Long-Term Planning and Legal Issues

Author(s):  
Michael Ellis

Please be aware that I am not an attorney and the following information should not be considered legal advice. The information contained in this chapter is what I have learned as a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and as a doctor trying to help those with ASD navigate complex legal and financial decisions. I recommend all parents of children with ASD develop a relationship with a licensed attorney with experience in special needs in their jurisdiction. As this chapter details, there are many different legal issues you and your child may encounter as your child matures into adulthood. Having an attorney who is familiar with your specific situation and your child can be very reassuring should legal needs arise. If you have the financial capacity to place some funds in a retainer with an attorney so that they are available any time you need for a quick e-mail, phone call, or text message, it is often worth the expense and peace of mind. Parents can usually locate attorneys with experience in special needs by contacting their local bar associations, many of which maintain formal referral programs. Also, many autism support groups maintain lists of attorneys who specialize in various aspects of the law relevant to children with ASD. Your child’s medical providers may also be able to provide referrals. If you are like most parents of a child with ASD, you are over­whelmed with even the thought of long-term planning. You are likely thinking, “It is hard enough making it day by day, let alone considering long-term planning.” The truth is that most of us avoid thinking of the future because it is too frightening and uncertain. There is also little guidance from healthcare professionals on this very complex issue. However, much relief can be found in achieving a plan for your child’s future. Do not wait. It is important to talk with a financial planner when your child is young.

Author(s):  
Michael Ellis

Following the recommendations and using the knowledge in this book will help you to navigate your journey successfully. Your child will make progress and you will value and enjoy every new milestone. You will experience unconditional love and patience. You will have great joy in your life. You will love your child for his or her unique personality and perspective on life. Your child is different, but not “less.” Embracing your child’s differences will open your heart and mind to new possibilities and pathways. If your child has not been diagnosed officially yet, you must have your child evaluated as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment will help to significantly improve your child’s prognosis and future. You must understand the negative effects of your child’s autism on your whole family and how to avoid them as much as possible. Surround yourself with people who “get you” and your family. You need support. Fight the urge to isolate yourself and your family. Create and maintain a healthy marriage. Explore all treatment avenues, such as medications, therapies, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments as appropriate. Do not be afraid to consider medications. Find a provider you trust who is an expert with ASD. For your child to be successful, you need to become very familiar with the educational system and be an advocate for your child at school. You also need to be adept with legal issues of guardianship and other long-term planning issues such as the special needs trust. Lastly, you need to find acceptance and may need to explore issues of spirituality and religion. Since my daughter’s diagnosis 10 years ago, I have found great joy in raising her. I appreciate and love her for who she is every day. My family would not be complete without her. Not a day goes by that she does not make me laugh. She has given my life great purpose and fulfillment, and I have no doubt that you feel the same about your child. I am amazed at the progress she has made.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (17) ◽  
pp. 7-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Gill ◽  
Sneha Bharadwaj ◽  
Nancy Quick ◽  
Sarah Wainscott ◽  
Paula Chance

A speech-language pathology master's program that grew out of a partnership between the University of Zambia and a U.S.-based charitable organization, Connective Link Among Special needs Programs (CLASP) International, has just been completed in Zambia. The review of this program is outlined according to the suggested principles for community-based partnerships, a framework which may help evaluate cultural relevance and sustainability in long-term volunteer efforts (Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998).


2021 ◽  
pp. 001857872199980
Author(s):  
Christopher Giuliano ◽  
Bradley St. Pierre ◽  
Jamie George

Objective: To compare video to pharmacist education for patients taking sacubitril/valsartan. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing video to pharmacist education with a second randomized intervention of education delivered through text or phone call at 14 days. The primary outcome compared the change in short term knowledge between groups and the secondary outcome was long term knowledge at 1 month. Results: Forty-three patients were included. Scores improved significantly ( P < .05) in the pharmacist group from 54.1% to 85.9% and from 64.3% to 86.1% in the video education group, although there was no difference between groups (31.8% vs 22.9%, P = .13). At 30 days, scores were significantly higher than baseline (difference 16.5%, P < .05) although did decrease from the posttest (difference 7.4%, P < .05). There was no difference at 30 days between those that received text messages versus phone calls (−10% vs −5.5%, respectively; P = .36). Conclusion: We saw improvements in both short term and long term knowledge for patients receiving education through pharmacist or video education. Neither approach was more effective than the other. Clinicians can use either approach based on patient preference.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002224372110092
Author(s):  
Zhenling Jiang ◽  
Dennis J. Zhang ◽  
Tat Chan

This paper studies how receiving a bonus changes the consumers’ demand for auto loans and the risk of future delinquency. Unlike traditional consumer products, auto loans have a long-term impact on consumers’ financial state because of the monthly payment obligation. Using a large consumer panel data set of credit and employment information, the authors find that receiving a bonus increases auto loan demand by 21 percent. These loans, however, are associated with higher risk, as the delinquency rate increases by 18.5 −31.4 percent depending on different measures. In contrast, an increase in consumers’ base salary will increase the demand for auto loans but not the delinquency. By comparing consumers with bonuses with those without bonuses, the authors find that bonus payments lead to both demand expansion and demand shifting on auto loans. The empirical findings help shed light on how consumers make financial decisions and have important implications for financial institutions on when demand for auto loans and the associated risk arise.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2009
Author(s):  
Joaquín Fernández ◽  
Manuel Rodríguez-Vallejo ◽  
Javier Martinez ◽  
Noemi Burguera ◽  
David P. Piñero

