Pre-school autism program in S.C. saved for now

From the Greenville News in S.C.:

A state-funded therapy program for autistic children scheduled to end Jan. 31 will be permitted to continue -- at least for now.

The program provides Advanced Behavioral Analysis, or ABA, to children 3 and younger. But state budget cuts meant the program offered through the state Department of Health and Environmental Control was on the chopping block.

Now that decision is being reconsidered with input from the federal government, said DHEC spokesman Thom Berry.

Autism is a set of developmental, communication and social interaction disorders that afflicts up to 1.5 million Americans, boys four times more than girls, according to the Autism Society of America.

Many of these children wind up institutionalized for life. But experts say ABA improves up to half of all autistic children who get the therapy, enabling them to go to school and hold down jobs as adults, and saving money in the long term.

South Carolina currently provides ABA for 38 children through the BabyNet program at a cost of $155,000, said Berry. But in the past six months, DHEC has sustained budget cuts of 23.5 percent, or $32.2 million.

It’s been managed by hiring freezes, employee furloughs, an early retirement program and one-time funds so far. Now it must cut deeper, he said.

“We hate to have to give up a program such as this,” said Berry. “There is just not enough money available to do the things we would like to do.”