By RACHEL ZAMZOW
August 17, 2014
Tony Burke was an energetic 2-year-old who loved drawing purple pictures of Barney and jumping on trampolines. But then his parents began to notice how he would grunt instead of talk, and couldn't look anyone in the eye. Before his third birthday, in 2005, he was diagnosed with autism.
"It felt like my heart had been ripped out," said his mother, Suzanne Burke of Philadelphia.
Seeking the best care, his parents found applied behavior analysis (ABA), a one-on-one therapy considered the most effective treatment to date for autism.
While doing ABA, Tony's grunts became words like "cookie" and "juice," which later evolved into sentences, such as "Can I have some juice?" The intensive therapy was working.
But then the family's insurance started denying claims.
Even though laws in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey require insurers to pay for ABA, Tony's therapy wasn't covered in school, where he most needed help. And it was impossible for the Burkes to pay the nearly $80,000 a year this therapy costs.
Without ABA, Tony's language skills plummeted. His behavior spiraled out of control.
"You feel helpless," said Tony's father, John Burke.
Read the original here:
Families seek changes to autism laws to access better treatment