NY to Require Insurance Companies to Pay for Autism Treatments

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Ellen Victor

Via a press release issued by Chairman of the Senate Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee Senator Roy McDonald:

The New York State Senate today approved legislation to enable individuals with autism spectrum disorders to receive insurance coverage for screening, diagnosis and treatment. The bill (S.4005A), sponsored by Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R, Merrick), would save tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses spent by families caring for individuals with autism and address insurance companies’ refusal to cover costs for autism treatments and therapies.

Autism Spectrum Disorders affect individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1 in 110 children, including 1 in 70 boys, are currently affected with autism.

The legislation requires insurance companies to provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, including behavioral health treatments, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Insurance companies would be prohibited from terminating coverage or refusing to renew, adjust, amend, issue, or execute a policy solely because the individual has been diagnosed with or received treatment for autism spectrum disorders.

Understanding Autism: It’s Not Monkey Business

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Ellen Victor

Teco, a young bonobo chimpanzee, is exhibiting signs of autistic behavior, according to BoingBoing. His famous father, Kanzi, uses symbols to communicate with humans. Both chimps can be found at The Great Ape Trust, a nonprofit foundation whose tag line is “Insights through Collaborations with Apes.”

Researchers immediately noticed that Teco was not acting like normal baby chimps. He did not bond with his mother, did not make eye contact and he became agitated when his surroundings weren’t exactly as he wanted them to be. Sound familiar? Furthermore, Teco is showing some repetitive movement, another very human sign of autism syndrome.

Here are a few more questions, answered by Teco’s caretakers: Q &A.

Teco

Play Ball! Special Needs Kids on Long Island

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Ellen Victor

A brand new baseball little league has been form on Long Island, welcoming disabled children. The Little League of the Islips’ Challengers team is comprised of two teams, the Hurricanes and the Cyclones.

As CBS News commented, “the Field of Dreams belongs to everyone.”

The Challengers are the brainchild of Kelly Pipitone and Frank Fritz. Kelly’s son Jake plays on the team.

There are some special rules too– According to Newsday, each player will be accompanied by a volunteer who will stay by his or her side during the game. One other special rule? Everyone wins.

And truly, with dedicated parents and coaches, everyone on Long Island does win.

Early Screening Tool Could Detect Autism by Age 1

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Ellen Victor

A new approach to screening for some autism spectrum disorders may be able to detect autism by the age of 1, a great advance. Earlier detection and treatment can lead to better outcomes, as parents and teachers of children with autism know.

The Journal of Pediatrics has prepared a checklist to be used at baby’s one year checkup. The checklist can be found here.

According to the PBS Newshour, this test can be quickly filled out in the waiting room of the pediatrician’s office and is reliable more than half the time.

Charlie Will Never Return: MTA to No Longer Run Long Island Bus

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Ellen Victor

According to Newsday, the MTA voted today to end its contract with Long Island bus, despite protests from bus riders and pleas from transit advocates. As of December 31st, a private company will take over the operations.

What private company? It isn’t yet known. This does not bode well for a smooth transition.

As I have said before, this disproportionately affects the disabled and the elderly, but as of today, all we can do is wait and see what happens.

And as to Charlie, mentioned in my headline above, he may never return.

Light it Up Blue Kicks Off World Awareness Autism Day

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Ellen Victor

I was in Home Depot this morning, shopping for light bulbs, when I noticed a rack of blue light bulbs with a prominent sign “Light it Up Blue—Autism Speaks.”

In an effort to raise awareness of autism, Autism Speaks is seeking to “shine a light on autism by raising awareness of autism in communities across the United States and Canada.

Even the Empire State Building is turning its lights blue for this event!

For more about this event, check out www.lightitupblue.org and participate!

Long Island Bus Cuts–Public Hearing March 23

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Ellen Victor

Call to Action

Everyone who has any family members or friends who are disabled or elderly must attend this public hearing at Hofstra University March 23, 2011 at 3PM to protest the plans to cut 25 of Long Island’s bus routes and 20% of Able-Ride’s service cuts.

