Who should pay for treating children with autism?
The News Tribune DEBBIE CAFAZZO A popular method of therapy isn’t covered by most insurance plans, putting families in a financial bind. A proposed state law would mandate coverage, but the insurance industry says the therapy is educational, not medical. Grant Fulton is a busy boy. Seated at a child-sized table in his family’s Lacey living room, the 5-year-old kneads a ball of soft, claylike material. He talks about its colors, shapes and textures. Laurie Waguespack, his therapist, subtly switches between play and learning. Her goal is to help Grant, who has autism, gain cognitive skills. Waguespack grabs a deck of picture cards, and asks Gran t to name the colors and shapes as she flips through them. “Pentagon. Octagon. Diamond. Black. Circle. Rectangle. Yellow,” says Grant, building speed as he identifies 34 of 35 cards correctly. Eight months ago, says Denise Fulton, Grant’s mother, it would have been difficult to get him to name shapes and colors. Two years ago, it would have been
