Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Bridgeport, West Virginia and join the experts behind the Mountaineer Autism Project for their 2018 conference. The conference brought together families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the providers who serve them. I helped kick things off by outlining the Medicaid benefits for children with ASD, and I thought I’d some of the same resources with readers of SayAhhh!. Medicaid’s pediatric benefit, known as Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment ( EPSDT ), offers all children in Medicaid the services they need to grow and thrive. EPSDT is especially important for children and youth with special health care needs, including children and youth with ASD, because the benefit must be tailored to each individual child. Under EPSDT, states must provide all coverable and medically necessary services. By “coverable,” the law means all the benefits that it is possible for Medicaid to pay for (see list in the Social
Formerly Family Voices IN/About Special Kids. We provide answers and resources to families and professionals who are involved in the upbringing of children with complex medical conditions, mental health diagnoses and physical/intellectual disabilities.