Advocacy Tools

As our children are first diagnosed with Autism, we become advocates to our pediatricians, our educators, our families, neighbors…

In 11 years of advocacy I’ve heared many things that I wish I could change:

“I’m sorry you can’t dine here, your children are disruptive to our other patrons”, “We’re sorry, you child can’t stay in this preschool, his/her behavior is disrupting other children”, “I’m sorry you can’t live here, your child’s behavior is disrupting neighbors”, “We’re sorry, we don’t cover ABA, Speech therapy, Occupational Therapy or any of the medical treatments your child has been prescribed, we consider them a specific policy exclusion, habilitative or experimental, therefore not covered for autism”.

Enough is enough.  Our children deserve better.  Discrimination against autism is unacceptable.

Here’s how YOU can help!  Give us 5!

1. Visit our Insurance page and take the information to your child’s pediatrician and compel them to prescribe what they find to be medically necessary to treat your child’s core challenges due to autism. Get these treatments pre-approved by your insurance carriers.  Do not take no for an answer.  If they don’t have any in-network providers with autism specialty, demand out of network providers to join their network. Appropriate Healthcare for children with autism is no different than appropriate healthcare for children with diabetes or asthma.  Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.  “Health care is a basic right, not a perk.” – Governor Gregoire.
2. If you get denied by your insurance or medicaid, visit our Appeals page and appeal the denial. We will help.
3. Download this AIP Campaign Flier and Please distribute to provider clinics (SLP’s, OT’s, ABA clinics, pediatricians); ask them to post in a prominent location. Please forward to at least 5 friends, colleagues and relatives and asks them to forward to 5 friends, who would in turn do the same.
4. VOTE YES!!! - Print this out, fold in half, paste a picture of your loved one with autism inside (top half) and write a message (bottom half) to your 3 legislators and tell them children’s health care that doesn’t include autism treatments is unacceptable.
5. Be the change you wish to see in your child’s world.

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Legislator summary

1 page overview of Shayan’s law for legislators

Frequently asked questions regarding autism and insurance

Protected Areas

There are two other type of resources provided to families only. This area of our website is not on open forum and is password protected. To gain access, you should first register here.

The Family Forum

Contains comprehensive family resources for appropriate education,  healthcare covered by private insurance & medicaid, as well as appeals information and resources. The Family Forum is password protected.

The Yahoo Washington-Autism-Advocacy Discussion Group

“Discussion”type list serve is used for:

• Posting recreation, leisure and service opportunities for children, adolescents and adults with ASD’s that would enhance their quality of lives.
• Networking to find funding sources for a person on the spectrum (insurance, Grants, other funding sources) towards educational, medical, therapeutic, and other needs of individuals with ASD.
• Announcement of upcoming conferences or meetings, new books available, etc.;
• Posting of Action Alerts and professional business services related to Autism Spectrum Disorders and how parents or self-advocates can benefit or join the cause;

The list’s goal is to connect all the groups in WA together through the Internet to provide a valuable resource base to make services attainable by all, it will take all of us working together to achieve that goal.

Legislators are our access to shaping public policy. They want to hear our stories, told in our unique ways. They represent YOUR family. There is no right or wrong way to express what you need from them. The best way is to be to the point and honest. Here’s a wonderful example from a 6 year old. This young lady’s three legislators are among our sponsors and it would not have happened were it not for this tenacious sister and her entire Kindergarten classroom who sent hand written individual letters to their representatives and senator in the 45th legislative district.

In Your Own Words- a compilation of memorable advocacy letters

Keeli, future constituent, made quite an impression on Senator Eric Oemig, a co-sponsor of autism insurance legislation when she wrote him this letter.  She then along with all of her classmates wrote to Representatives Roger Goodman and Larry Springer, asking them to support insurance reform for her brother Paul and all children in WA.

They were so impressed, they visited Keeli’s classroom.  Click on Keeli’s letter for the Newspaper article.  We are grateful to Keeli and her mom for leaving such a lasting impression on the legislators in leg. dist. 45 who are all cosponsors of SB5203 and HB1210 “Shayan’s Law” – Autism Insurance Reform.