In the wake of a growing autism epidemic across the United States, experts and advocates alike are reaching out to local families to give them hope for the future of their children.

Government-funded programs—administered through public schools and social services—have suffered major budget cuts in California in recent years, threatening the availability of special needs services for children with autism and leaving many families in need of assistance.

And although experts say some communities have grown savvy in securing services for their children, others, like Ventura County, may be falling behind.

Bonnie Yates, an attorney who has been a special needs advocate in the region for more than 25 years, said the situation is worse in Ventura County than in other areas like Los Angeles.

“The needs are the same but there are a lot of things that work against people,” she said. “Ventura County has a little more rural tradition (compared to L.A. County). People expect themselves to be more self-sufficient. They don’t necessarily want to go to a public agency for help. That’s a theory I have.

“Plus there are fewer resources in such a concentrated area, so people have to drive farther to get state-of-the-art treatment.”

Yates, who’s worked with many parents in Ventura County, said limited outreach in the area also compounds the problem because families are unaware of the level of services they could be receiving outside of statefunded programs.

In October, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 946.

The new legislation requires medical insurance companies to cover applied behavior analysis ( ABA) therapy for children who have been diagnosed with autism.

The new law, which goes into effect in July, is estimated to save California taxpayers more than $140 million per year on special education and social services costs.

Considered a major victory by most in the autism community, the law lifts some of the financial burden from public schools and social services while ensuring children with autism receive the necessary intervention to reach their potential.

Although the law is set to expire automatically in July 2014, Yates said it paves the way for future funding.

“ It’s a lot harder to take something away once it’s been provided,” she said. “A lot can happen in two years.”

ABA therapy

In the 1970s Dr. Ivar Lovaas, a psychology professor at UCLA, pioneered ABA therapy.

The treatment uses behavioral learning theories to modify certain behaviors in children with autism.

Today ABA therapy is used as a standard treatment for autism spectrum disorders.

The therapy essentially teaches kids “to learn how to learn,” said Dr. Jennifer Harris.

Harris is a board-certified analyst and founder of FirstSteps for Kids, a local ABA therapy provider.

Simply stated, ABA therapy includes developing communication, social and self-care skills while changing excessive behaviors like tantrums or aggression.

“ABA is breaking down complicated behaviors and breaking them into tiny bits,” Harris said. “Then we teach those little bits one at a time, and once they’re all learned, we link them together to create that complex behavior.”

Harris, who worked with Lovaas in the 1990s, said research shows that children with autism who receive highintensity treatment—between 25 and 40 hours per week of ABA therapy— show significantly more improvement than a child undergoing low-intensity treatment, or under 15 hours per week.

An intensive ABA treatment program generally lasts between two and four years, depending on the severity of an individual child’s case.

Harris also said the younger a child begins therapy, the better the outcome.

“We start early, we hit them hard and we get caught up before the delays get larger,” she said.

“We’re here to close the gap in development.”

Costs of autism

Harris and Yates agree that the best hope for children with autism is to give them early and intensive intervention.

But the problem is giving families access to that treatment.

“ We’ve known for a long time what it takes,” Yates said. “That’s not the question anymore. The question is: Who’s going to pay for it?”

Over the years, parents have struggled to get full funding for the costly services.

“ Given what’s happening in our state right now, funding from regional centers and school districts is becoming more and more scarce,” Yates said. “Those are the people who want to provide services, but there’s no money there. In general, more and more families are not getting the intensive services they need.”

But with the passage of SB 946, ABA therapy providers are now encouraging parents to access their medical insurance.

“It’s probably easier to go to war with an insurance company than going to war in the schools for services,” Yates said. “Fighting with a school district is inherently an uncomfortable problem for parents.”

The attorney said SB 946 adds money to a system that was “depleted a long time ago” but continues to increase in demand.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in every 110 American children has an autism spectrum disorder, and the number increases by about 13.5 percent annually.

In Ventura County school districts, nearly 1,800 children and adults from age 3 to 22 currently receive special education services under the autism designation.

But that doesn’t mean they’re getting adequate help, Yates said.

“It’s not an easy fix and it’s not a quick fix,” she said.

“If parents could figure it out that easily, they all would have done it already.”

Harris is optimistic that proper ABA therapy can turn a child’s life around.

The first step for parents, she said, is to make sure a child has the correct diagnosis.

“ Diagnosis opens all the doors of funding,” Harris said. “These kids are so smart. Once you show them how to learn, they do so well. Our kids learn so fast, and it’s a joy.

“It’s fun to see their unique personalities come out as they get the skills to share those unique personalities.”