NEWS RELEASE FROM FREEMAN HEALTH SYSTEM
JOPLIN, Mo.At age 13, Ethan Koeneman was still unable to fully communicate with those around him. Diagnosed with autism, Ethan was not able to convey his thoughts or emotions through verbal expression. For years, his mother, Shannon Edwards, struggled to connect with her only child.
Ethan recently began receiving treatment at Arkansas Autism Connection, a service of Freeman Health System, based out of Joplin, Mo., and its behavioral health division, Ozark Center. Board-certified behavior analysts at Arkansas Autism Connection have provided Ethan with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), long considered an effective autism treatment. Since his therapy began, Ethan and his mother have shared meaningful communication. Thanks to the work of his therapists, Ethan is able to make purposeful gestures to help those around him understand his wants and needs. The treatment, Edwards said, has injected a sense of normalcy into Ethans life.
Sadly, there are many children in Arkansas who need ABA therapy, Edwards said. Children with autism so often are not able to do things that the rest of us take for granted. ABA is the only intervention proven to help those living with autism.
Located in Bentonville, Ark., and established in 2013, Arkansas Autism Connection was developed by Freeman and Ozark Center in consultation with the Cleveland Clinic Autism Consulting Group. Arkansas Autism Connection provides its clients with ABA, a behaviorally based autism treatment endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Surgeon General. Because of this intensive, one-on-one therapy, ABA intervention is proven to unlock parts of the brain.
ABA is an effective intervention because it examines the function of a behavior we want to changewhether communication, social interaction or restricted or repetitive behaviorsand creates an intervention to replace it. We examine what is happening before, during and after a behavior and determine how we change that behavior. By consistently providing reinforcement for the behaviors we want and not providing reinforcement for behaviors we dont want, we are able to intervene in a way that is going to help a child with autism learn. That is the science behind ABA, said Kristy Parker, Autism Arkansas Connection clinical director.
Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions previous estimation that one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder, there may be as many as 5,000 individuals in Benton, Madison and Washington counties in northwest Arkansas who are on the autism spectrum. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently increased their estimation of the prevalence of autism to one in 68 children, meaning the number of individuals living with autism in northwest Arkansas is likely greater than 5,000.
A reform law passed in Arkansas in 2011 requires health insurance companies to provide coverage for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The law states that there can be no cap on the number of treatment visits and requires health insurance companies to cover the diagnosis of an autism disorder, ABA therapy and other related care. This legislation allows greater accessibility to the ABA therapy provided by Arkansas Autism Connection.
While Ethan had received ABA therapy in another state, a job change required Edwards to move to Arkansas in 2011. Following her move, Edwards said she discovered that ABA therapy was not readily available in her community. This lapse in treatment caused Ethan to regress. Now that he is again receiving ABA, Ethan has been able to gain back his former skills and then some. The difference ABA has made, Edwards said, is undeniable.
Because of the lack of availability of ABA services, some parents are not aware that it exists and how it could change the life of their child, Edwards said.
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Arkansas Autism Connection supplies ABA therapy to children of northwest Arkansas