Best Cities for People with Disabilities

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Overland Park, KS is the number one city for people with disabilities, according to a new ranking from WalletHub. (Overland Park CVB / Disability Scoop)

Here’s an interesting finding. For people with disabilities, what city is “best” to live in? According to consumer finance website WalletHub, it looks like Overland Park in Kansas is the nation’s best city for people with disabilities to call home. Each of the 150 ranked cities was analyzed based on 23 factors, from cost of living to effectiveness of the state Medicaid program.

Where does your city rank?

 

Ranking Names Best Cities For People With Disabilities

+steps Program Cultivates Social and Executive Planning Skills in Students with Autism

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We’ve always believed in the importance of nurturing independence in our students. When we came across this article in the Lowell Sun, we found it a great opportunity to share how one school district is cultivating its autism curriculum to help their students towards achieving independence.

+steps (read: Positive Steps) is a program within the North Middlesex Regional School District in Pepperell, MA that helps over 600 students with autism and other developmental disabilities develop social and executive planning skills with various activities of daily living, from going out to local supermarkets to learn how to shop, to preparing meals for assisted living residents, and to creating podcasts to improve on public speaking skills.

Read the full article here

States Begin to Include ABA Coverage

It looks like progress is being made on getting treatments such as ABA covered by insurance. Disability Scoop is reporting that states are finally starting to include coverage of treatments like Applied Behavior Analysis for children with autism under Medicaid. This means that states must cover services consistent with the categories defined by Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment services (EPSDT). This includes Applied Behavior Analysis, speech and occupational therapies, and other personal care services.

Read the full article here.

Has anyone in CA, NV, and CT had success with getting services like ABA covered?

 

 

 

Pilot Study Finds that Parent-led Early Intervention Can Reduce Autism Symptoms in Babies

Autism symptoms can display in babies as young as 6 months old. A new pilot study at the UC Davis MIND Institute found that parents could reduce symptoms of autism in babies under 12 months by using intervention treatments in the home as detailed in the Early Denver Start Model.

As reported in a recent Huffington Post article, the study involved parents and their babies between 7 and 15 months of age in a 12 week-long treatment conducted by parents in home-like environments. The treatment was based on the Early Denver Start Model and revolved around parent-child interactions, such as bathing, feeding, playing, and reading. Four comparison groups were also included: Those who were at a higher risk for autism because of an affected sibling; those who were at low risk; those who had developed autism by age 3; and those with early symptoms who received treatment at a later age.

At the start of the study, all babies displayed early signs of autism, such as low interest in interactions and repetitive behaviors, which increased by around 9 months. However, by 18 to 36 months of age, the children in the treatment group produced lower autism severity scores than the comparison groups who did not go through the treatment.

The Huffington Post article “Pilot Intervention Eliminates Autism Symptoms In Babies” highlights the importance of early intervention in autism treatment. While this research is highly preliminary, the findings show that therapy and early intervention are key factors in treating infants and children with early signs of autism, and possibly in reducing them altogether. This study offers hope for parents and professionals in helping their children succeed with more tools and resources for the earliest stages of autism.

Read more about the pilot study on Huffington Post here.

How a Special Needs Mother Does It On a Typical Day

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Nicole Zeitzer Johnson and her family. (NY Times)

How do so many special needs parents do it? We were incredibly moved and inspired by the story of one special needs mother, who explained a typical day with her 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter who suffers from FoxG1, a rare genetic neurological condition associated with seizure attacks and impaired development.

This article reminded us of the bravery and commitment of all the parents in our community, and how positivity is really the best way to “do it all.”

How Nicole Zeitzer Johnson, Communications
Director and Special Needs Parent, Does It

ASD Brains Show Decrease in Neuronal Autophagy, Underlying Oversensitivity and Deficits in Social Interaction

SOURCE: New York Times article by Pam Belluck

A recent study led by David Sulzer at Columbia University Medical Center showed that in children and adolescents with autism, brain tissue within the temporal lobe exhibit a decrease in neuronal autophagy (the brain’s process of clearing out old and degraded cells), which underlies oversensitivity and deficits in social interaction.

