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In Florida, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD)
assists individuals who have developmental disabilities and their
families to identify the needs and funding to purchase supports and
services.
Though the Central Office is in Tallahassee, these
supports and services are provided through area offices throughout the
state.
The Agency works in partnership with local communities to
ensure the safety, well-being and self-sufficiency for the people they
serve. Florida is working hard to assist individuals with inclusion,
self-determination, employment and choice, and be financially responsible
as they identify individuals and families needing APD services.
There are currently 25,000 individuals receiving services and 15, 000 are
on a waiting list to receive services. Approximately, 250
individuals request APD services every month.
If you are on the APD waiting list it is your
responsibility to keep your address information updated at all times with
the APD. Almost half of the current waiting list to receive services
includes individuals APD has not been able to locate or an individual does
not need services at the present time when contacted. These
individuals remain on the list.
What services can a person receive from APD?
The services children and adults can receive are called
supports and services that make it easier for people to live, work and
play in places they choose.
The Agency for Persons with Disabilities can arrange for a
support coordinator to assist individuals in identifying the supports and
services they need. Together a plan of supports and services will be
developed to assist people with developmental disabilities.
Florida Developmental Disabilities are:
SPINA BIFIDA:
means divided backbone or spine. When a person has spina
bifida, the spine and the cord inside the spine do not grow the way most
spines grow.
Normally, the spinal cord carries messages from the brain to other parts
of the body, but when a person has spina bifida, the spinal cord does not
carry all of the messages to the rest of the body.
AUTISM:
is a condition characterized by impairment in social interactions
and communication abilities and unusual or restricted ranges of play and
interest. Autism results in social isolation and varying degrees of
unusual behaviors.
CEREBRAL PALSY
(CP): "Cerebral" means the brain. "Palsy" means moving of the
muscles in a way that the person can't control. It refers to a group
of motor disabilities that arise because of injury to the developing brain
before or during birth or during the first year of life. These motor
disabilities do not get worse over time. Cerebral palsy keeps the brain
from telling the rest of the body some of the things it is supposed to do.
It might be hard for a person with cerebral palsy to talk, walk, see,
hear, sit, or swallow. A person with cerebral palsy might have a
combination of these things. Despite significant motor impairment,
many people with CP have normal intelligence.
MENTAL
RETARDATION: refers to significant limitations in functioning
related to sub-average intelligence. Mental retardation is caused by an
injury, disease or abnormality of the brain that happens before the person
is 18 years old. People who have mental retardation learn more slowly than
other people and might need assistance in other areas like communication,
self-care, self-direction, health and safety, leisure, work and functional
academics.
PRADER-WILLI syndrome:
is an inherited condition. A severe lack of muscle tone and failure
to thrive are present in early infancy. Later on, excessive drive to eat
usually leads to significant weight problems. Obsessive-compulsive
behaviors and difficulty with social interactions are often present.
People with Prader-Willi syndrome are usually short with small hands and
feet. They typically are mildly mentally retarded.
HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING A
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY: It is not always easy to tell if a
baby has a developmental disability. However, a child who does not crawl,
walk, or talk at the same age as most other children may be considered a
child with a developmental disability. In Florida, children from birth to
five years of age who are at high risk of developing a developmental
disability may receive services from the following agencies: The
Department of Health, Division of Children’s Medical Services serves
children from birth through three years of age. The APD serves children in
the high risk category who are ages four and five.
Medical Necessity Conditions - Medicaid Waiver funded
services must be:
Necessary to protect life, to
prevent significant illness or significant disability, or to alleviate
severe pain
Individualized, specific
and consistent with symptoms or confirmed diagnosis of the illness or
injury under treatment and not in excess of the person’s needs;
Consistent with generally
accepted professional medical standards as defined by the Medicaid program
and not be experimental or investigational;
Reflective of the level of
service that can safely be furnished, for which no equally effective and
more conservative or less costly treatment is available statewide; and
Furnished in a manner not
primarily intended for the convenience of the beneficiary, the
beneficiary’s caretaker or the provider.
When & where can a person apply for services?
People who have or might have a developmental disability
may apply for services at any time by completing the
Application for Services (available online under APD) and
forwarding it to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities in the area or
region where the potential applicant lives.
Concerned relatives, friends or others may apply on behalf
of a person that they believe has a developmental disability.
How can you learn more about area offices
of the APD?
Write or call the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
http://apd.myflorida.com/area/
Title XXIX Florida Statute Developmental Disabilities
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