The Alabama Neurodevelopment Center in Birmingham is working to address the state’s mental health resource challenges by providing faster access to diagnoses and training clinicians. The Arc of Central Alabama CEO, Chris Stewart, highlighted the shortage of clinicians in the state, saying, “There were not enough clinicians in the state to open one and be effective.” Stewart explained that the center has initiated a program for Ph.D. students to gain clinical hours and hands-on experience with developmental disabilities. “We in the state of Alabama have the longest waiting list in the nation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have a 21-year wait list in the state of Alabama,” Stewart said.The center aims to provide quicker access to resources, which can make life easier for those seeking help. “We are what the Centers for Medicaid Services, or CMS, calls crisis state. A person doesn’t come into services until they’re in crisis,” Stewart said. He added that currently, there is an 18 to 24-month waiting period to get diagnosed with autism or other disorders in Alabama.Dr. Sheree Bodiford, the center’s director, emphasized the importance of early diagnosis.”That’s the critical period, that’s actually when you want early intervention between years one and four,” Bodiford said. Bodiford also addressed the challenges faced by those diagnosed later in life, noting that each situation is unique, whether due to lack of access to resources, disadvantaged environments, or stigma.”Sometimes families have kind of hidden people away because of shame. Adults, sometimes, come into testing where they did not finish high school, they have not been able to keep employment, and really, it’s an intellectual disability, it’s autism,” Bodiford said.The difficulty in finding necessary resources means some individuals may be overlooked. “The Department of Mental Health, when they were keeping their waiting list, they said there were 5,200 people with IDD in the state of Alabama. The federal government came in at the exact same time and counted how any they said – they said there were over 17,000,” Stewart said.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
The Alabama Neurodevelopment Center in Birmingham is working to address the state’s mental health resource challenges by providing faster access to diagnoses and training clinicians.
The Arc of Central Alabama CEO, Chris Stewart, highlighted the shortage of clinicians in the state, saying, “There were not enough clinicians in the state to open one and be effective.”
Stewart explained that the center has initiated a program for Ph.D. students to gain clinical hours and hands-on experience with developmental disabilities.
“We in the state of Alabama have the longest waiting list in the nation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We have a 21-year wait list in the state of Alabama,” Stewart said.
The center aims to provide quicker access to resources, which can make life easier for those seeking help.
“We are what the Centers for Medicaid Services, or CMS, calls crisis state. A person doesn’t come into services until they’re in crisis,” Stewart said.
He added that currently, there is an 18 to 24-month waiting period to get diagnosed with autism or other disorders in Alabama.
Dr. Sheree Bodiford, the center’s director, emphasized the importance of early diagnosis.
“That’s the critical period, that’s actually when you want early intervention between years one and four,” Bodiford said.
Bodiford also addressed the challenges faced by those diagnosed later in life, noting that each situation is unique, whether due to lack of access to resources, disadvantaged environments, or stigma.
“Sometimes families have kind of hidden people away because of shame. Adults, sometimes, come into testing where they did not finish high school, they have not been able to keep employment, and really, it’s an intellectual disability, it’s autism,” Bodiford said.
The difficulty in finding necessary resources means some individuals may be overlooked.
“The Department of Mental Health, when they were keeping their waiting list, they said there were 5,200 people with IDD in the state of Alabama. The federal government came in at the exact same time and counted how any they said – they said there were over 17,000,” Stewart said.