What it Was all About

This was a once in a lifetime chance to bowl alongside your favorite Texas Ranger!

Eddie Guardado Celebrity Bowl

Players like:

• Marlon Byrd
• Hank Blalock
• Andruw Jones
• Ian Kinsler
• Kevin Millwood
• Michael Young

gathered with us to benefit the Eddie Guardado Foundation and Ava’s Friends. By attending, everyone helped support families struggling to pay for much-needed therapy that helps their child cope with the affects of Autism.

Thanks to Splitsville Luxury Lanes and Dinner Lounge for hosting our event.

Thanks to On the Ball for donating the pins!

Sponsorships

There were multiple levels of event sponsorship available. We gratefully recognize all of you below:

Gold VIP Lounge Sponsorship - $10,000

Silver Lane Sponsorship - $5,000

• The Caden Sheetz Family

If you missed us this year but would still like to sponsor the event and help out Ava’s Friends, we won’t argue with you! We’ll be sure and put your name and logo on this page.

Click here to download a copy of the sponsorship form. Fill it out and mail it to:

Eddie Guardado Foundation
c/o Celebrity Bowl
1100 Irvine Blvd. #334
Tustin, CA 92780

The Guardado Family (and especially Ava) thanks you for your support!

Wed all like to believe wed do anything for our child.

Especially a child with special needs.

But would you move from a place you love and quit your job so your child could attend a specialized school to help him? Then, once he was enrolled and thriving, would you do whatever it took to save that school from being closed down by state budget cuts?

Thats what Kate and Martin Jacobson are doing.

Their son, Mikyle, 12, is one of a dozen students at The Matthew Reardon Centers Advance Academy in Savannah, which serves children with neurological disorders, mostly autism.

This summer, the Jacobsons moved from Pawleys Island, S.C., so Mikyle could attend the year-round Advanced Academy. Martin quit his job as a family practice physician and found work in Bluffton. Kate gave up practicing psychotherapy.

Its worth the sacrifice, Mikyles mom says. The public school environment wasnt helping Mikyle, who has pervasive development disorder, which is on the autism spectrum, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. There were no other resources for him in their area.

Mikyle needed a place committed to children like him. The Jacobsons found such a place in the Matthew Reardon Center.

“The expertise of the staff and their commitment to this little tiny school blew us away,” his mother said. “It gave us hope for the first time.”

But now the school, which serves children ages 5-17, is at risk of being shut down at the end of this year.

The Georgia Department of Human Resources slashed 50 percent of funds for the center as part of an overall, statewide $2.4 million budget cut. Cuts to Matthew Reardon were retroactive starting July 1, meaning $325,000 disappeared from their $650,000 state contract.

The private school is working to raise $150,000 between now and the new year to remain open, said executive director Helen Waters.

The accredited schools sliding-scale annual tuition of $7,000 and less doesnt cover the $37,000 a year it costs to educate each child, Waters said.

“It would be easy to say Lets raise tuition to a more realistic level reflecting the cost of the childs education,” Waters said. “But how many parents can realistically afford $25,000 or more in private school tuition?”

The funding cuts come at a time when autism diagnoses have increased to 1 out of every 150 children and public school systems are stretched thin to serve the jump in autistic students.

“When you have skyrocketing autism numbers, why cut the funding for autism services by 50 percent?” Waters said.

Where Autistic Children are the Focus

Cabelle Robles drives her 8-year-old son, Grayson, back and forth to the Matthew Reardon Center from their home in Midway for a total of 100 miles a day.

In order to make the long commute twice a day, she quit her job as a child support enforcement agent with the Liberty County District Attorneys office after Grayson made it off the schools yearlong waiting list and finally was accepted this past August.

“This is the one place he can thrive,” Robles said. “Its inconceivable theyd close the school. There is nowhere else to send my child for individualized help.”

Grayson has autism and epilepsy. He tries to talk but doesnt form words properly. Poor motor skills means the child also has difficulty signing and cannot write.

He used to dislike school so much that his mother had to drag him to the special education class at a public school in Midway.

Now at Matthew Reardon, Grayson looks forward to getting to his classroom, which has a 2 to 4 teacher-student ratio.

Being able to have therapeutic services - occupational, speech, music and physical - within the school gives Danny and Cabelle Robles hope their only child will eventually be able to communicate.

“They try to make him as self-sufficient as possible,” Cabelle Robles said. “Their No. 1 priority is your child. Where else are we going to find that?”

