Autism Therapy: legislation

definition of legislation: not yet defined.

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Managed Care, by Reinke, T., published in 2008, summarized Nov 17, 2008

Many states are seeking to follow the lead of Pennsylvania and Louisiana and expand private health insurance coverage for autism services.

This article discusses who should pay for autism treatments. Under the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), early intervention and special education programs must provide services to children with autism. This will be a large cost if health insurance has to pay the bill for services offered in public schools. The concern is that the cost of health insurance will go up so much that small businesses will no longer be able to afford health insurance. The hope is that more and more children will be able to shed the autism diagnosis by age 8.


Valerie Paradiz, PhD, who works with the Autism Society of America, was recently interviewed by the Autism Society Philippines. She was specifically asked how parents and other caregivers could advocate for legislation for their children with autism. The interview was in conjunction with the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation (NDPR) Week to promote barrier-free access for all persons with disabilities. The point Paradiz made was, “In general, persons with autism do not need structural accessibility. But yes, they need other ‘infrastructures’ for their effective integration into mainstream society. Particularly, there is a need for more infrastructures for individuals with autism across the life span.” Pardiz talked about parent and peer involvement in the advocacy process. She also talked about the importance of including people with autism in the advocacy process – to take them to meetings with legislatures and to involve actual stories in legislative appeals.

Read original article: The Autism Ramp of Accessibility


Pamela Gross Downing is a special education teacher who has seen what planning for the future can do for children with autism as they grow up. Not only can kids become more independent, but parents are offered relief knowing that their child is taken care of or safely on their own. Downing’s tips include: making sure that your child’s name is on all available service lists; finding reliable respite services; and keeping up to date with legislation and new health and social services that may become available.

Read original article: Plan for the Future as Children with Autism Grow Older


The Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment in Southeast Missouri plans on sharing resources with other area autism centers. Centers sharing space and resources include: The Tailor Institute; Touchpoint Autism Services; and Thompson Outreach Center. The center provides assistive technology to help children with autism learn to communicate; in addition, they have a sensory room, an occupational therapy room, and an outdoor playground. Therapies are provided by licensed therapists as well as by supervised Southeast Missouri State therapy students. The State of Missouri, like others, has legislation pending that would increase financial options for autism treatment.

Read original article: Autism Center Organizations Work Together Toward a Shared Goal


Military families move frequently, and it is difficult to re-establish services and obtain new resources for their children with autism. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has recently introduced legislation called the Uniformed Services with Autism (USA) Heroes Act, which will provide continuing coverage and care. Currently military families are dependent on TRICARE, which provides only limited applied behavior analysis (ABA) coverage. Gillibrand and the military families she represents understand that early intervention is key to autism therapy, and that ABA may be medically necessary not just as a special education issue.

Read original article.


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