Governor Rell Signs Bill Expanding Coverage

for Autism Spectrum Disorders

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today celebrated the signing of legislation that broadens the coverage that group insurance policies must provide for people with autism spectrum disorders, especially children.

            “This bill offers support – and more importantly, hope – to the families of children coping with a deeply frustrating condition,” Governor Rell said. “Under current law, group policies must cover physical, speech and occupational therapy for autism to the same extent they cover other diseases and conditions. This bill removes that limitation and sets new conditions for the coverage of therapies and other services, and adds the requirement that behavioral therapy be covered for a child under the age of 14.

            “Families coping with autism spectrum disorders need and deserve this coverage,” the Governor said. “More importantly, children struggling to break through the barriers erected by these disorders need and deserve this hope and support.”

            Autism spectrum disorders is the name given to a range of conditions characterized by abnormal social interactions, difficulty communicating and – in some cases – repetitive behaviors. The most severe form is autism, while milder forms are known as Asperger syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, sometimes called atypical autism.

            “These disorders, even in their mildest forms, are in a way some of the cruelest illnesses imaginable, because they most often appear early in a child’s development – in those usually happy months when parent and child are first beginning to truly communicate and to truly bond,” Governor Rell said. “Instead, autism spectrum disorders erect barriers – barriers between children and the rest of their world, between children and their classmates, between children and their communities, even between children and their families.

            “Children with these disorders find it difficult – sometimes next to impossible – to communicate effectively,” the Governor said. “They struggle to cope with sensory input. Friendships are hard to make and hard to keep. Children most severely affected sometimes find themselves all but cut off from the world. And parents find their children – and themselves – plunged into what is often a lifelong struggle to break through these barriers. It is a difficult and stressful experience, and – of course – it can be very expensive.

            “Yet there is hope. Speech and language therapies, social skills therapies and other treatments offer improvements and advances, while medications can be helpful in some cases as well. And the sooner treatments are begun the more effective they can be. That is where this bill is intended to help,” the Governor said.

            Governor Rell has long been an advocate for children and families coping with autism spectrum disorders. In April, while declaring it Autism Awareness Month in Connecticut, the Governor encouraged researchers and organizations in Connecticut to apply for a share of $57 million in federal stimulus funds available to support research and treatment for autism spectrum disorders.

            “This new Connecticut law is another significant victory in the national effort to secure autism insurance coverage in all 50 states and provide families with the help they so desperately need and deserve,” said Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks and a resident of Fairfield. “We thank Governor Rell and Connecticut’s legislators for having the courage to put families and their needs first.”