There have been significant strides in autism treatment in West Virginia over the last year, but there is a long road ahead for autistic children and the services needed to treat them.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed West Virginia's Autism Insurance Reform Law (HB 2693) April 2, 2012 at West Virginia University's Center for Excellence in Disabilities. It has a small Intensive Autism Service Delivery Clinic, which serves five children.
Tristan and Autumn Hinebaugh are twins who receive hours of one on one instruction at the clinic.
In 2012, their mother Tina described their behavior before they began treatment.
"Tristan had two words at two and a half. He didn't know, if we were getting ready to go somewhere, what a coat was, how to put it on, nothing," Tina said. "Autumn would sit in a corner and play with a string."
Now, the little boy who didn't even seem to notice there was a camera in the room can't keep his eyes or hands off of it while we record their session, and the little girl who seemed lost in her own world has found her words.
"Chip," Autumn said, receiving praise and a Dorito from Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Emily Harris.
"You said chip' all by yourself!" Harris said, before repeating the exercise.
"They are doing better than I ever dreamed possible," Tina said.
Their progress comes after many hours a week of personalized, one on one treatment at the CED in Morgantown.
The rest is here:
State of Autism Pt. 1: Tristan and Autumn One Year Later