Finding Funds

Kate Jacobson recalls the moment she knew relocating for the sake of their son was the right decision.

It was during the first few weeks after Mikyle started at Matthew Reardon. He was going through a tumultuous adjustment, including not sleeping and having frequent meltdowns. Jacobson saw Mikyle’s teacher Robert Irving, his arms wrapped around a crying, screaming Mikyle. The teacher was soothing him saying “Mikyle, it’s going to be OK.”

“I had never seen a teacher do that. Instead it was always “Stop it, Mikyle! Or ‘Calm down,’ ” Jacobson said. “I had this sense of Mikyle being understood for the first time. You just can’t find that anywhere.”

Improvements in Mikyle since being in a class with a 3-9 ratio of teachers to students include less frequent meltdowns and nightmares, less impulsive behaviors and a desire to behave more appropriately. No longer does Mikyle’s mother receive calls during the school day saying “Come and get him,” as she did when Mikyle was in a S.C. public school.

No wonder the Jacobsons e-mailed family and friends asking them, in lieu of holiday gifts this year, to please make donations to save their son’s school instead.

“We didn’t get this far without fighting,” Jacobson said. “We’ll fight to keep this school open.”

Which is, after all, what parents do for their children.

Donations to help save the school can be made at www.matthewreardon.org.

Contact the writer, Anne Hart, at anne@southernmamas.com.

Visit her Web site for local parents at www.southernmamas.com.

The driving concept of the brand is the “Celtic” cable look. Their delicate artistic talent, magnificent craftsmanship and skills in goldsmithing and crafting inspired Mr. Charriol to create a modern interpretation of their art.

His philosophy towards life, “L’art de vivre la difference,” translated as “the art of living the difference,” is embraced by people who want to share the same experience.

We at EGF coudn’t agree more with Mr. Charriol. We are proud to count him as Ava’s Friend and hope to continue the tradition of awarding our tournament winners with pieces from his fine collection.

While sharing the same goal of raising money and adding great value to events, SEMG is a firm that clearly understands the concept of charity and establishes relationships only to put the charity’s best interest first. First class services and the highest level of professionalism is what you will receive when you team up with the market leader in charity fundraising auctions. 

Whether it’s a golf tournament, gala dinner, or school event, SEMG can design a program exclusively to fit your needs. With an inventory of over 3,000 items, they have every available item within the memorabilia industry for you to put your best foot forward and perform a first class auction. 

EGF wishes to thank Ava’s Friend, Irving Widelitz and SEMG for sponsoring our kickoff event in Las Vegas this year.

In 2001, brothers, Steve and Darren Rosenberg noticed that polarized eyewear as the world knew it had serious shortcomings in all available materials. They saw through the fancy names and marketing spin of the leading eyewear brands and realized that polarized eyewear could be pushed to a level never before seen. With their entrepreneurial drive and passion to evolve the world optically, they set out to create a new polarized lens material that would enable their customers to experience clarity and polarization like never before.

EGF wishes to thank Ava’s Friend, Alan Burt and Kaenon Polarized for sponsoring the VIP reception at Eddie’s annual Poker Tournament. We hope to see you at our next event.

Bobby Kielty, Oakland A’s Outfielder, was the two time reigning champion and made the final table for the third time in three years.

Baseball players Michael Young, left, Eric Chavez, center, and Milton Bradley pass the time by playing poker

The weekend started with some golf and then a private VIP reception Friday night at The Palazzo Las Vegas inside the Sportsbook Bar & Grill. The reception was held in support of EGF’s efforts to offer direct financial support for families faced with the high cost of therapy and treatment for their children affected by Autism.

There was also a silent auction held by SEMG (a division of Sports Nation Enterprises, Inc)  and Kaenon Polarized showed off a beautiful table of their sunglasses. Both of “Ava’s Friends” donated a portion of their proceeds to the Foundation. Many thanks to both Alan Burt of Kaenon and Irving Widelitz of SEMG.

The Palazzo Sportsbook Bar & Grill was the ideal place to kick off the series of weekend events for this group as they felt right at home with all the sports memorabilia adorning the walls and the latest sporting events playing on all 70+ televisions found in the venue. The environment was private and relaxing allowing our guests to enjoy all the amenities of the club.

