When my son was first diagnosed with autism at the age of four and a half, I was truly concerned about what others thought about his different and strange behaviors. My son looks very much like his typical peers, as many children with autism do. People stared and gave me disapproving looks when he would…
LifeLong Interventions Expanding to New Areas
ASNC’s Clinical Department is excited to continue expanding service areas for the LifeLong Interventions (LLI) program! LLI has recently made its way to the Asheville and Wilmington areas. In light of our ever-growing program, we wanted to share the answers to some frequently asked questions to help the community better understand what the program is,…
Tell Your US Senators Not to Cut or Cap Medicaid!
The US Senate is moving quickly on health-care changes that would hurt people with autism, including proposals to cut and cap Medicaid funds and repeal health-care protections like coverage for pre-existing conditions. A vote on the Senate health-care proposal is likely to take place the week of June 26, and so far, no public hearings…
Ask NC Legislators Not to Cut Services
Last week, the House passed its version of the two-year budget bill, Senate Bill 257. Thank you to all the advocates for telling your stories. The House version of the budget includes 500 Innovations waiver slots, restores more of the funds for services for those waiting for help through Local Management Entities, and raises the…
Health-Care Bill and President’s Budget Would Hurt Individuals with Autism
US Senate Tackles Health-Care Repeal and Replace Bill Senate leadership is convening several work groups to draft improvements to the House-approved version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The bill in its current form slashes Medicaid funding by $834 billion over the next decade and reduces the insured population by 23 million, according to the…
Early Intervention Strategies to Promote Communication Behaviors
In early intervention, key areas of focus should include communication and social engagement. How do we begin to build these behaviors in young children with autism? It is important to use a systematic approach. In addition, it’s ok to start simple, and recognize that baby steps (e.g., a few more seconds of engagement with the…
NC Senate Passes Budget: Contact Your NC House Reps
Last week at the North Carolina General Assembly, the Senate passed its version of the two-year state budget bill. The governor previously released his budget proposal; see details on our blog. The NC House plans to spend the next two weeks working on its version of the budget before differences in the two versions must…