[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Governor Shumlin Signs Vermont Expansion Bill
May 16, 2012
MONTPELIER, VT (May 16, 2012) Autism Speaks today praised Governor Peter Shumlin for signing S.223, a bill that will dramatically improve the coverage provided under the states 2010 autism insurance law. The new law is one of several initiatives moving across the nation to make existing state autism insurance reform laws even stronger.
Sponsored by Senator Anthony Pollina (D-North Middlesex), the new law will require coverage for the screening, diagnosis, testing and treatment of childhood development disorders, including autism, from birth through age 21. The 2010 law limited benefits to children aged 18 months through six years old.
Coverage includes state-regulated private individual and group health insurance plans, as well as Medicaid, the Vermont health access plan, or any other public health care assistance program. The Medicaid and public health plan provisions take effect July 1; the private health plan coverage begins October 1.
Autism Speaks is proud to have worked with Governor Shumlin, the Vermont Legislature and the states advocacy community in making a great autism insurance reform law even better, said Judith Ursitti, Autism Speaks director of state government affairs. The winners are the many Vermont families who will now gain affordable access to treatments that are proven to make a difference in the quality of life for children and young adults with autism.
The new law requires the Vermont Agency of Human Services, in consultation with Autism Speaks and health insurers, to assess whether eligible individuals are receiving evidence-based services, how the services could be improved, and their fiscal impact by January 15, 2014.
In addition to the new Vermont law, the Louisiana Legislature on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would strengthen its 2008 law by raising the age limit for coverage from 16 to 21 and eliminating a $144,000 lifetime cap on benefits. A final vote is near in Kansas on a bill to extend the same autism insurance coverage under its 2010 law for state employees to more families.
The Autism Community Is Not The Autistic Community
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Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
International Badass Activists 