The evening was highlighted by a short video giving Eddie’s friends a good laugh while explaining the mission of EGF to guests not familiar with the Foundation. EGF wishes to sincerely thank the Venetian for hosting the fabulous weekend. Feedback on the venue from the guests was terrific and all said they would be happy to return next year. We’d especially like to thank the hard work and hospitality of the following Venetian personnel:

• Anthony Tricase - Executive Director, Casino Marketing 
• Charlie Nelson - Casino Host 
• Kim Sapp - Director of Special Events 
• Daniel Staub - Assistant Director, Property Marketing
• LeAnn Tinch - Manager, Communications 
• Chris Gleason - Palazzo Race & Sports Book 
• Amy Carlson - Public Relations

And special thanks to Michelle Hurdt, Coordinator-Special Events for pulling everything together for us. 

Oh, and we can’t forget possibly the happiest person we’ve ever met, Alex Dunphy, who worked the registration desk for the VIP reception. 

By Saturday afternoon we had our Poker champion: Oakland A’s First Baseman, Frank Thomas. For his win, Frank claims bragging rights for an entire year, a crystal plaque commemorating his win, and a Charriol watch from the Force Collection. The watch is steel and leather with diamond bezel, retailing for $6,590.

Chicago Cubs Outfielder, Reed Johnson took home 2nd place and a Charriol watch from the Columbus Collection. Bob Wells, retired Minnesota Twins Pitcher, captured the third spot and a Charriol watch from the Actor Collection.

In addition to the winners, final table players included:

• 4th Joel Hanrahan
• 5th Matthew Lawton
• 6th Jerry white
• 7th Milton Bradley
• 8th Robert Kielty
• 9th Mark Redman
• 10th Glen Perkins

It was a terrific kickoff event for the Eddie Guardado Foundation raising thousands of dollars even though that wasn’t the focus of the weekend. Thanks to all who donated. We look forward to another strong poker showing next year and we anticipate seeing everyone back again after the 09 season for lots of fun - and helping families in need.

The study authors believe that’s what happens with autistic children, based on the brain wave patterns detected in school-age children in their study. The preliminary results need to be confirmed in younger children, but the researchers hope this technique could be used to help diagnose autism in children as young as age 1. That’s at least a year earlier than usual, and it could mean behavior treatment much sooner.

Andrew Papanicolaou, director of the clinical neurosciences center at University of Texas’s Houston campus, said the study makes a major contribution to autism research. “It gives us a window through which we get a picture of some of the neurological conditions responsible for the peculiar behaviors in autism,” said Papanicolaou, who was not involved in the research. Dr. James McPartland, a Yale University autism researcher who also wasn’t involved in the study, called the results “preliminary, with promise.” Whether the patterns found in the study exist in all autistic children is uncertain, but they’re worthy of more study, he said.

Study results were prepared for release Monday at the Radiological Society of North America meeting in Chicago. Finding biomarkers - like the brain waves - that could enable earlier diagnosis and treatment is the “holy grail” for autism scientists, McPartland said. Now, doctors typically diagnose autism through parents’ reports and by observing behaviors that often don’t emerge until at least age 2, he said.

The brain wave study used noninvasive technology called magnetoencephalography, MEG for short. It measures magnetic fields generated by electrical currents in brain nerve cells, and records brain activity in real time. Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia had 64 autistic children ages 6 to 15 listen through headphones to a series of rapid beeps while under the helmet-like device, which recorded the brain’s response to the sounds. Those brain waves, shown as highlighted areas on an imaging screen, were compared with responses in a group of non-autistic children. In autistic children, response to each sound was delayed by one-fiftieth of a second.

“We tend to speak at four syllables per second,” said Timothy Roberts, the study’s lead author and the hospital’s vice chairman of research. If an autistic brain “is slow in processing a change in a syllable … it could easily get to the point of being overloaded.”

Experts say one in 150 U.S. children have autism, a disorder involving poor verbal communication, repetitive behaviors such as head-banging, and avoidance of physical or eye contact. There is no cure but behavior treatment and sometimes medication can lessen symptoms. Among those in the study was Parker Leiby, a 9-year-old Mount Laurel, N.J., boy with mild autism and sometimes hard-to-understand speech. He said he felt like an astronaut wearing that big helmet, and called the whole experience “cool.”

Parker was diagnosed at age 2. Since then he’s had extensive treatment including speech therapy. He’s in a regular third-grade class, loves cross-country running and hopes to become an engineer. Before participating in the study last year, “we didn’t have an answer” about his language difficulties, said Parker’s mother, Kim. “It helped shed a lot of light.”

