babysitter fee for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) child

My son is 12 and non verbal autistic. He does have behavior issues. He got the hcs waiver. Under this he gets a total of 40 hours of respite per week. I only use less than half that. The person who helps me is probably going to quit. The hcs provider is having a heck of a time finding a replacement. Im sure it's due to low pay and my son's behavior. I might have to bite the bullet and pay for help. I looked at care .com and and a few others.For a child like mine,most people want 45 to 50 per hour! Is this excessive? What should be reasonable?
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
My son is 12 and non verbal autistic. He does have behavior issues. He got the hcs waiver. Under this he gets a total of 40 hours of respite per week. I only use less than half that. The person who helps me is probably going to quit. The hcs provider is having a heck of a time finding a replacement. Im sure it's due to low pay and my son's behavior. I might have to bite the bullet and pay for help. I looked at care .com and and a few others.For a child like mine,most people want 45 to 50 per hour! Is this excessive? What should be reasonable?
How hard is he? At any rate, nobody can pay that much. It's crazy. Can you get a job only during school hours? Or in the evening when hubby is home? I didn't work when my son was growing up or I would have had the same problem, at least when he was young. He's on the spectrum too. Does your son's school have after school care? I don't think they'd be able to exclude a special needs child. Is your son on Disability? If not, I'd get him on it so that you can get services and maybe they'll pay for childcare. There has to be something out there for your son and you.
 
My son is on disability. The hcs is a medicaid waiver. The worker is supposed to help me with him while I cook,clean,or do other things. My son has sib and will bite and pinch you. I hate to say this,my husband is not much help at when he is home. He works nights so he sleeps most of the time.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Place your own ad like on Craigslist. Write the situation and what you can afford. It can't hurt to try. I'm sorry about this...I feel so bad when moms of disabled kids can't find help. Before you leave your son with anyone though, run a police check on the person and check references.

Also see if there is adult daycare in your area. Mostly they care for the elderly, but they have some young disabled kids too.

Hugs and good luck.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Do you have a college or university nearby that trains nurses or other medical staff? sometimes, they will have students who want part-time work and are prepared to take on challenging kids with the backing of their teachers, to have more experience on their resume. Here, these students go for 2 to 3 times the "standard" babysitter rate.
 
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