Cuts unfairly target Long Island’s Disabled Riders

The MTA is set to vote in April on its plan to cut 25 , or almost half, of its Long Island bus service routes in July. The MTA is claiming, and perhaps rightfully so, that it is unfair that Nassau County only contributes $9.1 million to the Long Island Bus annual budget of $141 million. In contrast, Suffolk County contributes $24 million to its $48 million bus budget.

These service cuts would strand 16,000 riders, many of whom are disabled, and unable to afford taxis. Currently, the bus services more than 100,000 riders each day.

My daughter takes three buses in each direction to get to her classes at Nassau Community College. It already takes her more than two hours each way. Last semester she took an evening course and often missed the last bus and had to take a taxi to get home.

Disabled to Lose Able Ride Buses

According to Newsday, as many as 18%, or 200 of Able-Ride’s 1130 daily riders will no longer be eligible for door-to-door service if the proposed cuts are made.

I urge everyone to attend the public hearings at Hofstra University March 23, 2011 at 3PM. You can take the N46 or the N47 bus lines to get there.

Special Education Success at School for Disabled

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Ellen Victor

The Henry Visconti School, a New York State supported special education school that prides itself on treating its students with dignity and respect, was recently praised in the New York Times for allowing severely disabled students to succeed in school through the use of technology and on-site medical care.

According to the school website, the Henry Viscardi School is a teaching community of students, parents, teachers, staff, and volunteers dedicated to empowering students with physical disabilities and health impairments to enable them to be active, independent, self sufficient participants in society.

I’m proud to know this school exists in our neighborhood, and is a fine example of how our tax dollars are spent to help the special needs community.

Chalimony: When Divorce Meets Special Needs

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Ellen Victor

As many parents of special needs kids know, raising a disabled child is much more expensive than raising typical children. I have previously discussed some of the extraordinary costs in my post on Divorce and Special Needs Children. Many states mandate that parents of a disabled child continue supporting these children, even after they are no longer minors. New York does not follow this mandate, allowing the state to support our disabled children instead. However, if the child is living with a divorced parent, then that parent often has to shoulder many of the costs — with no contribution from the other parent. After the child reaches the age of 21 in New York, there is no way to force that other parent to shoulder any of the financial burden.

An Amazing Statistic

Karen Czapanskiy, a Professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, has proposed a solution she calls “Chalimony” . She states “Parents of a child with autism, on average, have lifetime earnings of nearly a million dollars less than other parents.”

That is astounding. But it is understandable. Many of us put our careers on hold to take care of our children, to drive them to doctor and therapy appointments, to ensure they are cared for properly. Even after the children are grown, even if many of them do not need hands-on care anymore, there are years missing from career paths.

Czapanskiy suggests: “[Chalimony] would be available to the parent with whom the disabled or chronically ill child lives most of the time if that caregiver is unable to be employed full-time because of the child’s special needs. The child’s other parent could avoid paying chalimony if he or she were meeting enough of the child’s needs to permit the primary parent to work full-time.”

I would take it a step further. Any parent who has stayed home with a special needs child and missed out on the opportunity to advance a career, also deserves chalimony.

What’s in a Name? Rosa’s Law Passed

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Ellen Victor

Federal statutes will no longer use the term “mental retardation” instead substituting the phrase “intellectual disability.” President Obama officially signed into law this October a bill that has spent months wending its way through Congress.

Who is Rosa?

Rosa is a now 9-year old Maryland girl with Down’s Syndrome. Her mother took issue with the school calling her daughter retarded. “There hasn’t been one ounce of opposition. People had already gotten rid of the term, except in slang,” Rosa’s mother, Nina Marcellino said.

Why is the Language we use Important?

Peter V. Berns, CEO of The ARC (the battle to abolish the term “retarded” has been going on for decades, and in the 1980s families and people with developmental disabilities changed the name of Association for Retarded Citizens to ARC.) “We understand that language plays a crucial role in how people with intellectual disabilities are perceived and treated in society,” Berns said in a statement. “Changing how we talk about people with disabilities is a critical step in promoting and protecting their basic civil and human rights.”

Will New York Ever Become Politically Correct?

As I have said before, New York is one of the few states that have not yet removed the phrase “retardation” from one of the largest organizations of its kind: the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD).

It is time New York joined the Federal government and 44 other states in removing this arcane language.

Call Us Today: (516) 223-4800

Special Needs Blog