On World Autism Day, There Are Still Families without Help

The CDC report on Autism was released on Thursday, detailing that it is now estimated that 1 in 88 children in the U.S. alone are on the Autism Spectrum. While some articles that I have read have labeled this "Alarmingly high," as the parent of a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), I'm shocked that it took them so long to get to this conclusion, because it is a fact that many parents of children with autism already knew.

What is more alarming is that there are only 30 states that require insurance companies to pay for therapies related to Autism, most recently Michigan, and that leaves another 20 states who do not mandate that insurance companies pay for therapies related to a known medial deficiency. It is ridiculous and should be called out.

This is not 1950, it is 2012, and families should not have to go bankrupt to pay for their children's therapies. Insurance companies should cover conditions that require treatment.

The CDC report is a positive step in the right direction. The "1 in 88" ratio should let doctors have some freedom in their diagnoses, and let insurance companies know that they should pay for these developmental therapies, so that no child is left behind because they are protecting their bottom line.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and I think that with this report coming out, 2012 is going to be an interesting year with the realization that Autism can affect not just a few, but many, and we need to find ways to help them.

 

Follow Joseph Hill on Twitter: www.twitter.com/vintagejoehill

Comments

[KathySilverstein]

12:11 AM on 04/04/2012

Yes, this is unfortunate, and I am afraid as of others have said how the changes to the DSM V will affect this. I am afraid that fewer people will be given a diagnosis and fewer people with a diagnosis will qualify for services. We seem to be going backwards, not forwards! With so many more people being diagnosed every year, we need to find a way to make autism a priority. Take some of that money Autism Speaks is using to find a cure (and to overpay their own officers) and start using it to develop a system of services, particularly for the underserved adult population. That's my 2 cents, anyway.

It is also a good point that women and the low income are likely to be underdiagnosed.

If anyone reading this wants to educate themselves more on autism and Asperger's, I have found http://aspergerssociety.org/articles/toc.htm to be a useful site.

We need to mandate autism therapies be covered by insurance and help the families that struggle with this.

[mbourquard]

09:00 PM on 04/03/2012

IF AUTISM IS YOUR QUESTION, THEN THE SON-RISE PROGRAM IS YOUR ANSWER. The Son-Rise Program is first and foremost about love, about respect, about joining our children in their worlds without judgments and it's about building bridges with real possibility for profound growth as well as recovery. It's amazing, it's powerful, and there is nothing else like it in the world. To learn more go to www.autismtreatmentcenter.org

[Mary Poe]

09:35 AM on 04/03/2012

Another point to consider is the changes to the DSM-V categorization of Autism and that effect on services for individuals with Autism.

[haferba]

10:29 PM on 04/02/2012

What has been truly devastating as a parent is not the day-to-day realities of living with autism, but knowing that despite decades-old evidence of proven therapies, insurance co's continue to deny, and that legislatures that allow this to happen.

[Andrew Raymond]

06:24 PM on 04/02/2012

Well said sir! I actually suspect the number is considerably higher, as I'm confident that Asperger's is underdiagnosed in women, and the spectrum in general is especially underdiagnosed in the lower income brackets.