California’s In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) provides a helpful program to get financial support every month for parents of children with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or another disability. Especially for those of you who have had to stop working in order to take care of your child, disability benefits such as IHSS and Protective Supervision allow you to be employed as your child’s in-home caretaker. One of the most important documents to include in your IHSS application is the letter from your child’s doctor stating his or her diagnosis. But how do you get your child’s doctor to write a great letter for your IHSS application?

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As a parent of a child with special needs, have you applied for California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and been denied? Or received a low number of hours and believe you should get more? You can appeal this decision and still receive the maximum amount of funding. Read below to find out how to request an IHSS hearing.

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During the last couple of months, schools have closed campuses and transitioned to online classes. And with the COVID-19 lockdowns, it looks like virtual learning will be the mainstay for educating California’s students moving forward. But, the barriers for distance learning, including having little or no experience with videoconferencing and the need for electronic devices and consistent access to the internet for typically developing children, quickly became apparent to parents, teachers, and the school districts. And it is children with disabilities who have to overcome even more obstacles to learn. The big question remains: how can your child with autism get IEP services during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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As a parent, it’s common for us to constantly worry about finances. And now that coronavirus COVID-19 has forced businesses to close, millions of people lost their jobs. And if you are the parent of a child with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or another disability, it’s even more stressful. Even with stimulus checks and unemployment insurance, these funds are temporary. If you lost your job because of COVID-19, you may qualify for other financial benefits so you can raise your child with special needs.

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The In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) in California provides a helpful program to get financial support every month if you are the parent of a child with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or another disability. And if you have lost your job during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and now take care of your child in quarantine, disability benefits such as IHSS and Protective Supervision allow you to be employed as your child’s in-home caretaker. But is IHSS still taking applications during the coronavirus quarantine?

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Parenting is stressful enough without being stuck inside with children due to the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine. School is closed. Forget about playgrounds. And skip other public places where you’d normally go. Social distancing is the new normal, and that means no playdates either. Disruption in your daily routine and an increase in unstructured moments for your child may result in low levels of motivation and higher levels of anxiety and stress. For you as a parent of a child with a disability like autism, these may seem magnified. Below is your guide to quarantine with your child with special needs.

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The coronavirus—COVID-19 is stirring up conversation, and children with special needs are bound to have questions about what it is. Especially with the increasing number of school-closure announcements, and news of the outbreak dominating headlines and social-media platforms, children are likely to be exposed to loads of information and misinformation. They may react with emotions such as fear, worry, shock and grief. And if you have a child with special needs, he may respond in ways that are difficult to handle. And while we may not be able to shield our children from what is happening, there are plenty of ways to explain the coronavirus COVID-19 to your child with special needs without causing undue alarm.

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You can’t help it—you are fearful about the well-being of your children when you are a parent. And if you are the parent of a child who has autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or another type of disability, it can be extra worrisome as the stories about COVID-19 (coronavirus) flood the news. What is the risk? Can you prevent your child with special needs from getting coronavirus?

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California State’s In-Home Supportive Services program (IHSS) provides a helpful program to get financial support every month if you are the parent of a child with special needs such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or another disability. And if you have had to stop working in order to take care of your child, disability benefits such as IHSS and Protective Supervision allow you to be employed as your child’s in-home caretaker. But can you get IHSS retroactive back pay?

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Being a mom is a tough job. And when your child has special needs, including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, you are challenged even further. The struggles seem to double, and if you don’t have support or you don’t practice acts of self-care, you can end up feeling alone, helpless and ultimately, an overwhelmed mom.

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