By Mohan Krishnan Let me tell you about Cathy (not her real name), a young girl with autism in our clinic who, through hard work alongside an applied behavior analyst (ABA) and her team, has just learned to point at objects.
Sure, her peers are learning to ride bicycles and read but, until now, Cathy effectively had no voice. Imagine growing up in a world where you could not communicate your most basic needs or be understood chocolate or vanilla, the red shirt or the blue.
There are thousands of kids like Cathy who are not receiving treatment. Who will take care of them?
Fortunately theres a solution.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes problems in communication and other social skills and causes children to have restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests. The cause is unknown, and it strikes about one child out of 110, poor and rich, boys and girls of every race.
We are very good at diagnosing autism spectrum disorders and have world-class tools for accurate and reliable diagnosis, often in toddlerhood. There is no cure, but treatment is available.
Evidence has shown that children who receive early, intensive behavioral therapy with an ABA make significant, objective gains. This has been repeatedly validated, making ABA the evidence-based treatment of choice for children with autism.
Those who receive intensive ABA are almost six times more likely to progress to mainstream schooling and, in turn, need less care in the community. These kids are learning and growing instead of being managed by a public system.
We can diagnose kids early and reliably. Intensive treatment can make a big difference in their lives. So, whats the issue?
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Law to mandate coverage would give children with autism a voice (guest column)