December 23, 2024
- A ProPublica investigation has uncovered that UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. insurer, is reducing access to applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism as part of a cost-cutting initiative. Internal documents from the company’s Optum division reveal plans to limit therapy hours, remove providers from its Medicaid network, and impose stricter reviews to deny coverage despite acknowledging ABA as the “gold standard” treatment. The investigation found these measures disproportionately impacted low-income families reliant on Medicaid, undermining progress for children who depend on consistent therapy. Autism advocates and experts criticize the practice as harmful, potentially illegal under federal parity laws, and short-sighted, warning it could lead to more significant long-term societal costs by denying early intervention.
- The Autism CARES Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill providing $1.95 billion over five years, is set to become law after passing Congress with overwhelming support. The legislation directs funding to the NIH, CDC, and HRSA to advance autism research, developmental disability surveillance, early detection, and intervention services. Key provisions include expanding NIH Centers of Excellence, addressing aging-related needs and co-occurring conditions, creating a professional bypass budget to prioritize research, and promoting assistive communication technologies. With support from leading autism advocacy organizations, the bill seeks to improve the quality of life for the estimated 6.8 million Americans with autism, including over 1.8 million with profound autism. The legislation aims to strengthen care, research, and support for individuals and families impacted by autism nationwide.
- Researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed an innovative method using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze children’s arm movements, potentially aiding early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, published in Scientific Reports, observed 27 children with ASD and 15 typically developing children aged 6 to 17 during an object-sorting task. By tracking arm movement trajectories with sensors and analyzing them with deep learning, researchers found distinct differences in movement patterns, such as wider, jerkier motions and slower reaction times in children with ASD. The AI system correctly identified children with ASD approximately 78% of the time, showcasing the method’s promise. These findings highlight the potential of movement analysis as a tool to complement traditional behavioral screenings, offering a new avenue for earlier and more precise ASD detection.
- A recent study investigating the link between prenatal ozone exposure and intellectual disability (ID) in children found significant associations, particularly during the second trimester of pregnancy. Using data from Utah spanning 2002–2020, researchers observed that a 10 ppb increase in second-trimester ozone levels raised the odds of ID by 55.3% compared to full siblings and 22.8% compared to population controls. These findings were consistent across various sensitivity analyses, underscoring the vulnerability of children’s cognitive development to environmental factors. The study highlights the need for greater focus on the health risks posed by ozone pollution, especially as climate change is expected to exacerbate air quality issues, with implications for public health policy and prenatal care guidelines.