Roberts, the study author, said the findings fit with a leading theory that suggests autism is “a disorder of connectivity in the brain.” MEG technology also has been used to map brain tumors and to evaluate epilepsy. McPartland said a few previous studies have used MEG and related technology to study other aspects of autism, but with inconsistent results.

Original article here By LINDSEY TANNER

POTOMAC FALLS, Virginia — Parents of children with autism often say it’s like being on a roller coaster 24 hours a day. And the ticket for the ride is jaw-droppingly expensive.

The monthly cost of Ethan Nunez’s autism therapies is more than his family’s income, says his mom, Carol.

A family’s lifetime costs for caring for a child with autism can reach as high as $5 million, according to the Autism Society of America. Each month, parents report they pay thousands of dollars for treatment and therapy. And in most cases, insurance, even good insurance, won’t cover all of the fees.

Some parents are making big financial sacrifices just so they can provide the care their children so desperately need. Many families faced with autism are so financially strapped they second mortgage their homes, live with other family members, even file bankruptcy, according to Autism Speaks, a national advocacy group.

For Carol and Rick Nunez of Potomac Falls, Virginia, the stack of bills piled up on the dining room table is a brutal reminder of their reality. The Nunezes, parents of two boys, were introduced to autism when their younger son, Ethan, was found to have the condition two years ago.

In order to provide the best care, Carol Nunez went to work full time and Rick Nunez stayed at home, providing 24-7 watch over Ethan. Although she has a good job in sales, the bills still amount to more than the family’s monthly income. Costs for Ethan’s applied behavior analysis, a relatively new therapy that has passionate advocates as well as critics, can run up to thousands of dollars a week, not including the cost for speech therapy, his medications and special schooling.

Carol admits it’s tough. “It’s been extremely expensive,” she said. “Between ABA therapy, the accommodations we had to make to the house, the special material we have to give him, it just adds up.”  

But there is hope. A bill being considered by Virginia’s General Assembly would require insurance companies to cover medical costs to treat autism. Just last month, Ethan, along with his parents and other Virginia families with autistic children traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to testify in favor of House Bill 83. The testimony was emotional, with parents, at times pleading from the podium for more financial relief.

Casandra Oldham, who has two children with autism, told legislators her family’s money is so tight that many times she and her husband have to decide which child gets care first.

“Do I help both children?” she asked. “Or do I help the one that needs it the most? Help the one that will go the furthest? It’s gut-wrenching.”

Over the past few years, parents across the country have pushed states including Pennsylvania and South Carolina to pass mandates similar to the one being considered in Virginia. Virginia’s bill would put a cap of $36,000 per child per year. Other states have capped care at $50,000. But the insurance industry warns these mandates could lead to higher premiums.

“We oppose the idea of mandates in general because we think in the end what happens is that health care is less affordable and less accessible when mandates are imposed,” said Susan Pisano, spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance plans.

But many parents of children with autism say it’s time to stand up for their kids. They want the insurance industry to realize that autism is a medical issue that requires a large range of expensive treatments in order to assimilate their children into mainstream life and many believe paying higher insurance rates is worth it.

The key service mandated in the Virginia bill and in many of the bills already passed across the country is applied behavior analysis. ABA uses educational techniques to change certain antisocial behaviors in autistic kids. By working with these children on a one-on-one, daily basis, therapists can increase children’s skills in language, play and social interaction. They can also help them get over behavior that interferes with learning. Much of the therapy is repetitive in nature, which is why sessions need to be ongoing, without interruption.

But it’s controversial. Some health plans consider it experimental or say it is not medically necessary.

However, many experts say that ABA does show promise, especially in children whose autism was diagnosed at an early age. At the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, a highly respected autism research and treatment center, experts have observed that high-functioning children with autism who have received very early ABA intervention can sometimes lose their diagnosis as they get older.

ABA is intense, requiring 40 hours of therapy a week. which can cost up to $50,000 a year. Some therapists support it, but others don’t. Yet parents say they should be able to give their children any treatment they feel works and not be socked with astronomical medical bills.

For now it’s a wait and see for the Nunezes and other Virginia families. Even though the bill has backing from the House and now the Senate, the General Assembly doesn’t convene until January.

