Do any of you have your children see a DAN doctor? - Autism Spectrum Message Board

sross24 · 05-13-2006, 05:37 PM

I was wondering if any of you had any experience with DAN doctors? The more I read, the more interested I am in having my children see a DAN doctor. I have no interest in chelation at this point, but I'm not opposed to some of the testing, vitamin and diet therapy. My worry is this. Someone recommended a DAN doctor to me, but he is in New York, and we live in Massachusetts. I'm willing to take the long drive if need be, but it would be nice to find a DAN doctor closer to home. Also, did you guys have to pay out of pocket for your DAN doctor, or did your insurance cover it? I have HMO Blue New England, and they already denied most of my daughters initial evaluation with the developmental pediatrician. I'm already seeing the medical bills add up. Because I have two kids on the spectrum, I don't think I could afford for both of them to see a DAN doctor.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Steph

Willstrideryder · 05-13-2006, 10:02 PM

I would love our kids to see a Dan doctor. I asked our pediatrician if he could refer me to one, but he didn't even know what I was talking about. In fact, I read our son's medical records and the dr had put that I wanted to see a "Down Syndrome" doctor. Oh brother!
I have just taken the bull by the horns and I went ahead and put our most severe son on the gf/cf diet last October. It really helps with his BM's, stimming, behaviors and eye contact. It's not a cure-all, but I know it helps. The diet is such a pain, and I'm not the best at it, but I try. I was really diligent for 3 months--now, at the end of the day if I just can't stand to make one more dinner for someone--I'll let him eat pizza and just deal with the night wakings (oh-that's another thing the diet helped--he finally slept thru the night). I give him some Melatonin to help him sleep if it's really bad...
Anyway, the kids are on Medicaid, and I'm sure Medicaid doesn't pay for a DAN dr. I'd pay whatever I could out of pocket...but we live in Idaho...totally away from any kind of DAN dr. I've heard that some DAN drs will even consult over the phone after the initial consultation. Maybe that would be cheaper. Keep us posted on what you decide. I'd be interested to know what a DAN dr says...

Sheronor · 05-14-2006, 01:30 PM

Our DAN dr is 2 hours away - we're in Texas. After the initial visit, she will do phone consultations. Our insurance won't pay for any out of service dr's, so it's all out of our pocket. Made for a nice deduction on our taxes. Some insurances will pay, you just have to check.

I am so glad we went. Our ped's answer to dairy allergy was an excess of anything is bad. That's right - blaming the parent and not testing the kid. He knows nothing. We have a developmental ped who is very supportive and agrees with the things our DAN is doing, but knows the insurance won't pay.

We're seeing a huge difference in her attention, language, and anxiety. Chelation is next, I just have to psych myself up for all of the tests - blood every 2 months.

DrewsG · 05-15-2006, 11:55 AM

Yes, we have a Dan! Dr. for Drew. He is making wonderful progress. We don't talk much about our Dr. Its a hard enough job just trying to teach people outside the family about autism without having to defend our decisoin to try other ways of treating Drew. He is doing wonderful. That is what we care about. His teachers at school are amazed at his progress. I pay for Drews DAN! Dr. Two bills would be too much for me also.
All I can tell you is that we are very glad we found her.
Good Luck and God Bless You and your family.

sross24 · 05-15-2006, 07:09 PM

Thank you all for the help!

-Steph