ND Renegade's Grant Program
We have decided to start the ND Renegade Grant for Autism Diagnosis.
Our grant will pay for up to US $2000 of medical costs for an individual to be professionally assessed for autism.
We give 5% of our profits to our grant program with the specific purpose to help people afford to get an autism diagnosis. There are many hurdles to getting a diagnosis, one of them being cost. We aim to help with this. The recipient of our grant will need to do the legwork to find the right medical specialist - research is key here, and steps will be taken to find one that is experienced in cases similar to that of the grant recipient. (We will help when/if we can). We will then contribute up to US $2000 to put toward the medical bill. We understand that this might not cover the entire cost, but we sure hope it goes a long way.
You may apply for yourself or your child. New grant applications will open in the spring of each year,
- The ND Renegade team
** A note on free and low-cost diagnosis in the US:
You may be able to get assessed for free through State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies. Click on this link to find your state:
https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states
You may also get assessed for free by participating in research studies. Google your state + 'autism research studies' to find more information. The following websites might be helpful:
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/ace
https://www.aane.org/resources/research-studies/
For financial assistance in getting assessed, the following sites might be helpful:
https://www.easterseals.com/our-programs/autism-services/
https://grasp.org/assessment-services/
Children aged 0-3 can get assessed through early intervention, and children aged 4 to graduation (or age 22 if it comes first) are eligible for special education evaluations through the school system. An educational diagnosis is harder to get than a medical one, so you might find a special education lawyer or advocate helpful.
US states have differing mandates for insurance coverage of autism assessment and care. Click on this link to find the mandates in your state: https://www.asha.org/advocacy/state/states-specific-autism-mandates/
