ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — 211 has a new hotline in St. Lucie County to help families with children who have special needs.
The 211 special needs hotline was launched in March to help families navigate services that help their children- a process that can otherwise be daunting, confusing, even overwhelming for families.
Parenting does not come with a manual, and that’s especially the case for parents of special needs children.
Nicole Clark has two daughters, 9-year-old Addison and 5-year-old Riley.
”They are polar opposites. Addison is shy, reserved, thoughtful, and profound,” Clark said. “Riley is my little sass and fire.”
But one thing the sisters have in common is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
“When you’re a first-time parent, this is your first kid, you don’t really know that your kid is kind of different until they’re 3, maybe 4-year-old, maybe in VPK,” Clark said.
She started noticing at a young age that Addison was different. She went to numerous doctors over the span of years looking for a diagnosis to help Clark better understand how to help Addison.
“By the time she was 4-years-old she had 6 different diagnoses, and not one person brought up to me autism,” Clark said.
It was through her own research, time, and effort that she found the right insurance, the right doctor, the right therapies to help Addison.
"I didn’t get my daughter diagnosed until she was 7-years-old,” Clark said.
Riley was diagnosed at a younger age, but again, only by the trial-and-error Clark learned on her own.
“That was when I stopped and said we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to do better for these families. This is unacceptable,” Clark said.
It’s part of why she started her own organization, ABA Cares of Florida, which helps provide therapy to children on the autism spectrum.
But there is so much to navigate, like the best insurance, the best doctors to see for someone’s unique needs, how to get therapy, how to prepare children for school, how to get access to resources they will need in school, and so much more.
That’s where 211 hopes to step in.
“We’re so happy to be able to help these families navigate the maze of services. It’s very complicated out there,” said 211 Community Relations Specialist, Patrice Schroeder.
Clark said the special needs hotline would have been a game-changer for her family.
“It would have been amazing. It would have been amazing because I would have known that there was one person I could call. We need more than google,” Clark said, “so [parents] are not chasing their tail in circles wondering, am I ever going to find someone that can help me, and feeling like you’re on a total island by yourself.”
Schroeder said the hotline launched at a time more families need support than ever.
“We’re seeing more and more children with autism. We are just seeing more kids with struggles so we’re there to provide that linkage,” Schroeder said.
The Children’s Services Council of St. Lucie County is among the groups that helped 211 pull together the hotline and will be providing resources to assist 211.
Sean Boyle, CEO of Children’s Services Council of St. Lucie County, said, “In working with families in our community, we are often asked about support for parents of children with special needs. Receiving a diagnosis can be overwhelming and knowing where to start or how to navigate the system can sometimes be a challenge. We at the Children’s Services Council are proud to partner with 211 to make this service available to families in our community.”
To use the hotline, call 211 and ask for the special needs hotline.
