Confusion Over Autism Coverage Laws

Even in states requiring health insurers to cover autism treatments, a new survey suggests that uncertainty about the mandates is calling into question the effectiveness of the laws.
In the survey of more than 900 families affected by autism who live in states requiring coverage, more than a quarter said they were unaware of the rules in their state.
And among those who were familiar with their state’s autism insurance law, more than half said they didn’t know if their insurance plan was included.

Training First Responders to Help Those with Autism Is Mission Close to Fire Captain's Heart

An amazing job by the Today show. Such an important topic and only wish Capt. Cannata could help educate other first responders, including the police, about helping people with autism and other developmental disabilities.

WESTWOOD, Mass. -- As an experienced firefighter and a devoted father to an autistic son, Bill Cannata is combining the two worlds he knows so well to help protect others.
Being in a fire can be confusing and overwhelming -- especially for someone with autism, says Cannata, a fire captain in Westwood, Mass. And autistic people may react in a way that seems combative to emergency first responders. His mission: teaching first responders around the country how to identify someone with autism and how best to help them in an emergency, when every second counts.
Cannata knows about autism first-hand: His 21-year-old son, Ted, who has the disorder, is unable to speak and is highly sensitive to sight, sound and touch.

Connecticut Struggles with Adult Services

Stan and Kathy Peters stand with
their daughter, Sarah, 28, at their
Killingworth home where she still lives.

 

There are so many families like the Peters. Hopefully Sarah will be able to move into a group residence and enjoy a quality life and her parents can retire with peace of mind knowing she is well cared for, safe and happy. Sarah deserves nothing less.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Kathy and Stan Peters talk about retiring to Florida, but first, they must consider Sarah, their daughter with intellectual disabilities. She's 28 and lives at home but wants her independence. Florida's group home situation is dismal, and Connecticut — unless there's an emergency in the family — has a growing waiting list and a complicated system, Kathy Peters says.
"I have a couple of master's degrees, but trying to get through the system can be just exhausting," she said.
The state Department of Developmental Services, the agency charged with the providing services for residents with intellectual disabilities, just released its five-year plan that concurs with Peters' assessment. The department, with its $1 billion budget, is currently working in a system that is "unsustainable," the report said. The old model — early intervention, special education, day programs for older residents — is too expensive.

Get Involved in Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Nationwide, approximately 4.6 million Americans live with developmental disabilities. As the nation’s deficit must be brought under control, budget cuts could hamper essential services for individuals with special needs. March is a time to reflect and participate in Developmental Disabilities Awareness month. President Obama recently announced his revenue and spending plan that will begin on October 1 of this year. Some of the bright spots include increasing the funding for the Early Intervention Part C program for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. But other programs such as the Supportive Housing for People with Disabilities were cut by 10 percent. The President’s budget is just a start for the yearly budget and we could see other budgets and bills from Congress.

Plan for Harlem Group Home Scaled Back

HARLEM, N.Y. — A controversial plan to house seven developmentally disabled men in two luxury condominiums on Lenox Avenue to house seven developmentally disabled men has been scaled back, according to a state agency.
Non-profit Community Options is now seeking approval from the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities to purchase just one condominium, an agency spokesman said.

Official: N.J. Can Make Up for Loss of Federal Reimbursement with Other Medicaid Savings

TRENTON, N.J. -- While waiting for federal approval to overhaul New Jersey's Medicaid program, state Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez said Wednesday the state will reach its goal of saving $300 million this year without having to impose service cuts or reducing the number of people insured.
Velez acknowledged "it was a big disappointment" when the U.S. Centers for Medicare and and Medicaid Services declined the state's request last year for $107.3 million that New Jersey mistakenly paid for decades by providing disability insurance coverage for low-income people. Every state had hoped to recoup millions this way, under a mistake the federal government has acknowledged, she noted.
But Velez assured the Assembly Budget Committee in Trenton the lost reimbursement would be made up in other unanticipated ways, unrelated to the overhaul, formally known as the "comprehensive Medicaid waiver." Enrollment slowed down, and pharmaceutical drug companies paid more rebates to help offset the cost of prescription drugs, she said. Moving about 155,000 of senior citizens and people with disabilities into managed care plans also saved more money than expected.

iPad Playing Bigger Role in Autism Classroom

Joshua Brooks, 7, works on an
iPad with his teacher Danielle Loch

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — Teachers of students with autism say it's the year of the iPad.
It provides motivation. It helps with therapy and handwriting practice. It even models appropriate ways to share toys or take turns.
For 7-year-old Joshua Brooks of Glen Ellyn, the device has educational, therapeutic and entertainment value — something teachers and parents say they're recognizing more these days.