Autism programs in Ohio come under fire
March 19th, 2008From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Policy Matters faults state’s autism scholarship program; Oversight is lacking, study says
A fast-growing state program that gives parents of autistic children up to $20,000 for private educational services lacks oversight and allows providers to exclude children based on religion and other factors, says Policy Matters Ohio.
The Cleveland think tank released a report today that gives generally poor marks to the “autism scholarship” program. The program allows parents to opt out of the public school system and use public school money to buy private services. Most private services don’t provide a school setting, which is another point of criticism in the report.
From the Columbus Dispatch: ‘All for some and none for some;’ A fix can’t come soon enough for Ohio’s wildly inequitable system of helping autistic kids
Under the current system:
• A private autism center in Franklin County consumed 50 percent of the public money spent on psychiatric treatment for autism last year even though it served just 4 percent of the children, state officials say. Step by Step Academy also billed $180,000 to treat one child while another family, waiting years for a Medicaid waiver to help pay for services, made do with $672.
• Ohio funds scholarships that provide up to $20,000 a year for families to purchase educational services for autistic children but offers nothing similar for those with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or other forms of developmental disability.
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on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 10:24 am and is filed under Down syndrome, autism, behavior, benefits, cerebral palsy, education.
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