LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Insurance companies will have to offer coverage for autism treatments six months from now, a move the parent of one autistic boy said will make a huge difference to families struggling to pay for their children's treatment.

"This legislation means the world to us and to thousands of other families across the state of Michigan," said Scott Koenigsknecht of Fowler, who attended a bill-signing ceremony at the official governor's residence Wednesday with 7-year-old Cooper and the rest of his family. "The beauty of this legislation is ... no family will have ever to leave a doctor's appointment without some kind of hope."

Diagnosed with autism at age 2-1/2, Cooper now is attending 1st grade with the help of a full-time aide, and he's functioning at a higher level than he would have without treatment, his father said.

As the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District superintendent, Koenigsknecht said Michigan school districts pay more than $150 million a year to educate children with autism, an amount that could decrease if more families get insurance to cover treatment.

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, whose daughter, Reagan, has been diagnosed with autism, signed the measures into law Wednesday with Reagan standing nearby. Gov. Rick Snyder is visiting Michigan National Guard troops in Afghanistan, so Calley was able to sign the legislation he had pushed unsuccessfully for so long.

Lawmakers gave final approval to the measures last month, and both Republicans and Democrats who worked on the legislation said it was the plight of families trying to pay for their children's treatment that made the legislation so critical.

"When things are personal, you work a lot harder," said Democratic Sen. Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor.

Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, a Monroe Republican who has been a state lawmaker for nearly a dozen years, called the effort "the single best piece of bipartisan work I've seen in my career."

Richardville said he had to find a bill that would not be an unfunded mandate on employers while still helping families. His solution was to set up a fund to help reimburse some companies for paid claims related to diagnosis and treatment of autism.

Some mental health advocates said the measure should have required coverage for all mental health issues children face, including depression. It's possible more children may be diagnosed with autism because that's the only ailment the legislation covers.

Visit link:
Autism Coverage Legislation Signed

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -04/19/12)- With the national prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) reaching 1:88 children, and as more children are diagnosed with autism, with the greatest increase in diagnoses in the Hispanic community, many families find themselves in need of resources but might not know where to turn. Through UJA-Federation of New York's J-1-1 Information and Referral Center, families in the greater New York area have immediate and free access to a wide range of programs and support services to address the needs and special challenges that arise from caring for individuals on the autism spectrum.

With resources available in all five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester, UJA-Federation is able to provide access to a holistic set of services for families and individuals, no matter their background. This includes everything from the point of diagnosis to socialization opportunities to helping those on the spectrum successfully transition to adulthood. Through its unparalleled network of agencies, UJA-Federation continues to expand on existing services and develop new initiatives for children and adults with developmental, behavioral, and physical disabilities.

April is National Autism Awareness Month, and UJA-Federation is proud to play such an important role in funding, developing and providing access to a wide range of valuable services for the autistic community. Caring for a loved one with autism can be overwhelming, and UJA-Federation is there to ensure that everyone can find the help they need. For more information, contact UJA-Federation's J-1-1 Information and Referral Center at 1-877-852-6951. Resource specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with 24-hour voice mail, or they can be reached by email at J11@ujafedny.org

About UJA-Federation of New YorkFor more than 90 years, UJA-Federation has been a central force for communal planning and philanthropy in the New York Jewish community. Through UJA-Federation, more than 60,000 donors pool their resources to help people in need, inspire a passion for Jewish life and learning, and strengthen Jewish communities around the world -- to address the issues that matter to us most as Jews and as New Yorkers, such as helping those affected by autism. Working with more than 100 network beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations, our reach spans from New York to Israel to more than 60 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. Because we do the most good when we do it together. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.ujafedny.org.

Originally posted here:
Autism Resources for Children and Families Available Through UJA-Federation of New York's J-1-1 Information & Referral ...

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -04/19/12)- With the national prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) reaching 1:88 children, and as more children are diagnosed with autism, with the greatest increase in diagnoses in the Hispanic community, many families find themselves in need of resources but might not know where to turn. Through UJA-Federation of New York's J-1-1 Information and Referral Center, families in the greater New York area have immediate and free access to a wide range of programs and support services to address the needs and special challenges that arise from caring for individuals on the autism spectrum.

With resources available in all five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester, UJA-Federation is able to provide access to a holistic set of services for families and individuals, no matter their background. This includes everything from the point of diagnosis to socialization opportunities to helping those on the spectrum successfully transition to adulthood. Through its unparalleled network of agencies, UJA-Federation continues to expand on existing services and develop new initiatives for children and adults with developmental, behavioral, and physical disabilities.

April is National Autism Awareness Month, and UJA-Federation is proud to play such an important role in funding, developing and providing access to a wide range of valuable services for the autistic community. Caring for a loved one with autism can be overwhelming, and UJA-Federation is there to ensure that everyone can find the help they need. For more information, contact UJA-Federation's J-1-1 Information and Referral Center at 1-877-852-6951. Resource specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with 24-hour voice mail, or they can be reached by email at J11@ujafedny.org

About UJA-Federation of New YorkFor more than 90 years, UJA-Federation has been a central force for communal planning and philanthropy in the New York Jewish community. Through UJA-Federation, more than 60,000 donors pool their resources to help people in need, inspire a passion for Jewish life and learning, and strengthen Jewish communities around the world -- to address the issues that matter to us most as Jews and as New Yorkers, such as helping those affected by autism. Working with more than 100 network beneficiary agencies, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations, our reach spans from New York to Israel to more than 60 other countries around the world, touching 4.5 million people each year. Because we do the most good when we do it together. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.ujafedny.org.