Till then, the bills on the Nunez dining room table will continue to pile up. It’s a pile they know they won’t be able to turn their back on.

In Indiana, Sean and Michele Trivedi get the same type of therapy for their 11-year-old daughter. But they pay $3,000 a year and their health insurance covers the rest.

Two families. Two states. Big difference in out-of-pocket costs.

If autism advocates get their way, more states will follow Indiana’s lead by requiring health insurers to cover intensive and costly behavior therapy for autism.

In the past two years, six states — Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana — passed laws requiring such coverage, costing in some cases up to $50,000 a year per child.

The powerful advocacy group Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan and is targeting at least 10 more states in 2009, including New York, California and Ohio.

Other states, including Illinois, have similar bills in the works but aren’t working directly with Autism Speaks.

“This is the hottest trend in mandates we’ve seen in a long time,” said J.P. Wieske, a lobbyist for an insurance coalition that argues that these state requirements drive up insurance costs for everyone. “It is hard to fight them.”

For lawmakers, voting against these measures means voting against parents who are struggling to do the best for their children.

Parents tell moving stories about how behavior therapy works better than anything they’ve tried. In two states, bills got nicknames like “Steven’s Law” and “Ryan’s Law,” so voting against them was tough.

Arzu Forough of Kirkland, Wash., who is pushing a bill in her state, credits behavior therapy for teaching her son Shayan, at age 3, to make a sound to ask for a drink of water. Now 12, he is learning to converse about his favorite food and music, and to talk about his frustrations rather than throw tantrums.

Trained therapists, using principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), created a system of rewards to teach Shayan these skills. As a preschooler, he got a piece of cheese when he said “bubba” for water. Now a therapist rewards him with tokens when he responds in conversation. He uses the tokens to “buy” privileges like going for a car ride.

Shayan’s improvements are a welcome relief to his mother, who once called for police help with her out-of-control son while she was driving.

“I pulled over to the side of the road,” she said. “I had to call the police to drive behind me so I could drive safely home.”

The Foroughs have health insurance, but it doesn’t cover Shayan’s therapy. Although they both work full time, they must live rent-free with her elderly mother to be able to afford his treatment.

Meanwhile, the Trivedi family of the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, get 25 hours a week of behavior therapy for 11-year-old Ellie. They contribute co-pays and a deductible, totaling about $3,000. Insurance pays the rest, about $47,000 a year.

Michele Trivedi is an autism activist. She fought for years after a vaguely worded 2001 Indiana law required coverage but insurers still refused to pay for ABA. Finally in 2006, she helped convince the state’s insurance commissioner to issue a bulletin spelling out what was expected of insurers.

“It’s no longer acceptable that blatant discrimination against people with autism occur,” Trivedi said.

Autism is a range of disorders that hinder the ability to communicate and interact. Most doctors believe there is no cure. An estimated 1 in 150 American children are diagnosed with it.

Supporters say behavior therapy has decades of research behind it and can save money in the long run by keeping people out of institutions. Researchers agree, but say much remains unknown about which therapy works best for autistic kids, whether long-term gains can be claimed, and whether it works with older children.

Some states require behavior therapy coverage up to age 18 or 21. But the scientific evidence for ABA is strongest for the youngest, ages 2 to 5. Some researchers have reported on individual children with autism who no longer appeared disabled when they reached school age.

The most rigorous studies, though, show mixed results. A study published in 2000 showed that preschoolers who got intensive behavior therapy had greater gains in IQ than children who didn’t get the therapy. But there was little difference in the two group’s language development or the intensity of behavior problems. And the children most severely affected by autism showed no comparative gain.

Another study in preschoolers, published in 2005, showed little difference between an intensive ABA-based program run by therapists and less-intensive therapy from parents; children in both groups improved.

When it comes to older children, the research is sparse, said Tristram Smith of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, who co-authored the 2000 autism study.

“You could make a decent case for the little kids up to 6 or 7 that (insurance mandates) would be appropriate,” Smith said. “I think it would be hard to make that case for older kids.”

Another autism researcher, Laura Schreibman of the University of California at San Diego, said “fly-by-night” behavior therapists could defraud insurers with ineffective therapy.

“I would like to see insurance cover this kind of intervention because it’s documented to be effective,” she said. “But insurance companies have every right to monitor whether it’s working. If it’s been two years and there are no gains, an insurance company should be saying, ‘What are we paying for here?’”

