Va. falls short with autism services, report says

Virginia does a poor job of providing services to people with autism, the legislature's watchdog group said yesterday.

State services suffer from a lack of coordination, too-late diagnosis of children with autism, poor early-intervention programs and public schools that cannot consistently meet the needs of children, according to the report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.

Speaking for the state, Marilyn B. Tavenner, secretary of health and human resources, said, "we support the report." Her department is recruiting two individuals to pull together the different agencies, including the Department of Education, that deal with people with autism, she said.

Autism affects social skills, communication skills and behavior.

Parents seeking benefits for autistic children, and insurance lobbyists gearing up to oppose the possibility of mandated insurance benefits that might include autism treatments, filled a room at the General Assembly Building to hear the report.

Del. Shannon R. Valentine, D-Lynchburg, who sponsored the resolution that led to the JLARC study, said the number of children with autism has reached "epidemic" proportions.

Citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers, she said one in 150 children is autistic and the incidence rate among boys is one in 94. No one knows why the incidences are increasing, she said.

JLARC began the study last year. Its first report recommended that health-insurance providers be required to cover autism treatment. Under heavy pressure from insurance interests and small-business owners, the General Assembly rejected the proposal.

Nathalie Molliet-Ribet, leader of the JLARC study, said early intervention is important in treatment. As a consequence, autism should be detected in children by age 3, she said. In Virginia, children often are diagnosed well after 3, she added.

Molliet-Ribet also said Virginia has no centralized source of information about the condition. Most families report relying on other parents or the Internet for information, she said. This lack of information hinders families from accessing available programs and from using effective treatments, she said.

Nationally, studies have demonstrated that 90 percent of children improved with intensive interventions, and half reached normal or near-normal functioning, Molliet-Ribet said. The intensity level should be 20 to 25 hours a week for two to three years, she said, but children with autism typically receive three or fewer hours per week.

The JLARC study said early intervention could save the state money; it's now spending about $20,000 for each of the 7,580 autistic special-education students.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or .