Relief for Parents with Autistic Children

For some parents the cost to take care of autistic children is too high

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By Kate McPherson
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Story Created: Jun 14, 2012 at 8:37 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jun 15, 2012 at 10:03 AM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - Kim Kovol’s 8-year-old daughter, Elle, loves to recite movie lines. “So if you talk to her, instead of her answering a question, she'll actually answer in a movie line,” said Kovol.

Elle was recently diagnosed with autism.

For Kovol, it's the second time she's received the news.

Her 12-year-old son Merek was diagnosed at age 5.

"Merek refused to write up to the age of 7, or he couldn't write, and the first thing he wrote was 'rainbows in Alaska are beautiful.' It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.”

Watching her son write for the first time was proof for Kovol that therapy was working.

But for some parents, the cost of treatment is too high and some insurance companies are turning autistic children away.

“When families began to get the denials for early intervention it became an issue to address the insurance companies, which is not an easy thing to do,” said Gwen Lee, Executive Director of the The Arc of Anchorage.
 

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