Family Scholarship Program

Family Scholarship Program: 2011 Program Review

Since 2006, TACA has provided medical scholarships to families living with autism. These scholarships help families pay for physician-prescribed services, and include stop gap medical treatments, independent assessments, and other necessary crisis funding.
 
The stories we hear from scholarship recipients warm my heart. This past year, we asked our scholarship recipients to help us collect data, to provide quantitative measures on each child’s progress, and the overall effectiveness of the scholarship program.

To gauge progress, recipients provide Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) scores pre and post treatment.  The ATEC is a great tool for clinicians and parents to evaluate treatments based on autistic symptoms (1).  This is how it works: the lower the ATEC score, the better the child is doing. The higher the ATEC score, the more likely that the autistic symptoms for the individual evaluated are more profound.  The goal of families is to have scores drop after treatments (both medical and traditional therapies).

The official ATEC scores from TACA families have just started coming in, and the drop in scores is pretty amazing!  These lowered scores provide tangible hope for just about any family with a child on the spectrum. Based on preliminary data from the last two ½ years, and a small sampling of scholarship recipients participating in currently collecting official data, here is a summary of what we found:

• 13 families with 13 children from 7 states provided ATEC pre and post-test ATEC scores
• 12 of 13 families showed a drop in ATEC scores following treatment, indicating improvement in functioning.
• ATEC scores dropped an average of 26 points, with a marked 33% improvement from pre to post treatment test scores (Note: ATEC pre and post scores collected averaged 8 months apart.)

What this means is that for 12 of 13 families, ATEC scores decreased and their children’s autistic symptoms greatly diminished. We have received great anecdotal feedback in addition to the data reported above. This is one parent’s story:

When my husband and I were given the autism diagnoses, it felt like our world was no longer in color. Our world had turned into black and white. Our future plans were shattered by this word, our hearts torn into pieces.
 
After researching the biomedical world, I was eager to begin my journey and help my boys become healthier, but I realized that it was going to have a price. Luckily I found TACA. Words like Hope and Faith were no longer in my vocabulary, not until TACA came into our lives. There are not enough words to describe our gratitude. TACA has given our family the opportunity to see our lives in color. TACA has given our family the opportunity to look ahead at a brighter future. After a few months of beginning biomedical treatment, my family, friends, teachers and therapist have noticed the change in my boys. Thank you!

Typically, each TACA print newsletter features a family with an inspiring story. This time, we can report success for these twelve families, who are eager to share that autism is treatable! And we will keep fighting for that 13^th child, who has yet to see the progress we are all hoping for.  At TACA, we are here to help guide you on your journey to help engineer positive outcomes in our children – hope is real. 

Raising a child with autism is expensive and we would like to help families in need.

Purpose:

The TACA Family Scholarship Program was developed to help families who are pursuing treatment for their children with autism, but are struggling to find the funding. We understand how difficult it is to stretch the family budget to include things like, DAN! doctors, independent evaluations or conference registration.  It is our desire to provide limited financial assistance to qualified families.

Eligibility:

Families must meet the criteria below to be eligible to receive assistance from the TACA Family Scholarship Program.

DAN! Conference Scholarship and Other Scholarships Criteria:

• Have one or more children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
• Become a TACA Member (Membership is free. You may join at your local TACA Chapter meeting or online here)
• Have a combined annual household income of less than $65,000. (Applicants with higher household incomes will be considered, but priority will be given to those below $65,000.)
• Reside in the United States and have a US mailing address.

DAN! Doctor Scholarship Criteria:

• Be a TACA member for at least 6 months (sign up online, it’s FREE!)
• Attend a TACA meeting or New Parent Seminar.  If a New Parent Seminar is not available nearby, we ask that you watch the DVD.  (This can be loaned to families in need.)
• Have a Parent Mentor for at least 2 months – Parent Mentors are available in person, on the phone or via email.
• Have a combined annual household income of less than $65,000. (Applicants with higher household incomes will be considered, but priority will be given to those below $65,000.)
• Reside in the United States and have a US mailing address.
• Join the TACA-USA Yahoo! Group

Available Scholarships:

TACA will provide financial assistance to families with a child with autism for the following:

