medicaid and see what the process is and what residential placements they may recommend.

Finally, most children in residential facilites do not get to come home on weekends,..at least not right away and even then will have to earn it. These are not boarding schools, but faciliies where treatement and education go hand in hand. Transitioning to this setting is extremely difficult and many will limit any contact for the first few weeks. I can understand the feelings and situations that are leading your family to investigate these choices…just be sure to know all the legal, financial and logistical facts first.

You didn’t mention if you have tried supplements for the aggressive behavior but the Autism Research Institute, in San Diego Ca., has done a lot of studies on vitamin B6 and magnesium .We have found it very helpful with our son’s aggression.Last year at this time, we were considering a residential placement,his behavior was so bad but with an increase in his vitamins,( Nu-Thera with P-5-P and DMG), things have been under control.Check out A.R.I. web site,there is a lot of information there you may find helpful.

If you type in autism/schools there are lots of them there. Plz investigate them thoroughly as I fear some may not be really very good – its so easy to have a child neglected or abused in some school settings!!

One I have heard good things about is at www.nhsonline.com

Have you tried the pound. He will probably enjoy the puppy’s.