Frank D Lanterman Regional Center

So far, I have a great experience with Frank D Lanterman Regional Center. When I finally decided to call them to have my daughter get evaluated, three different people (interviewer, speech, OT) came within 2 weeks to observe her. Another week went by, our service coordinator Monica came and set up a plan for us. She even helped me schedule an appt for the school district because my kiddo is almost 3. When I questioned my daughter having ASD, she also informed me the others had a bit of concern too. She helped me get an appt with the psychologist on April 1^st, and the lady asked me many questions to determine if my kiddo had ASD or not. Overall I have a great experience with Monica, she has been on top of my kiddo’s case since I have contacted them in February. My kiddo has started her therapies and it seems to be helping her =).

I cannot be more grateful and thankful to this center for giving us my daughter’s OT, PT, infant stim and speech therapy!
Special, special thanks to the wonderful Myoung-​Hee Lim, our service coordinator. She is fast, dedicated, and genuine. Anyone who is fortunate enough to work with her will most certainly be very happy.
Any non-​profit service organization is going to include bureaucracy, and Lanterman is no exception. HOWEVER, the inevitable paperwork and occasional missed connections (chiefly in the accounting department) are far outweighed by the great good that this center has done for us. Thank you, Lanterman Center!

THE employees are bipolar, racist, and don’t care about the patients. .If you call to get a vendor application you will get a hard time, because the employees don’t want anyone to help the sick kids. IF you ask them to email you information or anything they will NOT. Ask them questions, they won’t tell you truthful things. It’s almost like they want to PREVENT VENDORS from providing HELP to the disabled.
I met a Service Coordinator who said that they need health care services or professionals or contracts and yet their vendor department does not even send out applications. And basically children are put on the waiting list or never provided service because the unprofessional nasty, racist or jealous staff don’t want the kids to get help or to treat the children, even though the gov. funds them.
It’s the most bizarre behavior ever. Just call and pay attention to the things they say to you. The REGIONAL CENTERS all over CA behave the SAME way. Nasty all the way

They only do what you literally force them too, service coordinators are always leaving because of the case load, I currently have the optimity of a animé character on my sons case and if I hear «‘oh yeah sure uh huh ok» one more time…
you don’t get services unless you cal them and harass them and beg and plead with them.
I have a son with issues and I also have a husband with issues and when it got to the point were I could only take care of one of them they gave me referrals to a group home for my son. That did not work out see my review for Villa Esperanza Services. Know my son is back home and the case worker had the audacity to say that my son had broken things at home previously, yeah over 24 years not 6 months!!! There’s a problem here! They take their time getting approvals, they say ‘everyone thinks their case is urgent’ You know what? sometime it is really urgent! no wonder so many of the homeless here in So. Cal have mental issues, it’s because these idiots let them and their families down when they were young enough for intervention and there was nothing that their families could do. The fact that you can not do anything in a social program setting without regional center approval is disgusting. Even when I have said I will pay for the service I can not because the regional center has to approve it first. The system is not working and the overworked well intentioned people that work for them just come across as looking stupid and burn out quickly and are replaced by fresh no nothing idiots with dreams of making the world a better place. They need to start with the structure and go from there.

I completely disagree with the previous comment let me tell you my story, on October 2012 I started some toddler and me class at the children bureau and 4 months in to the program the teacher noticed that my son (20 months old back then) didn’t say a word so she reffered me to THE LANTERMAN REGIONAL CENTER and I call them on february 12 and by February 16 they call me back to schedule some evaluations for my son and it came out that my son needed speech therapy Withing 1 week after the evaluation my service coordinator Jose Ceja (he’s an awesome person) came to my house and started all the paperwork he also offered me early intervention program he gave me a list for day care centers i choose ATWATER PARK CENTER for my son to start socializating with other kids and he goes 3 times per week 4hours a day and twice a week he receives speech at SMILE CENTER and I couldn’t be more grateful with him (Jose Ceja) for everything that I put him through,
then I requested for my son to be re-​evaluated for occupational therapy and I wasn’t happy with the result and then again requested another evaluation and finally he is getting his occupational therapy he has made so much progress and if you check on their web site they have different kinds of activities for FREE!!!
And they have a library where you can bring your child and they have toys tand books that you can borrow also I took a 6 weeks parenting course where they teach you how to discipline your kids and it really works and I’m taking my son to the music classes on Tuesdays and to the play dates on Fridays with teacher Lisa (she’s a sweetheart) … but they have so much activities for the kids and it really helps them so in conclusion THE LANTERMAN REGIONAL CENTER IS GREAT THEY ARE ANGELS TRYING TO HELP YOUR KIDS WITH ALL THEIR NECESSITIES AND I AM AND WILL BE GREATFUL WITH THEM FOREVER!!!

According to their website, Lanterman Regional Center provides the following services to the following patients:
What We Do
Lanterman offers lifelong services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
The Center works together as partners with our:
*Clients,
*Families,
*Service providers,
*Local communities, and
*Government
to provide quality services and supports that address individuals’ unique strengths and needs and enable them to live independent, productive and satisfying lives as active members of their communities.
Services We Provide
Lanterman provides the following services:
*Assessment and diagnosis
*Service coordination linking people with services
*Lifelong individualized planning
*Assistance in finding and using community resources
*Purchase of services identified in the individual plan
*Advocacy for the protection of legal, civil and service rights
*Early intervention services for at-​risk infants and their families
*Information and referral
*Family support
*Training and educational opportunities for individuals and families
*Community outreach, awareness and education about developmental disabilities
*Quality assurance and enhancement activities
*Resource development
*Client benefit coordination
*Koch-​Young Resource Center
That is, until you actually NEED them. My 35 year sister has Downs Syndrome and early Alzheimer’s (common in Downs patients). For years, my mother has contacted them for assistance with various matters and is always ignored or denied-​everytime without fail she ends up taking care of the matter (vision, dental, etc.) on her own without complaint.
Except this time; this time, she really needed help. To make a very long story short, she was once again turned down for care worker aid. This was after she was blatantly ignored for weeks, and was told one of the reasons is because of where she lives. (in a house purchased in the 1950’s left to her).
My sister’s care worker is rude, uncaring, unresponsive, never responding when she promises, and completely insensitive (my favorite line of her’s, «Well, I wouldn’t help anyone living in your neighborhood.» oh, and, «well, you told me that she sleeps all day; this program isn’t right for her.» [a complete lie-​it was a symptom of another medical issue she was having]. I feel nothing but sympathy for anyone having to deal with this agency.