• Initial DAN! doctor appointmentFamilies can apply to receive funding for an initial appointment and one follow-up appointment with a DAN! doctor. As part of the application process the family must chose a DAN! doctor and confirm the costs of an initial visit and follow-up. If travel is required the applicant family must provide a breakdown of travel (airfare may be obtained through Miracle Flights or Autism Escapes with a doctor’s referral) and accommodation expenses
• Follow-up appointment with current DAN! doctor.Families can apply for a follow-up appointment for their current DAN! doctor. The application would need to include cost breakdown for the appointment and the date of the last appointment.
• Lab work – as recommended by a DAN! doctor. Application would need to include information on the cost breakdown of the lab work being requested and the contact information for the preferred Lab.
• Independent Assessment with a licensed/credentialed professional (Speech, OT or Educational Assessments with report). Families can apply for an independent assessment with a licensed/credentialed professional to assist in the pursuit of services. Availability of this category is dependent on funding. Contact Moira Giammatteo for application availability, 949-640-4401 ext 107.
• ARI/DAN! Conference Scholarship (registration, hotel and airfare) – You and a buddy can apply to attend a DAN! Conference. TACA requests that the two attendees be from two different families. Scholarship recipients will be required to share a room at the conference, and may be needed for volunteer duties while at the conference. Availability of this category is dependent on funding. Contact Moira Giammatteo for application availability, 949-640-4401 ext 107.

NOTE: Payments, once authorized, are NOT made directly to the family, but are instead paid on the family’s behalf directly to the vendor who is providing goods and services. Please understand vacations, trips to Disneyland and other similar events are not selected for funding.

DEADLINE:

Applications will be accepted on the 15th of every month. This is a RECEIVED BY deadline and NOT a postmark deadline. In other words, completed applications must be received in the TACA offices by the 15th in order to be eligible. Applications will not be accepted via fax, incomplete applications will not be considered.

Funding permitted, grants will be awarded 7 days after the end of the month.

Forms (all are PDFs):

Family Scholarship Application - DAN! Doctor

Family Scholarship Application - DAN! Doctor (Sample)

Family Scholarship Application – Other - Contact Moira Giammatteo for application availability 949-640-4401 ext 107.

Family Scholarship Application – Conference - Contact Moira Giammatteo for application availability 949-640-4401 ext 107.

Frequency:

The TACA Family Scholarship Program is not meant to fund on-going services. There are restrictions with this funding through TACA.  Once an application is approved, TACA will fund only one request per family per year through the Family Scholarship Program.

Application Process:

To apply for a TACA Family Scholarship, please download an application. Applications are generally reviewed once a month, funds permitting. Assistance will be based on the needs of the family and the availability for funds. Applicants who have not received funds from TACA previously will be given highest priority. However, TACA reserves the right to provide assistance more than once to the same family.  The amount of assistance will vary, depending on availability of funds. Please do not call to check on the status of your application. You will be notified as soon as possible about our decisions. Only formal written applications will be accepted. Applications will not be accepted via fax, incomplete applications will not be considered.

Documentation:

When applying for a TACA Family Scholarship, you most provide:

• Completed and signed application.
• A letter from your doctor or other proof indicating your child’s diagnosis.
• Date you joined TACA.
• Previous year’s tax return (both tax returns if you are married filing separately are required if you are married.)
• Current year’s pay stub showing year to date income for all house hold income workers.
• Total cost breakdown for what is being requested.
• Depending on the nature of your request, additional information may be required.
• Please note that, in order to comply with state and federal law, TACA reserves the right to follow up with the family to ensure the assistance was successfully used for its intended purpose.

Conclusion:

Not every family who applies for the TACA Family Scholarship will receive funding. Our Scholarship Application Review Committee volunteers will award the scholarships each month. This process of selection will depend upon the number of applications received in a given month, the applicant’s unique circumstances, and the amount the TACA Family Scholarship Program has available to make the best decision possible.

Contributions:

Individuals wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the TACA Family Scholarship Program can donate online, call TACA at (949) 640-4401 or mail a donation to: TACA Family Scholarship Program, 2222 Martin St. Suite 140, Irvine, CA 92612.

For more info, please also see:

• Family Scholarship Program: Frequently Asked Questions
• Try Before You Apply (Alternative Funding Sources for the top-ten requested services)
• Notes from Families Who have Received Scholarships

Contact the Family Scholarship Program Coordinator: