autisum

Dear Senator Fuschillo I write to you this day with great respect and pride in our great State of New York. Our remarkable history is embellished with many honorable leaders who have fought and won difficult battles for the good of their people. It is during these moments in time that legacy is created and society is forever changed and enlightened. The passage of time will show that this great State of New York has always strived to be more. My husband and I are confident that time will tell of one more battle won for the greater good of the people of New York State in the treatment of Autism. However time can also be unforgiving and we share this letter with you in our attempt to save the quality of life of our 3 year old son who was diagnosed with Autism last year. Our hope rests in the passage of the Autism Insurance Law of November 2012. Our fear is that time will not only herald its arrival but that too much time will pass before all the good intentions of our leaders, Health agencies and public advocacy groups fall short. As this letter is written the treatment of our son has unfortunately been suspended for three months due to the refusal of our Insurance provider GHI- to pay for any of the required “Applied Behavioral Analysis” training. This is of great concern to us simply because any further delay will directly impact the quality of life that could be with the proper ABA training. ABA services focus on positive reinforcement, teaching in small steps, prompting, and repeated practice. According to the National Autism Center’s National Standards Report (2009), data collected through hundreds of studies indicate that ABA is a highly effective method to teach children with ADA. Our Senators Letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicates our main concern. “ Clinical trials have shown that early intensive behavioral intervention significantly increases IQ, language abilities, and daily living skills, while reducing the debilitating symptoms’ of autism. These advances have changed the trajectory of children’s lives and given new hope to families and caregivers.” With our complete trust in our public advocates and our faith in this great state of New York we desperately urge you to enforce the Autism Insurance Law of 2012 and stop the clock on our sons Autistic progression. We humbly request your help in our fight with Autism by helping us fight our Insurance providers refusal to honor this great law. Please we urgently need your strength and followup now before we lose more time in the treatment of our son. We humbly beg for your immediate interest and assurance.

Sincerely Sandy Ogilvie