It's the 'gold standard' in autism care. Why are states reining it in?

"Diagnosed with autism at 14 months, Aubreigh Osborne started this year struggling to control outbursts and sometimes hurting herself. Her trouble with social interactions made her family reluctant to go out in public. But this summer, they started applied behavior analysis therapy, commonly called ABA, which often is used to help people diagnosed with autism improve social interactions and communication."

"But in October, Aubreigh's weekly therapy hours were abruptly halved from 30 to 15, a byproduct of her state's effort to cut Medicaid spending. Other families around the country have also recently had their access to the therapy challenged as state officials make deep cuts to Medicaid the public health insurance that covers people with low incomes and disabilities. North Carolina attempted to cut payments to ABA providers by 10%."

A 3-year-old named Aubreigh made notable developmental gains after intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy delivered at home five days a week, including preschool participation, improved eating, toilet training, and social connection. In October, Aubreigh's weekly ABA hours were cut from 30 to 15 due to state Medicaid spending reductions. Multiple states have moved to reduce or reconsider payments to ABA providers, including proposed or enacted cuts in North Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado, and Indiana. State Medicaid spending on ABA has risen sharply, with projections showing substantial future increases that are driving difficult budget decisions.

Read at www.npr.org