Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Bridgeport, West Virginia and join the experts behind the Mountaineer Autism Project for their 2018 conference. The conference brought together families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the providers who serve them. I helped kick things off by outlining the Medicaid benefits for children with ASD, and I thought I’d some of the same resources with readers of SayAhhh!. Medicaid’s pediatric benefit, known as Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment ( EPSDT ), offers all children in Medicaid the services they need to grow and thrive. EPSDT is especially important for children and youth with special health care needs, including children and youth with ASD, because the benefit must be tailored to each individual child. Under EPSDT, states must provide all coverable and medically necessary services. By “coverable,” the law means all the benefits that it is possible for Medicaid to pay for (see list in the Social
Family Voices Indiana is a family-led organization that provides information, education, training, outreach, and peer support to families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them.