HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Riverview mom is turning to 8 On Your Side after her kids with special needs are denied dental services.
Tori Mueller of Riverview adopted 7-year-old Sebastian and 12-year-old Hazel when they were babies. Mueller is protective of her two kids because they both have a genetic neurological disorder.
“My oldest is 12, she is autistic and has a genetic brain disorder and also has DMD mood disorder,” said Mueller.
The bottom line is even routine check-ups are hard.
“We went to the dentist, and I informed them when I made the appointment, ‘Yes they were special needs and my one daughter is not able to do X-rays,’” said Mueller.
8 On Your Side called the dental office. An employee said X-rays are necessary for a diagnosis, especially for new patients. But for Hazel, her mom said X-rays aren’t an option.
“We were denied. We were told without the X-rays we could not do a cleaning,” said Mueller.
Mueller said it’s not only at the dentist, but also at the pediatrician, the neurologist, and so on.
“They look at her and it’s almost like no, we’re not going to deal with it, it’s just too much or they don’t want to provide the services,” she said.
Mueller believes it’s a lack of training. Attorney Matthew Dietz is the clinical director of the Disability Inclusion and Advocacy Law Clinic at Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University.
“It is unlawful to deny somebody dental services or any services if they have a disability,” said Dietz.
He said if a person needs additional assistance, there are specialized dental offices that could help families like the Mueller’s.
“The Arc Florida has a list of over 300 dentists around the state that do readily accept folks with intellectual or developmental disabilities,” said Dietz.
The Arc is a nonprofit that serves people with intellectual or developmental disabilities throughout the state with dental services from hundreds of providers. While this could be an option for Mueller and her kids, her frustration has built up over the years knowing there needs to be more accessibility and options for her children.
“They see the world in a very different way, and it’s very hard to know that my children, I’m told control your child, get this child out of this restaurant, I’ve been thrown out of places to eat with my children because they don’t see the world how she does,” she said.
An advocacy group said USF offers the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. There are support groups across the Tampa Bay area.
