January 21, 2010
Who Will Be Number 16?

By Toni Lapp
With the new year, efforts are under way in both Kansas and Missouri to pass legislation mandating insurance coverage of autism treatment. Activists in both states are redoubling their efforts after seeing proposals go down in defeat in 2009.

So far, 15 states have laws requiring insurers to provide coverage for the treatment of autism. Can Missouri or Kansas become the 16th? With Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon identifying autism legislation as one of his priorities for 2010, chances may favor the Show-Me State.
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October 19, 2009
Can Mo. Pass Autism Legislation if its Lawmakers are for Sale?

By Toni Lapp

Rep. Ron Richard

Rep. Ron Richard


As Missourians prepare for another round in the push to pass autism legislation, they might better scrutinize the actions of their lawmakers.

Namely, those of House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, who successfully scuttled Senate Bill 167 last spring. That legislation would have required insurers to cover up to $55,000 a year for autistic children under 15 to receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy – an effective, evidence-based treatment.
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April 26, 2009
Missouri Governor Announces Support for Autism Legislation

Gov. Jay Nixon marked Autism Awareness month by announcing his strong support last week for the passage of legislation that would require health insurance providers to cover treatments and therapies for Missourians afflicted with autism. Citing the growing number of autism diagnoses, Gov. Nixon called on the legislature to pass a bill that ensures Missourians with health care coverage have access to treatments for autism and related conditions.
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ASK AN AUTISM SPECTRUM SPECIALIST

The Summer Break: A Catch-22?

By Jeanne Holverstott, M.S.

Question: It seems like summer can be full of pitfalls for my son with Asperger’s — the structure has gone away, and he’s no longer in contact with classmates. He is content to play on the computer all day, but seems to get moody more easily. Should we treat summer vacation as a long break from school-year stress, or what?  

Answer: Summer vacation presents a contradiction: Children with autism spectrum disorders thrive on structure, routine, consistency. Summer vacation throws these principles of ASD parenting and behavior management in flux.

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DEVELOPING TALENTS

Intervene, Intervene, Intervene

By Kate Duffy

A while back, Toni, the SpectrumConnection editor, asked me to write about how far parents should go to help their teens on the spectrum land a job. Since then, several of our Hot Topics parents have shared their kids’ job search stories with me, and I realized there was no easy answer to her question. For the most part, though, their stories revolved around the kids’ inability to accurately read situations, to remember instructions and to multitask to make a deadline. Looking at that list, it sounds like business as usual on the job for most of us — which is why it is so very important that our kids start learning about the world of work as soon as they can.

That’s why the short answer to Toni’s question is this: do what you need to do.

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