by Jonathan Slack
Earlier this year Mississippi passed autism insurance mandate legislation. Parents want to give their children every opportunity to succeed and it is disheartening that parents in some parts of the country children on the autism spectrum cannot receive Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or behavioral therapy because their insurance will not pay for it. Everyone deserves the chance to achieve their hopes and dreams. Without ABA, many individuals on the spectrum would not have the skills to even try to achieve their hopes and dreams. It would be like trying to hit a 90 mile/hour fastball blindfolded and without a bat. With ABA individuals on the autism spectrum can at least step up the batter’s box with the tools they need to succeed. Hopefully, North Carolina, Hawaii, Ohio, Alabama, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming will follow the rest of the country’s lead in passing an autism insurance mandate, so that one day every child on the spectrum can be given the skills and tools they need to achieve their hopes and dreams.