Recognizing that Illinois has a shortage of clinicians who are authorized to diagnose autism in children, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel is leading a measure to ensure children with autism are identified early and connected to proper medical and educational supports.
“Children and families are waiting for as long as two years to receive an autism evaluation because there are not enough medical professionals to diagnose autism,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “This measure improves the process by ensuring children can receive the care they need in a manageable amount of time.”
Loughran Cappel’s legislation would allow speech-language pathologists to diagnose children under the age of three with autism spectrum disorders, as long as the pathologist has training in autism diagnostic evaluation and the child receives services within the early intervention team-based system. Currently, psychologists and pediatricians can diagnose children with autism spectrum disorders, but speech-language pathologists cannot.
To eliminate cost barriers for working families, the measure would make sure that when children receive a diagnosis from a speech-language pathologist, they receive insurance coverage for it. This coverage would also apply to families receiving Medicaid.
“Speech-language pathologists are already trained in social communication, so they are well-equipped to evaluate for autism,” said Loughran Cappel. “Children, and young children especially, should be able to receive the resources they need to support them into the rest of their lives.”
House Bill 5225 passed the Senate Thursday.
