Adding Strands to an Autism Safety Net

"There needs to be more attention paid to what happens when our children turn 21 and 22 years old, when they graduate from high school and the adult services are lacking," said Woody Witt of Fairfax City, who has a 17-year-old autistic son and sits on the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board.

According to the Autism Society of America, autism will be diagnosed in one of every 150 children born in the United States today. It is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country.

Autism is a brain-development disorder that typically reveals itself before a child's third birthday. Symptoms can include repetitive or obsessive behavior, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and severely impaired social skills. For unknown reasons, autism is more prevalent in boys.

Researchers aren't sure what causes autism; speculation includes genetic predisposition, toxins in the environment and, most controversial, the childhood vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

Autism often puts a huge emotional and financial strain on families, and support is a welcome reprieve.

Parents also are pushing for changes to state law that would help children before they reach 18. In the General Assembly, one bill would mandate insurance coverage for a program known as applied behavior analysis, which was approved by the surgeon general in 2002 as a way to treat autism.

If the bill is passed, Virginia will become the fifth state to mandate insurance coverage of medical and social services prescribed for autistic children. Supporters said the bill could provide, on average, about $36,000 in annual coverage per child.

The legislation will be considered by next year's General Assembly.

"It's really a patchwork of services that parents need to be aware of," said Christopher Waddell, 42, a financial planner. "That's the key: figuring out everything that's out there and trying to access it. But it takes a lot of work."