County Mental Health Treatment for PDD, (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) Falls Through the Cracks

Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) Fall Through the Cracks in Mental Health Care

The saga continues about responsibility for treatment for PDD clients. This disorder in large is about communication and perception. If a person is severely effected, then they are really struggling to make their way in the world of constant communication and double meanings. There are proven treatments, training that can help, but who implements this? For my son when he had a mental break down, he lost something in his brain that helped him to deal with the complex world of communication.

I believe that it can be rebuilt with help. The law says that the County Mental Health system is supposed to address their needs. The county is unaware of what to do and where to start and they are crying budget cuts for the programs that they already have. They defer the therapy to their medical provider for medical coverage, Coast Alliance. BUT the county does not know that when they have a client that they have moved out of county (my son now resides in a rehab program in Santa Rosa), that client is covered by the medical coverage of their residing county. (They don't know this? Not even the director, Hard to believe!)

Each county deals with medical separately and Sonoma County does not contract with a HMO and bills the state directly. In addition, the provider must be a provider for medical and in Sonoma if the client is on SS they must deal with the SS office NOT the county of Sonoma. So basically, there is no coverage and the County of Santa Cruz basically is giving my son the brush off. No, treatment or training specific to communication pragmatics. How can a person live in this world without communication? I'm not done yet!

- Written by a mother, frustrated by the effort to find a treatment program for her son with PDD

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