NEW Autism Center Opens in Minnetonka, MN But Insurance Limits Treatment

Great news on the autism front as a new treatment center opened in Minnetonka, MN with Governor Pawlenty doing the honors. The new ABA approach to treating autism has showm remarkable promise in a short time.
It is a very intensive therapy, however, with upwards of 40 hours a day of therapy. The insurance company – in this case the high-risk pool for Minnesotans – has capped coverage at 40 hours a week. The children receive more than that, so providers are forced to limit treatment.
ABA is an acronym for Applied Behavioral Analysis, a new technique that has been remarkably successful in turning non-verbal youngsters into normal expressive children who can express their wants and needs.
From a story in WCCO.com on Aug. 20 --
On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty appeared at the Grand Opening of the Minnesota Autism Center's new facility in Minnetonka. The center focuses on applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, in which children with autism work intensively with therapists on speech, language and daily living skills. "This center is a modern, capable, wonderful place that's going to provide these services and provide hope and improvement in the lives of these families and the children it serves," said Pawlenty. However, the governor's appearance comes as some parents are questioning the likelihood their insurance will continue to cover as much ABA as their children need. For Amy Dawson, the value of the ABA therapy her son Mac receives is without question. "He was non-verbal a year ago and now he scores in the gifted range for spoken vocabulary," said Dawson. [http://wcco.com/local/ABA.therapy.insurance.2.799665.html]
The Cambridge Center has an excellent source of information about the ABA approach to autism and explains what Applied Behavioral Analysis is. See this link for more information about it. [http://www.behavior.org/autism/]