NY Times: Guomei Tang, PhD and Mark S. Sonders, PhD/Columbia University Medical Center

In early development, synapses—connections that allow neurons to communicate with each other—allows for infants to develop with as much external stimuli and information as possible. However, in childhood and adolescence, these synapses are gradually “pruned” so that the brain can develop more specific and advanced functions by not being overloaded with stimuli. As one can imagine, brains of children with autism fail to “prune” these synapses, causing them to be constantly overloaded with stimuli. In this study, young children with and without autism show roughly the same number of synapses, suggesting a “pruning” problem in autism, rather a problem with overproduction. Dr. Sulzer’s team also found biomarkers in the brains of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism, which suggested malfunctions in the process of autophagy (the neural degradation of old cells and damaged cell organelles). Without autophagy, the synaptic pruning process can’t occur.

These findings give us some insight into how autism develops from childhood onward, and help explain symptoms like oversensitivity and deficits in social interactions. Whether autism is a problem of brains with too little connectivity or too much of it has been of debate in recent years in the field of autism research. Ralph-Axel Müller, at San Diego State University, found in his studies that there was too much connectivity within brains of individuals with autism. “Impairments that we see in autism seem to be partly due to different parts of the brain talking too much to each other,” he reported to the NY Times. “You need to lose connections in order to develop a fine-tuned system of brain networks, because if all parts of the brain talk to all parts of the brain, all you get is noise.1

Eric Klann, a professor at New York University, also acknowledged an autophagy decrease in ASD brains. “The pruning problem seems to happen later in development than one might think,” Dr. Klann informed the Times. “It suggests that if you could intervene in that process that it could be beneficial for social behavior.”1 With further research into how this decrease in autophagy—and thus the synaptic pruning process in brains of children with autism—can be addressed earlier in a child’s development, there is hope that symptoms of autism may be preventable in the future.

1 “Study Finds That Brains With Autism Fail to Trim Synapses as They Develop.” New York Times. 21 Aug. 2014. Web. <https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/health/brains-of-autistic-children-have-too-many-synapses-study-suggests.html>.

Federal Ruling Ensures that Insurers Must Cover ABA Therapy

GavelFederal Judge Michael H. Simon in Oregon ruled last week that insurance providers cannot deny coverage of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit against Providence Health Plan, an insurance provider that denied coverage of ABA therapy for children diagnosed with autism, while simultaneously granting coverage for children without a diagnosis. ABA therapy, which can cost over $50,000 a year, involves a behavioral interventionist working with a child in the family’s home or in his school to address behavioral deficits for up to forty hours a week.

Oregon State Governor John Kitzhaber also agreed with this ruling and will adjust state health plans to reflect Judge Simon’s decision. The discrepancy between insurance policies and what providers actually cover arises because the medical community views ABA as “a medically necessary treatment of autism,”1 whereas some insurance providers accept it as an educational service that is provided in schools. Since autism is also classified as a “developmental disability,” instead of a mental health disorder, insurers exclude ABA coverage for those with autism, which is also a violation of mental health parity laws.

In some states like California, several warnings have been issued to insurance companies after several denials of ABA coverage had been overturned on appeal. Regional centers now fund ABA therapy by service providers, as well as insurance companies. With President Obama’s signing of Autism CARES last week, the federal ruling will hopefully set a precedent for insurance companies across the country to allow coverage of ABA therapy for families of children diagnosed with autism. ABA therapy is the most influential and widely cited form of therapy for autism, showing the most promise and efficacy in the treatment of autism.

1 https://exm.nr/1oJvnxa

Obama Signs Autism CARES to Renew Funding for Support

Late last Friday, August 8th, President Obama signed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act (Autism CARES), a reauthorization of the U.S.’s primary autism legislation, which includes over a billion dollars in federal funding for autism research, services, and support.

