Special needs and neurodivergent care
Navigating care for a child with special needs
For children with disabilities, complex medical needs, autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions, the diagnoses, therapies, school plans, Medicaid pathways, waivers and referrals arrive all at once. This navigator explains each piece in plain language and shows what Dare2Care Pediatrics does at every step, so you are not the only one carrying the plan.
NCQAPatient-Centered Medical HomeStart here
Five things families need to understand
Katie Beckett Medicaid
Medicaid for a child with a significant disability, regardless of family income. Who qualifies, how the application runs, and the documentation we provide.
Waivers and programs
Babies Can’t Wait, Children’s Medical Services, NOW and COMP waivers, SSI and Georgia Families 360° compared, with our part in each.
Care coordination
A written care plan, one contact, and a team that keeps specialists, therapists, school and insurance connected.
Closed-loop referrals
Every referral tracked from the request to the specialist’s findings and the follow-up, with a status you can ask about any time.
Continuity of care
The same doctors from birth through 21, and a planned hand-off to adult care that starts years early.
Insurance and Medicaid
The plans we participate with, including Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, and how to name us as your child’s primary care provider.
The first visit
How to start
Call or text and tell us your child has special needs; the first visit is scheduled longer, and a quiet first or last appointment of the day is available. Bring what you have: specialist reports, therapy evaluations, school documents, medication lists. Do not worry about what is missing; finding it is part of our job.
At that visit we agree on the first priorities, start the care plan, and map which programs and applications are worth beginning. Dr. Viswanadham sees patients in English or Spanish.
Questions
Questions from families of children with special needs
Do you accept Medicaid for children with special needs?
Yes: Georgia Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and Katie Beckett Medicaid, through Amerigroup, CareSource and Peach State Health Plan, plus most commercial plans. See insurance plans accepted.
Is this navigator for neurodivergent children too?
Yes. "Special needs" here means any child with a disability, a complex medical condition or a neurodivergent condition such as autism, ADHD, a learning difference or sensory processing differences. The programs, the care plan and the referral loop work the same way; only the specialists involved change.
Do you diagnose autism?
We screen at 18 and 24 months and whenever a concern comes up, coordinate the full diagnostic evaluation with developmental specialists, and then provide ongoing primary care and coordination after the diagnosis.
Can you help with school paperwork?
Yes. Medical documentation for IEP and 504 evaluations, accommodation letters and school health plans are part of care coordination, at no separate charge.
What if my child has a rare or complex condition?
Complex medical needs are the reason this practice is a medical home. We coordinate with the specialists who know the condition and hold the whole plan together between their visits.
Every child belongs here
Call or text (770) 615-7000 to schedule a longer first visit, or start the new patient forms and we will call you.