Flawed autism program needs a fix

Editor,

I am alarmed by the structure of Utah’s Medicaid autism waiver described in the Standard-Examiner.

Our family has been affected by autism in our 3 year-old twins. We have seen the progress they have made in the past year solely due to the individualized, autism-specific behavioral therapy (Applied Behavioral Analysis, or ABA) they have been receiving.

The proposed use of "tutors" with 20 training hours, in contrast to the 1,000 hours under direct supervision needed to be an ABA therapist, is laughable yet tragic.

Please urge the Utah Department of Health to structure the waiver to foster the chances of Utah’s children with autism overcoming their disease, rather than wasting time, money and human potential.