Tuesday, November 24, 2009

NEWS: District of Columbia introduces Autism Insurance Legislation

**Update 1/26/2010 - The Council of the District of Columbia website seems to indicate that no action has been taken on B18-058 since it was circulated and assigned to committee. This post will be further updated or new info posted in a separate blogpost at such time that hearing or other action is scheduled or occurs**
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On November 17, 2009 legislation requesting insurance coverage for Autism Spectrum Disorders was introduced to the Council of the District of Columbia and has been referred to Public Services and Consumer Affairs Committee.

The bill is B18-0528, "HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM ACT OF 2009".
Sponsors: Wells, Bowser, Catania, Co-sponsors: Brown, Thomas, Alexander, Cheh, Gray
pdf of the legislation.

Some clauses relevant to coverage of applied behavior analytic therapies:
Under "habilitative or rehabilitative care" includes applied behavior analysis among treatment modalities and explicitly mentions board certified behavior analysts. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) shall be limited to a maximum benefit of $55,000 annually.

This act applies only to fully-funded health plans governed by state law and applies to all individual all individual and group health benefit plans issued or renewed on the first day of the month beginning on or after 180 days following the effective date of the act.
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Related:
DC officials propose autism insurance requirements
Washington Examiner, Associated Press
11/15/09

Autism Speaks, Washington, DC Councilmembers Tommy Wells And Muriel Bowser Announce Introduction Of Autism Insurance Reform Bill
Autismvotes
11/16/09
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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
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Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,

Monday, November 23, 2009

NEWS: Behavior Therapy Effectively Complements Medication for Treatment of Behavior Problems in PDDs

For those interested in the use of medications, behavior therapy, the combination of both in treating serious behaviors in pervasive developmental disorders, and use of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) this blog post by Michelle Diament of Disability Scoop will be of interest. It describes that the most effective results for treatment of problem behaviors in the study group of 4-13 year-olds with autism was a combination of parent training in use of behavioral therapy and medication vs. medication alone, with the improvements derived from parent training continued to increase over time. The research article itself will be something you will want to read and is posted below; at the current time the research article is available in free open access from the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry's December issue.


I found this statement in the Disability Scoop blogpost made by Thomas R. Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to be of particular interest,
“Medication alone has been shown to help with some symptoms of autism, but its potential is limited...This study shows promise of a more effective treatment protocol that could improve life for children with autism and their families."

ABA International members Eric Butter, Ph.D. and James A. Mulick, Ph.D. are two of the team of researchers who authored the research article.

Behavior Therapy Plus Medication Most Successful For Kids With Autism
By Michelle Diament
November 23, 2009
Disability Scoop 11/23/09
"Children with autism experienced fewer behaviors and needed less medication when their parents used behavior therapy in addition to medication, new research shows."

Aman, M.G., McDougle, C.J.,Scahill, L., Handen ,B., Arnold, L. E., et. al.(2009). Medication and parent training in children with pervasive developmental disorders and serious behavior problems: Results from a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,48(12),1143-1154.
doi: 10.1097/CHI. 0b013e3181bfd669

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Related:
NIMH Press Release
November 20, 2009
Parent Training Complements Medication for Treating Behavioral Problems in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders

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Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis SIG
-----------
Views and news expressed in this blog or by the PIBA SIG are those of the SIG or individual SIG member authors and do not represent official policy of ABA International or other official body. For official policy of the Association of Behavior Analysis International, the reader is directed to their website,