Report blasts Ohio autism program

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Last Updated: 12:35 pm | Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Report blasts autism program

BY DENISE SMITH AMOS | DAMOS@...

A statewide policy research group says Ohio's autism voucher program

spends much of its money on non-school programs, or on school-based

programs that select out certain students with severe autism while

serving mostly non-poor students.

A statewide policy research group says Ohio's autism voucher program

spends much of its money on non-school programs, or on school-based

programs that select out certain students with severe autism while

serving mostly non-poor students.

The report also says these schools mostly espouse a religion.

The group, Policy Matters Ohio, a liberal think tank, issued its

report today, questioning whether this is the best way to use some

$10 million in state education funding that otherwise would go to

public schools.

" There's a selectivity in the program as a whole that is

problematic, " said Piet van Lier, author of the study.

" That is cause for concern if we're looking at a publicly funded

program that isn't subject to oversight. Is this the kind of program

that merits the public funding that this one gets? "

Proponents of the program say it is successful and wildly popular

among parents whose children are autistic. They say the program

should be expanded and become a model for a broader, state-funded

scholarship program for students with all kinds of disabilities.

" It is unbelievably successful, " said state Rep. Jon , the

Delaware Republican who authored the law creating the scholarship in

2003.

Use of the scholarships has grown about 50 percent a year since 2004,

from about 70 students to more than 840 now. Funding last fiscal year

exceeded $10.8 million.

At least 840 Ohio students use the autism program, though that number

may grow to 1,000 by the end of the school year, state officials

estimate.

Ohio's autism scholarship program pays up to $20,000 a year for

education and related services for a child whose learning and

behavioral disabilities fall under the broad category described as

autism. Many of these students early on exhibit communications and

socialization challenges severe enough to inhibit education.

In Ohio, about 9,100 students have been diagnosed with autism. Most

of those school-aged children don't use scholarships but get services

through their public schools or community agencies, such as county-

run MRDD facilities.

In the Cincinnati area, this school year at least 135 students were

using $1.27 million in autism scholarship dollars, as of December 31.

, whose 13-year-old autistic daughter attends public school,

said the scholarship exists for parents who don't have good options

in their public schools.

said Policy Matters is heavily influenced by unions

representing educators in public school districts, which lose

students and funding when parents opt for the autism scholarships.

The scholarship program allows parents to purchase such autism-

related services as speech therapy, physical therapy and

socialization instruction, said Sogan, one of two education

consultants in the Ohio's Office for Exceptional Children, which runs

the program.

Two people running a program overseeing 150 or so private providers

does not provide enough oversight, Policy Matters Ohio said.

agrees, saying Ohio's Education Department should get more money to

expand that department.

The Policy Matters study found that among the 127 providers they

studied last year, only 40 were schools or had classrooms. Among

those 14 charged more than the $20,000, so only parents would could

afford the extra money used those schools.

Also, 18 of those schools required religious instruction or parents

had to sign a statement of faith.

And parents from wealthy areas were using the scholarship more than

parents in low-income areas, the study notes.

Nearly all of the autism providers were in large, urban regions,

leaving 37 of Ohio's counties – mostly rural areas – with no voucher

participants.

said he agreed with that finding, saying Ohio has a

challenge encouraging private providers to set up shop in rural areas.