[Note: Shared for #AutisticHistory archive purposes. This is NOT An Autistic Ally.]
Autism Speaks Urges California Legislative Leaders for Fast Action on Autism Insurance Bill
August 17, 2011
NEW YORK, NY (August 17, 2011) Autism Speaks, the nations largest autism advocacy organization, joined California families today in applauding Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg on his effort to amend legislation that would give families caring for children with autism access to insurance coverage for critical therapies.
“It is long past time for California to join the 27 other states that have enacted autism insurance reform legislation to protect families from the discriminatory practices of the health insurance industry,” said Lorri Unumb, Esq., Autism Speaks vice president of state government affairs. “Senator Steinberg, Assembly Speaker John Perez and other legislators, recognizing that the DMHC settlements need to be clarified, are showing the leadership necessary to ensure that families get the treatments their children deserve.”
The legislation, SB 770, was introduced today by Senator Steinberg, and co-authored by Senator Noreen Evans and Assemblymember Jim Beall, clarifying that behavioral health treatments, such as applied behavior analysis, are considered covered benefits. Many of the 18,000 California families caring for children with autism are now forced to pay out-of-pocket for such treatments, which can total tens of thousands of dollars a year, because of a lack of insurance coverage.
The goal of SB 770 is to correct a flaw in recent insurance settlements negotiated last month by the state Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) with two major insurers so that they can provide the intended benefit of giving families access to such treatments through licensed or certified providers.
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 