Judith Graham writes in the the Chicago Tribune Triage blog that a new Illinois law will require insurance companies to provide “habilitative” therapies for youngsters with developmental disabilities to gain new skills. Previously, coverage was limited to children receiving “rehabilitative” therapies to recover lost skills.

Coverage will be extended to children with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disorders. The law will require insurers to pay for speech, physical and occupational therapies for such children up to the age of 19.

Similar laws are on the books in Maryland and the District of Columbia. The Illinois measure will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010.

From the [NJ] Star-Ledger:

Parents and therapists say music helps children with autism build communication skills – even though they concede that more research needs to be done to support the theory.

Parents say they’ve observed that music therapy helps children with autism focus; that it relieves anxiety and frustration; that it decreases agitation; that it improves their cognitive function and their ability to master language; and that when they are in a musical environment, they are better able to interact with their peers.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s made a difference,” says one mother.” I wish I could say how, exactly, but I just know that music is an avenue to get their little brains going.”

(Star-Ledger photo)

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Sandy Banks slams a ruling by California regulators that insurance companies must pay for speech, occupational and physical therapies for kids with autism, but not for their behavioral therapies.

An excerpt:

State law says insurers must cover mental and behavior disorders the same way they cover other medical conditions. So a depressed teenager can get a psychologist’s ear, and a kid who smokes pot gets rehab treatment — and that is as it should be.

But an autistic child doesn’t merit a professional’s help to learn how to share a crayon or ask a classmate for a play date? That doesn’t seem fair to me. Or to their families.

Earlier post here.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In a letter issued this week, California’s Department of Managed Health Care said that insurers must provide speech, occupational and physical therapies for autism, but are not required to pay for applied behavior analysis.

Parents have argued that the behavior therapy, which can cost as much as $70,000 a year per person, is needed to help their children gain the skills they need to live in society. They maintain that failure to provide the therapy is a violation of  the Mental Health Parity Act.

Insurers say applied behavior analysis is an educational service, not medicine, and that covering it would drive up insurance costs for everyone.

From the Washington Post:

More parents and educators are using music therapy to reach out to students with autism, but scientists say there is little evidence to support the practice. They stress the need for more research.

“We know that music therapy treatment is associated with improvement, but we don’t know what the cause of that improvement is,” says Catherine Lord, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who specializes in autism research.

From U.S. News and World Report:

Military parents maintain that the Pentagon’s healthcare system is failing to serve active-duty military families who have children with autism.

It is estimated that 13,243 of the approximately 1.2 million children of active-duty military personnel have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. But only 1,374 are qualified to receive treatment under the extended care arm of the federal healthcare program TRICARE.

The families’ difficulties are compounded by frequent moves that disrupt or end treatment programs, and skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for expenses not covered by TRICARE. Some families have little choice but to forgo treatment for their children. Officials worry that the pressure is prompting some to leave the military, which could harm military readiness.

From the Chicago Tribune and U.S. News & World Report:

A national Easter Seals survey reveals that children with autism are struggling to enter mainstream adulthood, and their families are experiencing significant financial strain and anxiety about the future.

Fifty-two percent of parents raising children with autism believe that money spent on the treatment and care of their child will drain their future finances, and three quarters of parents of children with autism worry their child won’t ever get a job or won’t have enough money to get by after the parents die.

Only 39 percent of parents reported that their insurance regularly covers the services they need, and 32 percent say insurance either rarely or never helps out. More than 80 percent of adults with autism under 30 still live at home.

Parents say the data points up the massive challenges the country will face as this tsunami of children with autism approaches adulthood. “Eventually we’re going to get hit with a lot of young adults who are going to have nowhere to go,” said one mother.

From Easter Seals, a summary of the report.

Report highlights from the Chicago Tribune.