Broken Promises for Parents of Autistic Children in CA
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| http://www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov/Home/default.aspx |
Posted On Behalf of Jennifer, San Mateo County (CA)
As a parent of a child with autism, the most important thing I can do is make sure that my daughter continues to receive critical early-intervention therapy. Medical research clearly shows that early and consistent therapy can make a dramatic difference in the kind of future autistic children can lead. My family, and our whole community, have a stake in this treatment.
For that reason, I am both shocked and concerned by California’s lack of regard for children with autism. As the state rapidly move families covered by the Healthy Families Program over to Medi-Cal it is still unclear whether children will have the necessary medical services they need.
My daughter is 5 years old and has been receiving autism support services under Healthy Families since she was 27 months. With this support, she receives hours of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy; the leading treatment for children within the Autism Disorder Spectrum (ASD).
When she was first diagnosed, my daughter had regressed to zero eye contact and was living in a world of her