Does Utah's Medicaid Autism Pilot Need Higher Standards?

Nicole VanBuskirk walks with her
6-year-old autistic son, Austin.

Carol Embry and her husband have full-time jobs with health insurance, but neither their salaries nor their policies cover the cost of the autism treatment their 5-year-old son needs.

They’ve tried other therapies. They’ve borrowed money and tapped into retirement funds.

Radio: The Other Air War

As we try to get back to normal here in the NY metro area, we appreciate your patience for lack of or fewer posts than usual. With that said, came across this interesting piece -- back to campaign 2012.

A torrent of ads is flooding TV sets in the final days of Election 2012 -- and fact-checkers, reporters and pundits are poring over nearly every one.
But there's another, less-noticed air war.
Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and their allies have also unleashed a flood of radio ads, which usually get little scrutiny. Yet industry insiders say the radio spots actually could be more influential at this late stage, as the eyes of swing-state voters glaze over after months of near-constant television ads.

Indianapolis Teen with Autism Found

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis teen with autism is found cold and wet, but safe after disappearing for nearly 27 hours.
Hunter Valant was found on Old Oaklandon Boulevard North Drive just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. His friends and family are now celebrating, thankful he's alive.

Kaiser Finds More Medicaid Managed Care

Analysts at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation have found that 10 states will be making major changes to Medicaid managed long-term care (LTC) programs in fiscal year 2013.

Special Bond with Birds Helps Teen Soar

Drue Sheffield with her parakeet,
Charlie.

SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody can explain the bond Drue Sheffield has with birds, and perhaps it’s just as well.
Words aren’t really necessary when Drue carefully scoops a pigeon into her arms at the park and delicately strokes its neck feathers, or when she sets a mourning dove aloft after weeks of tending to a broken wing.
All her parents know is that the connection with birds has always been there and that caring for the feathered creatures has helped their daughter to soar as well.

Empathy and Analytical Thinking at Odds in Our Brains, Study Finds

Even the most intelligent, complex brains can be taken by a swindler’s story, a new study from Case Western Reserve University shows, even stories that prove false upon a second look.
The new study, published online in the journal NeuroImage, reveals that when the brain fires up the network of neurons that allows a person to empathize, the network used for analysis is suppressed. Our ability to appreciate the human cost of our action is repressed when the analytic network is engaged.

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Hurricane Autism Has Made Landfall

From our friends at the Age of Autism. Something we've been talking about for years . . . autism isn't just about children; there are thousands of adults on the spectrum.

Looking back over the last several weeks I’ve noticed a steadily increasing trend in the news — more and more stories are coming around the country talking about the aging out ofthe autism generation.  It’s not surprising that this isn’t a cause for alarm.  Mounting numbers of children with autism have been calmly accepted for the last several decades by doctors, health officials, and the media.  And of course, children grow up, so this is only to be expected