Coming to the US from Canada recently, I was pushed into a deep
sea of funding-related new variables. In Canada there is much to do in
terms of funding appropriate (ABA) treatment for autism, but our battles are
with the Education Department and other Governmental funding sources. We do not
have to deal with insurance companies and that has added significant burden on
service providers, although of course it has opened up access to appropriate
treatment to families who would not otherwise have been able to fund ABA. The
fact is that all behavior analysts have to be aware of what is happening and do
their best to become and remain informed.
In the US, as bills are passed in each State, that mandate
coverage of autism treatment by Medicare and private insurance companies, a mad
rush to figure out who should and can be funded, for what, when, how, etc
started.
We are lucky to count with the advocacy of Autism Speaks* and the
tireless work of Lorri Unumb, who plays
a major role in advocating for the inclusion of ABA in those laws, and incredibly competent
and well-intentioned behavior analysts, who have been working diligently to
make sure behavior analysts are at the forefront of the important decisions
about what constitutes appropriate treatment and appropriate ABA.
Without the work of these leading behavior analysts, we would not be able to have a chance to establish appropriate guidelines and eventually standards, and to be the ones to determine what appropriate treatment is and who can be a behavior analyst allowed to practice in autism treatment! They are many, they are at every ABAI and ABAI Chapter conference you attend (make sure you do!), and they are speaking for us. We should all be supporting the Behavior Analyst Certification
Board (BACB) and the Association of Professional Behavior
Analysts (APBA) for their efforts, and following them for
information. The BACB, although stating that they do not plan on putting
efforts into coming up with similar efforts, recently made available an
excellent guide Health Plan Coverage of Applied
Behavior Analysis Treatment
for Autism Spectrum Disorder,
which for now should be the bible for parents, professionals, and service
providers, and insurance companies of course.
The Autism Special Interest Group
is also about to finalize an update to their Consumer Guidelines.
*AS is hosting the first Autism Investment Conference!
*AS is hosting the first Autism Investment Conference!
