Alright – so, According to (Gerhardt & Lainer, 2011) a looming crises of unprecedented magnitude is coming for adults with autism, their families, and the ill prepared and underfunded adult system charged with meeting their needs. Sound stressful and scary, right? that is because it is.
To take advantage of this crises and our state Medicaid agency’s (DHS) lack of oversight and accountability for ABA providers Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) decided to house teenagers to adults (25 to 35 individuals) with autism in their Minnetonka location center. This center is not evaluated or checked by anyone at DHS to assure kids/adults there are learning appropriate functional skills that are transferrable to their communities. DHS has no idea how many individuals go there, their ages, what they are learning or is being billed to them, etc and bleeping etc.
From what I understand from staff that left there or are currently there – Ms. Marshall just collects millions of dollars from DHS with no accountability or oversight by DHS or KEPRO (the agency whose responsibility is to assure they only approve medically necessary treatments, but sadly approve everything with no questions or hesitations). Allegedly, there are fake beds, fake laundry rooms and fake kitchens which is all good except there are no generalizations or community based interventions. In other words, it is all good and dandy if a teenager with ASD can make the fake bed in the center, but it is useless and waste of time and money if they can’t make their own bed or do their own laundry.
Again, I blame our Medicaid agency and KEPRO for failing to even to do a site visit to the hell hole (my humble little opinion) Minnetonka MAC center. According to research, the vast majority of young adults with autism are unemployed. Yet, DHS wastes millions of dollars on places like this MAC Minnetonka center which are just expensive and fruitless.
When will DHS wake the bleeping up and actually do its responsibility of assuring people with autism are treated well, respected like human beings and taught functional and appropriate skills with family input. WHEN??????
When will the likes of Ms. Kathryn Marshall stop bullying and harassing autism children and families. It won’t happen unless DHS steps in or families start taking legal actions.
Above words do not represent any agency, candidate or committee.
Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Minority Advocate