Subscribe via RSS
Treatment for autism is costly, and families in the Triad want the government to do something about it.
GREENVILLE, NC – The state of North Carolina cut 40-million-dollars from its budget by eliminating some Mental Health Development Disability and Substance Abuse Programs. Parents of children with autism got a six week advance notice, and now some of them say they can’t afford to help their children.
Forget Wii and Nintendo DS.
The cold, slimy ooze of frog eggs, the chance to leap across tree stumps and the hunt for slithering salamanders can evoke just as many children’s giggles and screams as any video game.
The night of April 1, the Empire State building was lit it up blue. So was the Miami Tower in Miami. Also Wrigley Building in Chicago. And stores across the country, like a Tommy Hilfiger shop in Manhattan.
But in Charlotte? Not Bank of America. Not Wachovia. Not the Panthers stadium. Not the Government Center. One local woman says, “Charlotte – a city who lights up a building blue for a football game – but can’t light up a building one night to shine light upon a very important cause that is affecting more and more children.”
ASHEVILLE — Lynn Rosser was pregnant with her second child when her older son, Aram, was diagnosed with autism.
Less than a month later, Rosser learned the child she was carrying had a congenital heart defect and would need surgery shortly after birth. Jaron Rosser, now 5, had three major surgeries during his first two years.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Vice President Dr. Genie Komives and lobbyist Mark Fleming both appeared recently before a legislative study committee to oppose legislation that would require insurance companies to cover more comprehensive treatments and therapies for children with autism.
RALEIGH — A debate is under way in North Carolina over health insurance coverage for children with autism, and the issue turns on whether the therapy is considered educational or medical.
The argument, presented Thursday in a legislative study commission, is at the heart of a proposed bill that would require health insurers to cover behavioral therapy and other treatments for children with autism, a neurological disorder marked by varying degrees of problems communicating and forming bonds with others.
Your Jan. 27 article on Joshua Stewart, a 13-year-old boy with autism who had been camped out for eight days, waiting for a much-needed bed in a mental health hospital, highlighted the effects of the devastating budget cuts our beleaguered mental health system has undergone.
Geraldine Dawson, professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, lead author of study.
Charlie Lamb was barely 2 years old when he was diagnosed with autism. His mother Susan had been convinced for months that “something was not right” with her second child. He wouldn’t stand in line like the other kids in gymnastics class, she recalls, and he spoke fewer words. He was more captivated by spinning wheels than Teletubbies. His father Tom noticed that his blond, blue-eyed son would always walk in circles around the kitchen table and that he would do the equivalent at their local park in Seattle — walking along the perimeter fence rather than crossing into the play area.
Ten years ago, autism was rarely detected before ages 3 or 4. Now, thanks to growing awareness and widespread screening at 18 and 24 months, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, more autistic children like Charlie are being identified when they are toddlers. But for all the emphasis on early detection, very little research exists on how to intervene effectively for children so young. Story continues here ➤
CARRBORO – The Board of Aldermen approved a zoning change last week to let a vocational school expand into a larger building.
The vote allows Pace Academy, a secondary school, to move to N.C. 54 from Legion Road in Chapel Hill, where it opened in 2004. The school serves students with learning disabilities, autism and mental and emotional health issues. Story continues here ➤
GREENSBORO — Some local parents of autistic children may be a little more comfortable with Guilford County Schools’ plan to build two , rather than three, autism classroom wings after meeting with district officials Wednesday night .
For the first 12 years of his life, Chris Fitzmaurice couldn’t sound out the letters of the alphabet. He spoke in high-pitched screeches, didn’t make eye contact with others and wouldn’t hug his parents. Diagnosed with mild-to-moderate autism at age 2, Chris’ communication was so limited that his doctor thought he would have a difficult time learning new things. Read the rest of this entry
REIDSVILLE — Cole Grubbs seemed to be a healthy, happy baby when his parents, Karen and Kenny Grubbs, brought him home from the hospital after his birth on April 10, 1997. Read the rest of this entry
A local family wants to start a foundation that will help children with autism and their parents.
They would like to use the name Dreams and Things Unlimited, because dreams are unlimited and can become reality, said Devenne Howe.
The team he subbed for had no idea that Molton, who is autistic, was going to have a night that no one will forget.
It was perfect.
“Wendell bowled a 300 for the first time in a league-sanctioned game,” his brother, Howard, said. “It meant the world to him. Since he suffers from autism, he likes to do things exactly the same, and I think that helped him. He kept hitting the same spot all night long.”
We hope we've helped make a difference and hope to make one for many years to come. Needless to say, your support is deeply appreciated from the heart.
Our appreciation as always for the generous support of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation.
|
|---|
