State is set to hire autism coordinator

Friday, September 12, 2008 By Steve Doyle Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com

Task Force's Ward says Legislature has provided funds

Alabama's efforts to help people with autism are gaining steam.

Shelby County lawmaker Cam Ward, who chairs the state Autism Task Force, visited Huntsville Thursday to deliver some good news: The Legislature has added $75,000 to next year's budget to hire a state autism coordinator.

Ward, whose daughter, Riley, has the developmental disability, said creating an autism czar position in Montgomery "is a big deal."

"We're making wonderful progress," he said during a meeting at 801 Franklin, a restaurant. "We're not leading the country, but we're not in the back of the pack."

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 1 in 150 children nationally are affected by autism, which can cause severe social interaction and communication problems. Boys are at much higher risk than girls.

Ward, R-Alabaster, and other task force members have traveled the state to hear from parents, teachers and others on the front lines of the autism battle. Thursday's stop in Huntsville included a tour of Premier Preschool off Bradford Drive, which mixes children with autism into regular classrooms so they can learn social skills.

Preschool owner Leslie Buchanan said the 2-year-old collaboration with behavior analyst Carol Vancil is going so well that some kids now need only minimal therapy.

"You almost can't pick them out in the classroom anymore," said Buchanan, who would like to see the program become a model for other preschools.

The autism task force is supposed to deliver its recommendations to Gov. Bob Riley and the Legislature by early 2009. Among the ideas likely to make the cut:

Create autism research and training centers at universities in every corner of the state.

Push insurance providers to cover expensive but effective behavioral therapy. Tricare, a health insurance plan for active-duty and retired soldiers and their families, is among the few that pay for autism treatment.

Encourage Alabama's pediatricians to perform more autism screenings so affected children can get help sooner.

Get medical schools to spend more time teaching their students about autism.

Open a resource library where parents could get accurate, up-to-date information about autism and treatment options.

Count Betsy Berman among those rooting for the task force to succeed. The Huntsville attorney said she wasn't sure where to turn when her son, Jack, was diagnosed with autism four years ago.

She got lucky: A woman who overhead Berman talking about her son gave her a phone number. That chance encounter at a Waffle House restaurant led Berman to a behavior analyst who continues to work with Jack, now a kindergarten student.

"It shouldn't be that way for other families," said Berman, who founded the nonprofit Autism Resource Foundation last year.

Ward said he's encouraged to see autism, long a back-burner issue, finally get some attention. John McCain and Barack Obama have both mentioned the need for more autism services in recent speeches, he said.

Even so, Ward said he expects the Legislature to reject his bill forcing Alabama insurance companies to cover autism treatment.

"I'm going to get beat on it," he said. "The first argument's going to be, 'Hold on, why are we just doing this for folks with autism?' "

Because most state lawmakers know next to nothing about autism, Ward said, a public awareness campaign is key to getting the task force's recommendations passed.

"Everybody remembers Jerry's Kids from TV," he said. "They brought a new level of awareness to that issue" of muscular dystrophy.