Support for autism families
Good morning everyone. In today’s blog I want to start the conversation on which states are best in providing support to autism families. In March of 2019, Autism Parenting Magazine published an article entitled “The Most Supportive States for Raising a Child with Autism” (link below). This article outlines some of the difficulties we autism parents face when it comes to financial matters related to autism. What was interesting to me in reading the article is that all states have laws that require insurance companies to include autism treatments, but many states have age and maximum dollar amounts of coverage–which makes no sense to me at all.
Ranking States
Ranking in states, including Washington DC, were based on state coverage, if the state was included in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM) and if grants were available to autistic children and their families. Which were the top four states–drum roll please
1. California
2. Massachutes
3. Indiana
4. Colorado
None of the above listed states have a limit on age or dollar amount for insurance coverage. Maryland, where me and my family live, came in at number six. I am grateful to have access to Kennedy Krieger Institute and the autism resources available in my state but difficult decisions have been made in regards to my career and our finances in order to provide Jayson with those resources. The bottom four states–drum roll please
48. Montana
49. West Virginia
50. New Mexico
51. Idaho
Sad truth
I have to be honest in saying that reading this article made me very upset. Our children are suffering from a chronic medical condition and their outcomes are dependent on which state they live in. It has been proven over and over again that early diagnosis, early intervention and ABA services significantly impact a child’s life and may determine whether that child can have a productive life or be debilitated forever. My question is why the disparities between states? A standard of practice should be instituted across ALL states so that our children are NOT left behind. Yes, we have come a long way in recognizing autism and early diagnosis, but we have a long way to go to ensure that ALL children have equal access to care. Please comment below and let me know what your experiences have been like in your state. I wish everyone all the
best.
The Most Supportive States for Raising a Child With Autism
https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/supportive-states-raising-autism-child/
May God bless you!
Love you all,
M.J.