Lack of Medicaid Funding for Occupational Therapy Serving the Autism Spectrum Disorder Population Ages 0-5 Years

Author

Nadia Yala, Western Michigan UniversityFollow

Date of Defense

12-11-2014

Date of Graduation

12-2014

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Joel Phillips

Second Advisor

Denise Hoffman

Keywords

occupational therapy, autism, ABA, funding

Abstract

The prevalence of autism in the United States is currently 1 in 68 children (Autism Alliance of Michigan, 2014). This is considered an epidemic. There are a variety of treatments available in the state of Michigan for children with autism, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Effective April 1^st, 2013, Michigan increased their funding cap for ABA therapy for treating children with autism. However, there is a lack of knowledge within the community and amongst professionals in regards to the critical treatment occupational therapy practitioners provide and as a result, there is a lack of Medicaid funding for children with autism. The anonymous web-based survey will collect data from the parents/guardians of children with medical or educational diagnosis who have received occupational therapy and/or ABA services. The data collected will help support previous research in order to increase professional and community education on the services occupational therapy practitioner’s provide for children with medical diagnoses. Lastly, the research conducted could ultimately work towards improving the effectiveness in treatment for autism in the state of Michigan.

Recommended Citation

Yala, Nadia, "Lack of Medicaid Funding for Occupational Therapy Serving the Autism Spectrum Disorder Population Ages 0-5 Years" (2014). Honors Theses. 2510.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/2510

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access