(1) Background: To evaluate the efficacy at 6 years postoperative after the implantation of a trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) AT Lisa Tri 839MP. The secondary objective was to evaluate the contrast sensitivity defocus curve (CSDC), light distortion analysis (LDA), and patient reported outcomes (PROs). (2) Methods: Sixty-two subjects participated in phone call interviews to collect data regarding a visual function questionnaire (VF-14), a patient reported spectacle independence questionnaire (PRSIQ), and questions related to satisfaction and decision to be implanted with the same IOL. Thirty-seven of these subjects were consecutively invited to a study visit for measurement of their visual acuity (VA), CSDC, and LDA. (3) Results: The mean monocular distance corrected VA was −0.05, 0.08, and 0.05 logMAR at far and distances of 67 cm and 40 cm, respectively. These VAs were significantly superior to those reported in previous literature (p < 0.05). The total area under the CSDC was 2.29 logCS/m−1 and the light distortion index 18.82%. The mean VF-14 score was 94.73, with 19.4% of subjects requiring spectacles occasionally for near distances, and 88.9% considering the decision of being operated again; (4) Conclusions: Long-term AT LISA Tri 839MP IOL efficacy results were equal or better than those reported 12 months postoperatively in previous studies. The spectacle independence and satisfaction rates were comparable to those reported in short-term studies.


Author(s):  
Robert R. Richwine ◽  
Michael Joseph ◽  
Charles Huguenard ◽  
Hafeez Baksh ◽  
Mike Elenbass

This paper describes the process used by the Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago (PowerGen) to estimate the range of major (expenditures greater than US$50,000) recurring and non-recurring costs that can be expected to be incurred from 2006–2025 by PowerGen’s three existing generating facilities: Port of Spain, Point Lisas and Penal. Since many of these Capital and O&M costs are not 100% certain, a probabilistic approach was used that incorporates a Monte Carlo methodology. The results of this approach allowed PowerGen to better understand the range of possible major capital and O&M expenditures that would likely be required over the next 20 years along with a quantification of the risk profile of those ranges. By adding these costs to the routine O&M costs, a total cost cash flow timeline was able to be developed that more realistically forecast the actual financial requirements of PowerGen’s power plants. Periodic review and updates of the data will also provide PowerGen with a continuing sound basis for long term technical and financial decisions. Additionally, a benchmarking analysis was performed that compared the reliability trends of similar but older technologies to those plants in PowerGen’s fleet in order to gain an insight into the reliability expectations for PowerGen plants over the next twenty years.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karren Lee-Hwei Khaw

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relation between long-term debt and internationalization in the presence of the agency costs of debt and business risk.Design/methodology/approachSample firms consist of 517 non-financial listed firms in Malaysia, with 4,197 firm-year observations from the year 2000 to 2014. This study uses panel data regressions and a series of robustness tests to examine the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that multinational corporations (MNCs) are more likely to sustain less long-term debt than domestic corporations (DCs) to mitigate the costs related to agency problem and firm risk. Meanwhile, foreign-based MNCs maintain less long-term debt than local-based firms, and the finding is more significant at a higher degree of internationalization. Robustness tests confirm the negative relations.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings indicate that the ongoing debate on the debt financing puzzle can be explained by internationalization. Moreover, the findings suggest that in addition to the systematic differences between MNCs and DCs, studies on the debt financing and internationalization should also account for the systematic differences among MNCs such as the local-based MNCs, foreign-based MNCs and DCs that later expand their business operations abroad.Practical implicationsMNCs have to be responsive to the diverse institutional environments as they diversify their business operations geographically. When the adverse effects of internationalization outweigh the benefits, MNCs could use the long-term debt financing decision to mitigate the costs of doing business abroad. This is because debt financing is also a primary concern in the corporate financial decisions for the maximization of shareholders’ wealth.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the debt financing literature from the international perspective by providing evidence from an emerging market. In addition, this study highlights the importance of recognizing firms by their firm-specific characteristics, such as internationalization, given the systematic differences among firms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 442-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori M. Sharp Donahoo ◽  
Beverly Siegrist ◽  
Dawn Garrett-Wright

Alternative therapies are promising nursing interventions for improvement of compassion fatigue in educators working in special education. A convenience sample of 27 teachers and professional staff working in special education participated in a quasi-experimental pilot study and completed a pre/posttest of demographic questions, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (10-item) and Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL). All attended a presentation on stress, compassion satisfaction (CS), mindfulness, prayer, and social support. Nearly, one half received weekly electronic text message reminders encouraging use of mindfulness and prayer. All were offered support groups. Use of alternative therapies was self-selected and self-reported. Significant improvement occurred in posttest PSS scores ( p = .0485) of participants with the highest reported levels of use of mindfulness. ProQOL CS scores ( p = .0289) and PSS scores ( p = .0244) significantly improved when evaluating difference in means between groups with the highest levels and lowest levels of prayer and mindfulness. ProQOL burnout scores ( p = <.0001) increased from pretest to posttest. Findings were not significant in regard to reminders and social support.


1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danya Glaser

Child sexual abuse is a commonly encountered and often emotionally damaging experience, maintained by secrecy and followed by denial after disclosure. Treatment in this field involves both the child and the family in a variety of treatment settings and modalities, often proceeding in parallel. Child developmental considerations dictate that treatment often proceeds in phases. It aims to protect the child from further abuse and the consequences of disclosure, and address the trauma and context of the abuse. Careful planning and co-operation is required by the many professionals working in this stressful area in order to avoid confusion, conflicts, and splits which may mirror relationships in the family. The heterogeneity of the problem is reflected in the fact that treatment cannot be offered in a uniform programme. Legal issues may influence the treatment process. Evaluation of treatment modalities, the identification of protective factors and achieving long-term adjustment in the least detrimental manner offer challenges in this newly developing field.


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