Here is another example of our casual acceptance of autism and the endless wait times parents face when they try to get help.
June 10, 2024, KFox14, El Paso: Autism diagnoses rise, pushing demand for ABA therapy in El Paso amid provider shortages
There has been an increase in autism diagnoses and with it, a spike in parents seeking to get their kids into Applied Behavioral Therapy.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has gone up in the last 10 years.
“The prevalence at this point, I believe now it's one in 39 children and that's the number here in the United States,” said Hector Adame, CEO of Autism and Behavioral Pediatric Clinic.
The number of children diagnosed 10 years ago was one in 59.
“An increase” is never anything to worry about. Look at how unconcerned the ABA clinic CEO is about the rise in autism. He doesn’t even know the official rate. The truth is ten years ago, the rate was one in 68 children, not one in 59. One in 59 came out in 2018.
It is pretty disingenuous to pretend that autism has only increased from one in 59 to one in 39. There’s no mention of increases that included: one in 166, one in 150, one in 110, one in 88, one in 68, one in 59, one in 54, one in 44 leading up to the current, one in 36.
ABA or Applied Behavioral Therapy has become what Adame said is the gold standard for treating autism. It’s a method Adame said has been around since the 70’s but isn’t just for treating those on the spectrum. . . .
Just as we now have been conditioned to accept an ever-increasing number of kids with autism, we have to be all right with waiting lists to get help that go on for months and years.
"When it comes to Applied Behavior Analysis here in El Paso, like in many cities, there's very few providers and so there tends to be a waiting list, sometimes three months, sometimes eight months and that's to start treatment,” Adame said.
Next week, KFOX14's Jessica Gonzalez will be speaking with two moms who talk about the long wait lists to get ABA therapy and the struggles they've had to go through to get their children the help they need. . . .
and... just like insurance covered treatments for other chronic illnesses, ABA is probably the least effective treatment possible for Autism. I'm not saying it has 0 utility in all instances, but there are so many other treatment modalities that offer far more benefit...NONE are covered by insurance like ABA...so parents wait in desperation for something that is not likely to provide much benefit...it's all so sad.