Oct. 2001
MICROSOFT BECOMES THE 1st NATIONAL U.S. CORPORATION TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR BEHAVIOURAL TREATMENT OF AUTISM
In January of this year, Microsoft became the first national US corporation to provide coverage for Applied Behavioral Analysis for the treatment of autism. After three years of working intensely with parents, providers, the University of Washington Center on Human Development and Disability (CHDD), and Aetna US Healthcare, a new comprehensive health care benefit was added to the core Microsoft health care plan. The benefit covers over 4500 hours of intensive therapy for children on the autism spectrum under the age of seven.
Now that Microsoft and Aetna have had the coverage in place for nine months, they are hopeful other companies will follow their example and provide this critical benefit for families with autism. Many safeguards were put in place to limit cost and liability while providing truly useful and meaningful coverage to employees. There are limits on which diagnoses are eligible, who can provide treatment, the amount of supervision received by front-line therapists, and the number of visits both yearly and lifetime that a child can receive from front-line and professional providers.
Using this model, Microsoft and Aetna hope other local and national corporations and insurance providers will follow with their own coverage of effective treatment for this debilitating disorder. Without coverage, families often lack the funds and, just as importantly, the guidance to provide beneficial treatment for their children. Through three years of hard work by health care professionals, benefits workers, and parents, now families around the region and throughout the country have new hope that their children will receive the proper Applied Behavioral Analysis treatment. Treatment their children need to reach their full potential.
Behavioral therapy
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a method to change behavior. It consists of the delivery of systematic prompts that elicit responses from the child which are followed with consistent reinforcement or correction procedures. The theory is that "behavior that is reinforced will reoccur. " This is much the same way that most children are taught to say, "Thank you." You give a child something they want, then prompt with, "What do you say?" The child responds with, "Thank you," and you reinforce this correct response with praise and, "You're welcome."
In a landmark UCLA study, 47% of children on the autism spectrum who received early, intensive ABA-based intervention achieved normal intellectual and educational functioning, 40% were assigned to classes for the Language-delayed, and 10% were put in classrooms for the retarded. In contrast, in a control group of children on the autism spectrum who received typical special education services, only 2% achieved normal educational and intellectual function, 45% were put in language-delayed classes, and 53% were put in classrooms for the retarded.
Early intensive behavioral intervention can make a significant difference in the life of a child with autism. Rooted in basic behavioural principles, its fundamental goal is not only to teach a child specific skills, but to ultimately develop a child's ability to learn how to learn. Even though ABA holds great promise, it is not necessarily the whole toolbox needed to deal with autism. Other interventions such as occupational therapy, diet modification for food intolerance, etc., can also mitigate the effects of autism. They should be evaluated as part of an integrated program to complement and enhance the effectiveness of ABA.
Benefits to the whole community
The process of providing this new coverage led to the creation of the UW Autism Center and the establishment of certification guidelines for treatment providers. Both the Autism Center and the certification of qualified professionals can be used by the wider community to support families with autism and enable other companies' health plans to provide these same benefits.
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