2010 Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Tampa Bay – General Donation.
I have a very personal connection to this effort. It’s is for my granddaughter Elisabeth and other families living with autism. She’s and is a very sweet 5 year old little girl who’s still struggling to learn to speak. Please follow the link above and help if you can.
Elisabeth
I hope sometime soon laws are passed that prevent insurance companies from refusing to cover her and from carving out exceptions that offer reduced benefits to children like her. In many cases autism treated as a mental illness and covered with a greatly reduced set of benefits that prevents them from getting useful therapy that can mean the difference between an independent life or permanent dependence on public assistance. It’s just wrong, it’s not like kids with autism are looking for Prozac to “help” them through a bad break-up. Their victims of a poorly understood condition that’s no fault of their own.
At the same time states and county school districts are cutting or considering cutting programs to help children with developmental difficulties, like Elisabeth. This will rob any chance of a future from autistic children who come from families that aren’t wealthy enough to pay for private schools and therapy on their own.
