Apr 16, 2008 6:41 am US/Central
Bill Would Guarantee Care For Kids With Autism
S.B. 1900 Passes Senate, Still Must Pass House
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CBS) ―
The Illinois State Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would help lower the costs for caring for children with autism.
Senate Bill 1900 is sponsored by Sen. James DeLeo (D-Chicago) and advisor Peter DiCianni, who has a daughter with autism. The bill would require insurers to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autistic spectrum disorders.
On the higher functioning end of autism, which includes such disorders as Asperger's syndrome, social deficits, odd patterns of speech and obsession with complex subjects are often the primary symptoms seen.
But in more extreme cases, autistic children are sometimes unable to speak at all or make eye contact, and sometimes hit themselves or others.
Therapeutic intervention is often helpful in treating autism, but many times it goes uncovered by insurance.
Chicago-born actor Joe Mantegna has been the spokesman for the bill. Mantegna has a daughter with autism.
"Autism is the number one medically-diagnosed disorder afflicting children, so you may be surprised to learn autism is not covered by health insurance in Illinois, unlike the states of Michigan, Indiana and New York, that all cover children diagnosed with autism," Mantegna said in a YouTube video promoting the bill.
In years past, those with autism were often institutionalized once they reached adulthood. But with improved treatments, Mantegna said the bill would help insure "support therapies that will help these kids speak, interact and gain independence."
State Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest) is a sponsor of the bill.
"Autism is considered the most widely diagnosed developmental disability in the nation, affecting 1 in 166 children, a ten-fold increase over the past 20 years," Crotty said in a news release. "It has been highly documented that when children with autism secure the appropriate services and treatments early in life, they are able to make extraordinary strides in their lives."
The bill still must pass the state House of Representatives before becoming law.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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