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VA Lawmakers to Examine State Autism Services

Services for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder have improved over the last five years…but the system that provides the services is complex and not uniformly accessible statewide.

That’s one of the findings this week of the Autism Advisory Council-the panel of lawmakers who will identify problems and make recommendations to the General Assembly about how to make the state programs more effective. The demand for long-term services has continued to grow. 

Autistic children must be identified at a young age to receive the intensive care they need. That enables them to attend school, where they can progress with other services. The number of infants and toddlers identified each year is growing-but that number is still too low. Brett Wills, who is the father of an autistic child, said a recent law requires a diagnosis BY age six.

“Some school districts will look at that in terms of: ‘Well, we can wait ‘til age six to make that diagnosis.’ I’m seeing that as a really big problem because I’ve got a lot of kids whose parents know they have autism, whose doctors know they have autism, and whose therapists know they have autism. But the school district and, therefore, the folks that are handling their early intervention, don’t necessarily know.”

Another recent law mandating insurance coverage for services has helped more children receive early intervention. But Wills said the best access to the hodge-podge of federal waivers and state and local services comes through Medicaid. One panel member suggested that children diagnosed with autism by their pediatricians should immediately be enrolled in Medicaid so that intervention can begin without delay.

One success story for older students is a vocational rehabilitation program, where Virginia hospitals are providing internships for high school seniors with autism spectrum disorder.  Several thousand students have made the transition and are now employed.