Parents who provide for autistic children in Nevada are calling for legislators to take action as significant shortages in disability services are taking its toll on families.
The next biennial session starts on February 3rd, and families are urging the Legislature to improve Medicaid funding and encourage providers to come to Nevada. The situation has gotten so bad that the U.S. Department of Justice has threatened legal action if the state of Nevada doesn’t take specific action to improve its children’s behavioral health services promptly.
One family’s current situation highlights the severe issues that can result from an inability to receive the appropriate help. Letty and Darian Garcia have three children, including a profoundly autistic 8-year-old son, Rico. Rico is non-verbal and is estimated to have a mental age of only 7 to 9 months old. According to the family, it took Rico over 2 and ½ years of intensive behavioral therapy to be able to use a sippy cup on his own. On top of his autism, he also suffers from seizures and diabetes. Tragically, Rico’s blood glucose levels often hit emergency levels. What’s more, Rico can get very violent during meltdowns where he displays uncharacteristic strength.
Tragically, his violent outbursts have caused his family to live in terror. Rico’s mother says that he often bites his family members and bangs his head through dry walls in the home. His arms are almost always covered in scratches and bruises. He’s also known to grab his mother by the hair and pin her to the ground at only 8. Rico has now begun thrusting his hips at his sister who is only 11 years old. Once, the 8-year-old broke down his sister’s bedroom door just to get to her and start assaulting her.
The situation is so distressing that the girl has her own cell phone that she uses to call for help when she hears her brother outside her door. She also refuses to be in the house without an adult escort. The entire family is afraid of what will happen when Rico is able to overpower his father or when they can no longer financially or physically care for Rico anymore. There are currently no options in Nevada.
Are You Looking For Help With Your Autistic Child in Nevada?
Rico’s story is only one case of a family in dire need of help. There are currently an estimated 5,200 children in Nevada who are profoundly autistic but not in a residential facility.
Are you currently seeking additional help with your autistic child in Nevada? Here at the Nevada Autism Center, we offer assessments and ABA outpatient therapy for children in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. Our goal is to help your child become as independent as possible. We’ll help your child navigate maladaptive behaviors and work towards replacing those behaviors with positive coping methods.
To learn everything you need to know about our program, you can contact us at (702) 660-2005 or fill out our enrollment form to hear back from an agent.
