SPECTRUM CONNECTION

By Toni Lapp

With autism prevalence rising at alarming rates in the United States, the push to make a diagnosis as early as possible has taken on new urgency. On Thursday, Missouri health officials unveiled the state’s first set of guidelines.

“This is a landmark document for the country, and definitely for our state,” said Michele Kilo, M.D., a developmental pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital who served as one of four primary authors of the guidelines. “We’re hopeful it will be well-used and well-worn.” Missouri is only the second state to issue guidelines, the first state being California in 2001, Kilo said.

The guideline panel — a group of 42 professionals and parents who met over the course of a year — looked carefully at California’s guidelines, but in the end, came up with a completely new set, authors said. Missouri’s recommendations reflect more recent research and is more “state of the art,” said John Mantovani, medical director of St. John’s Mercy Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. “There has been a lot of progress in our understanding of the condition” since 2001, he said.
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By Julius Karash

How can we map out better futures for adults with autism? An initiative by Advancing Adults with Autism brought together 1,000 folks at 16 satellite sites as part of a national townhall meeting to discuss the issue.
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By Julius Karash

Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt of Glendale said Saturday that he will press on with the fight to obtain health insurance coverage for autism treatments.

“What we’re fighting for with these therapies is the difference between whether or not a dad can take his son to a baseball game, or the difference between whether or not that child can have meaningful friendships with other kids,” Schmitt, the father of a five-year-old boy with autism, said at an autism insurance reform rally at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing.
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