Originally posted here:
Autism Resources for Children and Families Available Through UJA-Federation of New York's J-1-1 Information & Referral ...

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -04/19/12)- On August 1-2, 2012, more than 1,500 leaders in autism research, education and policy from every continent will gather in Jerusalem, Israel for ICare4Autism's 2012 International Conference, "Autism: A Global Perspective."

Dr. Joshua Weinstein, CEO & Founder, indicated that the, "Conference will highlight groundbreaking research into the causes and treatments of Autism Spectrum Disorders, and serve as a catalyst for powerful new collaborations to tackle the global autism crisis."

Students from around the world are invited to present their autism research at a poster session. One poster will be selected by the review committee to receive a scholarship to attend the Conference. The scholarship will cover travel, hotel accommodations and conference registration fee. The scholarship winner will also be invited to participate on one of the Conference panels. The Poster Session consists of physical displays (aka posters) of information shown during a 60-90 minute session, with presenters standing by their poster reporting empirical research and pilot projects for future research. Attendees have the opportunity to speak with the presenters about their work.

Dame Stephanie Shirley, the British Government's Founding Ambassador for Philanthropy and Chairman of the Shirley Foundation, will deliver the Keynote Address and the First Lady of Panama Mrs. Marta Linares de Martinelli will give opening remarks.

They will be joined by distinguished researchers and practitioners from more than 20 countries who will unveil their latest biomedical discoveries and educational innovations.

Groundbreaking biomedical research will be presented; notably Henry Markram, Ph.D., the Director of Blue Brain Project, Coordinator of the Human Brain Project and Professor at Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL), will present "Prospects of using detailed brain simulations to explore possible causes and treatments of Autism."

Innovative educational practices will be featured in presentations by Dr. S. Mariam Aljunied (Senior Autism Specialist, Singapore Ministry of Education); Dr. Carlos Marcin Salazar (Director of the National Autism Clinic of Mexico); and Dr. Pamela Wolfberg (Director, Autism Spectrum Program, University of California San Francisco). Attendees will tour the campus where ICare4Autism will open the world's first Global Autism Research and Education Center in 2015.

ICare4Autism (International Center for Autism Research & Education) is a charitable organization, founded in 2004 to catalyze breakthrough innovations in autism research, diagnosis and treatment. http://www.Icare4autism.org

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1955219

Excerpt from:
ICare4Autism Conference Call for Posters From Students in Autism Research

19 April 2012 Last updated at 01:09 ET

A charity is calling on politicians to do more to help children with autism.

The National Autistic Society Northern Ireland (NAS NI) said failings in the education system are letting down children.

It wants MLAs to consider the needs of children with autism as they debate the reforms to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system.

The charity is launching the A* for Autism campaign on SEN, to highlight the current failings.

Research carried out by the NAS NI found that over half of children with autism wait over a year for appropriate educational support and almost one in three parents feel the education their child receives is not adequate to their needs.

Over 80% of parents who took part in the charity's research said a lack of support had harmed their children's social and communication skills.

A further 65% said a lack of support had affected their child's mental health.

NAS NI also said that 49% of parents said they did not have enough information when choosing an educational placement for their child.

Shirelle Stewart , co-director of the National Autistic Society Northern Ireland said: "We hope that this campaign will enable children with autism to access an A* education that sets them up for life.

Read the rest here:
Call to help children with autism

Armed with questions about everything from education to waivers, almost 100 parents turned out for the annual Central Virginia Autism Expo at Sandusky Middle School Thursday evening.

For the first time, the expo featured service providers from Lynchburg and Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell counties and breakout sessions to teach parents about the resource available in the area and help them connect with experts.

In each session teachers, parents and paraprofessionals had the chance to get in-depth information on some of the biggest challenges faced today by those working with children with autism communication, transitioning between the schools and life after high school.

Its important for people to come to these things, saidBedfords Thomas McKean, one of the evenings featured speakers. They need to know what is going on if they are going to be able to help their child.

McKean, an author and well-known public speaker who frequently talks about his experience with autism, was on hand Thursday to tell parents how he went from living at home to living on his own.

McKean said his transition was a little rough at first, learning to cook and clean, but now hes no different from anyone else he sets his alarm each night and hates paying bills each month.

McKean refers to autism as a fascinating yet annoying disorder because of the many ways it can manifest in individuals. There is no treatment that can help all children with autism.

McKean said, as with any child, there is no set age for allowing a child with autism to be on their own. What matters most in determining if a child is ready are their goals, abilities, skills and supports.

Youths with autism need a circle of friends and people they trust, said McKean. It helps ease the fear and anxiety they so commonly experience.

There are a lot of books out there about parenting a child with autism, said Christine Trepanitis, but hearing about the experience firsthand on Thursday left her virtually speechless.

Read the original here:
Autism expo provides parents with resources