Friday, July 18, 2008

The state is struck down again

The state of Ohio has been attempting to change the way autism services are paid for by Medicaid. Participation by states in the Medicaid system is voluntary, but once you join in, you have to follow the federal guidelines. Gov. Strickland seems to think that with the way payments are done with Step by Step, which is the only 1 on 1 ABA service in central Ohio for children with autism, does not comply with the federal guidelines. However, each arguement he and the ODJFS/MMRD consortium come up with, makes the case for SBSA stronger.

On July 1st, a federal judge placed a restraining order against the rule change that the state was to go into effect that day that was proposed by ODJFS and MRDD. This would have effectively cut funding to SBSA, and threatened several other centers. Those children affected would have to go back on waiting lists, and any progress they made would slowly erode away.

Needless to say, the state asked the judege to recind his ruling. That judge yesterday said that his ruling stands, and the state will now go to appeal. Judge Grahm said when refusing to recind the restraining order said that changes the state proposed "may have the effect of denying many children, not just the plaintiff children," access to needed services. (Source: Columbus Dispatch website). He also stated at the July 1st ruling that the plantiffs (SBSA, and other parents of children with Autism.) have a very good case against the state.

I'm sure Gov. Strickland is upset that he's been beaten back again. His continued assualt on services in this state that help children should not be tolerated by the citizens that he serves. While I do understand that we are in a budget crunch, some of our more vunernable citizens need to be protected. Helping many of these children to learn skills and contribute to society in the future is something that we can't look at from an accountants glasses. Right now, 1 in 150 children are diagnosed with some form of an autism sprectrum disorder. That number will only go up. We must act now to help them mainstream into society.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Autism Benefits galore


It's been awhile, but I'm back for now. Alot has happened, but it would take forever to explain, so I'll just worry about the good things for the moment.

First, Step by Step is still open, and looking good for a fall enrollment. It's exciting to see that. Right now, they are holding their first summer camp, and if the first week is any indication, it's a fun time. Logan comes home everyday happy and talking about his experiences that day. It's great to see and hear about those everyday.

Today was a great day. Melissa, Logan and I attended the Autism benefit in Westerville. This was a charity softball game. The teams were made up from Channel 4, Channel 6, and Channel 10, as well as QFM 96. Jerod Smalley, who is a sports reporter for Channel 4, has a son who was diagnosed with Autism. I got to meet both Jerod, and his son, Brady during the game. Jerod has a blog about his son and the daily life of a family with a child with autism. I also got to meet Dimitirous Stanley, a former wide receiver for Ohio State. They raised over $3000 for the Children's Hospital Autism Center. There were also other autism centers with booth's set up, such as Step by Step, Helping Hands, and one other that I can't remember off the top of my head.

The next big event that I'm aware of is the Walk for Autism that benefits Autism Speaks on Sunday, October 12th. I've created a team. Just click this link and you'll see the team that I've created for this event. I hope to see you there. Even if you can't walk or won't be able to attend, you can still donate and credit our team. It's all for a great cause.

Oh, and here is a picture of Logan from the event...
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