The Council for Affordable Health Insurance, the industry lobbying arm, estimates autism mandates increase the cost of insurance by less than 1 percent by themselves, but when combined with other requirements make insurance less affordable.

Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, said the industry has been wary of laws ordering a specific treatment because when new scientific evidence emerges, the mandate remains frozen. And she questions whether behavior therapy is medical or educational.

The American Academy of Pediatrics includes ABA therapy in its clinical report on autism, but describes it as an “educational intervention.”

“There has been an effort to transfer the response to autism from school systems to the health care system,” Pisano said.

Nevertheless, some big companies and the U.S. military are providing ABA-based autism therapy as a benefit.

The U.S. military’s Tricare health insurance program not only covers up to $2,500 a month for the therapy, but also recently expanded the definition of who can provide it to make it more accessible. And some self-insured companies, including Microsoft and Home Depot, pay for autism behavior therapy.

Gaining insurance coverage state by state is the top lobbying priority for Autism Speaks.

“It’s the No. 1 thing we hear from parents,” said Elizabeth Emken, the group’s vice president of government relations. “What’s more difficult than knowing there’s an effective treatment for your children, but you can’t afford to offer it to them because it’s not covered by insurance?”

A new federal law requiring insurers to make coverage for mental health conditions equitable with other health coverage was tacked onto the recent financial industry bailout package.

Autism Speaks applauds the law, but says autism is not a psychological condition and that the insurance industry has refused to cover autism treatments in states with mental health parity laws on the books.

“We hope it sets the stage for the Congress and the next president to continue this effort to end discrimination in the health insurance marketplace,” Emken said. “Whichever party is elected, autism will be on the table and be a major point of discussion. There may have to be a federal mandate.”

This article is reprinted from the Associated Press and authored  By CARLA K. JOHNSON – CHICAGO (AP)

Judge’s blocking of state rules lets kids continue treatment

For now, Tina Vetter does not have to quit her job. She canceled the contractor she had hired to convert the family garage into a treatment center for her son, Murphy.

The 5-year-old, who is autistic and has Down syndrome, will continue attending Step By Step Academy of Worthington for the foreseeable future because of a federal judge’s order preventing the state from changing funding regulations for autism treatment through the federal Medicaid program.

The new rules were supposed to take effect yesterday, but U.S. District Judge James L. Graham issued a temporary restraining order late Monday blocking the state from implementing them. Graham added a preliminary injunction yesterday, meaning the state cannot make further changes without an order from the court.

“I’m just glad that somebody actually listened to us,” Vetter said. “Judge Graham absolutely understood. … It almost feels like he put a blanket over our children to protect them.”

In what may be the nation’s first decision squarely on the subject of federal funding for autism treatment, Graham ruled that there is a “reasonable chance” that Ohio’s new regulations violate Medicaid law. The matter will go to trial.

The Parents League for Effective Autism Services, a group of families of autistic children served by Step By Step and represented by Ohio Legal Rights Service, sued the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Department of Job and Family Services over the proposed changes.

“Based on the ruling, the state will lean back on the old rules,” said Scarlett Bouder, spokeswoman for the Department of Job and Family Services, which administers the Medicaid program. The cost of continuing to provide services, she said, won’t be known until bills are submitted for reimbursement.

Bouder said about 50 families with children receiving services at Step By Step were affected by the change. State officials met with each family to outline the options: get services through the local school district, continue at Step by Step, or try a combination of the two.

The parents contend the new rules would prevent their children from obtaining necessary and effective treatment to which they are entitled under Medicaid.

State officials countered that changes are necessary to keep Ohio in compliance with federal Medicaid regulations. They also argue that Step By Step’s rates, averaging about $60,000 per year for each child who attends full time, are out of line with other providers.

But Graham said the state doesn’t consider that the services might not be available at all elsewhere, or not at the “same intensive level.”

“We do respectfully disagree with the court,” said Ted Hart, spokesman for Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers. “We think, and the federal government joined us in supporting our position, that the (new regulations) agree with the federal law.”

Michele LaMarche, Step By Step executive director, said Graham’s ruling points to a big gap in Ohio programs for dealing with a federal mandate to pay for autism services. “Judge Graham has recognized our state does have a problem,” she said.

Dispatch reporter Catherine Candisky contributed to this story.

BY ALAN JOHNSON

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

ajohnson@dispatch.com

The Columbus Dispatch : Autism ruling pleases parents.