New Autism Rules in Pennsylvania Has Some Paying for Once Free Services

PITTSBURGH – Parents of children with autism are protesting new rules that took effect Monday in Pennsylvania, which will require parents at certain income levels to partially pay for services that used to be free.
Nicki Gratton, of Plum, is one of them. She has three children. Jeremy has cerebral palsy and Riley has pervasive developmental disorder, which is a type of autism.
Gratton told KDKA-TV’s Dr. Maria Simbra that three home visits per week to help her with her children’s behavior issues have “been a God-send.”

Advocacy Tips From Pa. Lawmakers

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Nancy Richey stepped to the podium with a microphone at the Capitol rotunda with the hope that the right people would hear her message.
She rallied a crowd of more than 100 sign-toting people with disabilities and their advocates and service providers. They lined the white marble steps, chanting "Keep your promise!" in protest of $168 million in proposed cuts to community mental and behavioral health services and assistance to the homeless.

Penn. Social Services Cuts Draw Criticsm

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The administration of Gov. Tom Corbett is piling up a string of changes it ordered to social and human services before seeking outside input, according to advocates for the poor and disabled who have protested that the changes are both damaging and counterproductive.

At least four such orders were pulled back after an outcry. But advocates for those who use the services, such as people trying to re-enter the work force or live independently, say the record stirs deep concerns, especially given the broader authority that state lawmakers just gave the Corbett administration to cut programs without public review first.

Family with 4 Kids on Spectrum Displaced

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Families are still without a home following last week's car wash explosion in Lancaster County.
Among them a family of 6, including four children with autism. Thursday night the family is holding onto hope that life will get better; right now the family of six is living in a cramped camper with no plumbing and without most of their belongings.
"It's devastating," said Dianne Metzger. "I have four kids and this is where we're living."

Ruling Requires Pennsylvania to Move People From Institutions to Community

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Hundreds of institutionalized mentally disabled people must be released to community programs starting this year to meet a settlement that has been struck to end a federal court battle.
The accord is expected to cost the state as yet untold millions of dollars.
It stems from a federal judge’s ruling that the Department of Public Welfare was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not having a system to allow those people to get out of state-run intermediate care facilities.
"At this point, we don't know what the exact cost might be," DPW spokesman Mike Race said Thursday.
Estimates in the settlement state that at least 300 institutionalized clients statewide already have expressed interest in returning to the community.

As Autism Cases Rise, So Do Costs

Nice work by WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh - taking a look at the state's rise in autism and the costs that keep on rising. Be sure to check out the video as well as the print story.
PITTSBURGH -- Some 25,000 people in Pennsylvania have an autism diagnosis. As WTAE-TV continues its look at autism, on Wednesday Channel 4 Action News anchor Michelle Wright focused on how much money the state is dedicating to helping those individuals.
Wright reported that the cost for each person with autism is $3.2 million over a lifetime.
Parents Of Autistic Children Demand Answers About Waiting List
Research has proven that the earlier the treatment starts, the better the result. But the treatment can be expensive and overwhelming.

Pennsylvania Program Provides Support for Adults With Autism

For children who have been diagnosed with autism, there is no shortage of services available. Early intervention, intermediate units, developmental and behavioral services, Medicaid, family-based mental health services, residency placements and outpatient programs are just some of the options -- until that child turns 21.
A new program in Pennsylvania is helping to fill the void in services for adults on the spectrum. Adult Community Autism Program, a joint venture between Keystone Autism Services and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Autism, is now working to serve adults in Cumberland, Dauphin and Lancaster counties, it is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania.
"You don't outgrow autism," said Drue Robinson, chief operating officer of Keystone Autism Services. "We tend to forget that you still have autism at 21. You still have autism at 45, at 60."
The program, which will initially serve 200 individuals ages 21 and older, is an all-inclusive program that provides behavioral health and medical services, Robinson said. Participants apply through the Bureau of Autism Services, part of the state Department of Public Welfare.