A Surprise from DDA: Services for All Ages

A Surprise from Developmental Disabilities Administration: Services for All Ages

Last week, I had an interview with a representative from the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) for an upcoming article in their DDA Connection newsletter. (Very exciting, and I promise to share more once it is published.) For years, I believed that Noah did not qualify for DDA services until he turned eighteen. Apparently, I was wrong. When Noah was about a year old, someone from DDA came to our house and kindly explained that services were “really for adults.” What they actually meant was all ages. I must have missed that small but important detail.

If you are like me and assume your child does not qualify, surprise! They might. DDA does not just handle the Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) grant. There are other programs and supports available, and it is worth checking into. I submitted Noah’s application a few months ago and had not heard a word back. The representative suggested that I contact the eligibility office directly. Of course, with the government shutdown, that might take a while. I will add that to my ever-growing list of things to follow up on.

Raising a child with any range of developmental or physical disabilities can be costly, very costly. With Noah, we have the continence supplies (that is the polite way of saying diapers), co-pays for medicines and doctor visits, ABA therapy, and then there are the Noah-related “home renovations.” He has personally destroyed flooring, televisions, picture frames, and more clothes than I care to count. I tell myself it builds character. Mostly mine.

If anyone has had success with services through DDA beyond the LISS grant, please share your experience below. We parents need all the tips, tricks, and loopholes we can find.