Autism CARES is a renewal of what was previously called the Combating Autism Act, which was first enacted in 2006. The renewal calls for $260 million in funding per year through 2019 for autism research, prevalence tracking, screening, professional training, and other initiatives. It will also ensure a new point person in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to oversee research and support services and activities related to autism. Amendments will also be made to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, mandating that a new report be conducted on the needs of young adults and youth during transition.

“The Autism CARES Act will allow us to continue to build on these efforts. It will increase understanding of the barriers that youth and young adults with an autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disability face as they transition from school-based services to those available during adulthood by charging federal agencies with assessing the particular needs of this population,” said Taryn Mackenzie Williams, Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

To find out more about how the Department of Health and Human Services is supporting autism, visit their website here.

Different Roads iOS Apps Now Feature Family Sharing

Apple has recently introduced a new Family Sharing feature, which allows up to 6 family members to browse and access each other’s iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases, as well as share photos, calendars, and locations with each other. We’re excited to announce that all of our Different Roads apps in the iTunes App Store have also begun to support this feature. Family Sharing also includes parental controls, enabling parents to approve purchases and downloads initiated by children first.

Different Roads to Learning Apps

Clean Up Cateogory Sorting AppClean-Up: Category Sorting  This highly-rated interactive program develops language, reasoning, and sorting and classifying skills in young learners. Players must “clean up” by putting 75 photographic images of toys, food, and clothing away in the correct shopping cart, refrigerator, or toy box. Each target is introduced by its label (“Where does the Apple go?”) in each round where players see 15 unique images. Correct responses receive visual and auditory reinforcement while incorrect answers are corrected by a visual prompt of the correct answer flashing. This app builds foundational sorting skills for students just developing their sorting and classifying skills. Available on iPhone and iPad.

Whats that Sound App

What’s that Sound? Learning to Listen and Identify Sounds  This interactive and easy-to-grasp game develops auditory discrimination and processing skills in young learners. Players will improve their skills by matching objects and their associated sounds. Simple auditory processing skills lay the foundation for learning how to read, speak and spell.
Available on iPhone and iPad.

 

What Goes Together App

What Goes Together?  This interactive program develops language, discrimination, and reasoning skills in young learners. Clear, colorful images of everyday objects promote an understanding of functions and the relationships between items that children encounter on a daily basis. With built-in reinforcement and error correction, this game provides a solid foundation in building critical expressive and receptive language skills. Available on iPhone and iPad.

Tell Me About It App

Tell Me About It!  Featured as Editor’s Choice on Best Apps for Kids, this universal app is specifically designed for children with autism and other speech and language delays. Based on the Applied Behavioral Analysis approach, this program mimics an actual one-on-one instructional session with a therapist. The app provides 15 categories of language targets, such as body parts, household items, clothing and food, and six levels of difficulty, which progressively become more difficult, from labelling to shared feature, function, and category. This app also features an easy-to-read report card, which provides tracking data for each child and an option to e-mail the report card results. Available on iPhone and iPad.

To discover all of our current apps and what Family Sharing can do for your family, visit our iTunes App Store page.

NYS Licensing Process for Behavior Analysts Announced

The New York State Office of the Professions announced on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014, the application process for licensed behavior analysts and certified behavior analyst assistants.  This process marks the first step in implementing the landmark ABA License Bill that was signed by New York State Governor Cuomo in January. This bill establishes a new state license for providers of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Now, individuals seeking to become licensed BCBA’s and BCaBA’s in New York will be able to register and become certified by the following requirements (subject to change in January 2016):

 

  1. Currently certified by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board
  2. Submit a 4-page application
  3. Pay the required application fee
  4. At least 21 years of age
  5. Complete a 3-hour training in the identification and reporting of child abuse
  6. Be of good, moral character

Visit the NYS Office of the Professions’ website to view the detailed list of Licensure/Certification Requirements.

Special thanks to Eden II and ELIJA for sharing the news with us!