Military Families Struggle/autism/SAR

[Guest guest]

By for usnews.com. is.gd/cPSO

Driscoll might seem the unlikeliest of lobbyists to

cruise the halls of Congress. Indeed, the Marine Corps wife and

mother with three young children, one of whom has autism, didn't

envision herself hustling down the marbled corridors in a power

suit. Yet, on a recent fall day, Driscoll is maneuvering her way

like a K Street pro, eager for any opportunity to make her case that

the Pentagon's healthcare system is failing active-duty military

families with autistic children, families like her own.

And there are many of them. By the Pentagon's own data, some

13,243 of the estimated 1.2 million children of active-duty military

personnel have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Only

1,374, though, are qualified to receive treatment under the extended

care arm of the federal healthcare program TRICARE. A

congressionally mandated hybrid of both military and civilian

medical services, TRICARE is the military's healthcare program for

active-duty service members, retirees, and their families. The cause

of autism, which strikes about 1 in 150 children nationwide, remains

a mystery. And for reasons that aren't clear, autism is diagnosed in

military children at roughly double the rate it is in the civilian

world, a striking 1 out of 88, according to Defense Department data.

Pressure.

By themselves, the numbers tell only part of the story.

Driscoll has become the chronicler of heartbreak and knows that, for

each family, there is the challenge of doing what is best to help

the child through what is often a long-term and costly program of

intensive behavioral treatment. Layered on top of that are near-

constant wartime deployments that strip households of a parent for

extended periods. The hardships for military families are compounded

by the realities of frequent moves that disrupt or end altogether

treatment programs such as applied behavior analysis therapy, or

ABA, which medical experts say makes a huge difference in the lives

of autistic children. The skyrocketing out-of-pocket payments for

expenses not covered by TRICARE are forcing some service members to

consider volunteering for additional combat deployments, which come

with tax-free danger pay, to help dig their families out of debt.

And the financial pressures are prompting some to leave the

military, a development that officials warn is harming military

capabilities.

Driscoll has gone to the Hill to battle on behalf of her own

autistic son, 10-year-old , and others like him, arguing that

military healthcare has left families stranded. On this, she can

speak with authority. For the past four years, she has put in

countless hours, drawn on income and home equity, and taken on

thousands in debt annually to get her child the medically prescribed

therapy not covered by the military's healthcare program. " The

majority of families who face the circumstance of having to pay out

of pocket for therapy are simply going without. That should never be

the answer for military children, " says Driscoll. " This is a

devastating medical condition that is treatable, and children can

make significant gains. "

Autism is a developmental brain disorder that can rob children

of their speech or even the ability to look their parents in the

eye. And because there is no cure--only intensive therapy aimed at

minimizing the impairment-- it is considered a chronic disorder, as

persistent and deeply rooted in one's health blueprint as arthritis

or high blood pressure. Yet, according to the Defense Department's

own data, 90 percent of military children diagnosed with autism are

not receiving ABA therapy treatment.

It's not from lack of trying, military families say,

criticizing the TRICARE system for its classification of intensive

therapy as education rather than a medical necessity. This

rationale, they say, allows the healthcare provider to justify what

families regard as an arbitrary cap for ABA treatment services. This

is not an issue limited to military families, with some states

reviewing the rules for private-sector insurers. Seven states have

enacted legislation mandating autism coverage from private-sector

insurers, and similar bills are pending or anticipated in more than

20 states. But these measures would not directly affect TRICARE

because it is a federal program. " Do we really want to have a system

where a kid living in one state may get a better quality of care

than a kid living in another state? " asks Stuart Spielman, senior

policy adviser for Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism

advocacy organization, based in Washington, D.C. " Think about the

extraordinary sacrifices that military families make, " he says. " If

we're asking someone to risk his or her life in Iraq or Afghanistan,

do we not have an obligation to help their families? "

Driscoll knows therapy works. When her son was just a

little over a year old, he began throwing frequent tantrums.

Sensitive to light and noise, he would hit himself in the face and

bang his head on his crib. He would not speak. " This was my first

child, so I wasn't sure what to expect, " she says. More than eight

years later, as his mother tells the story one Sunday afternoon at

the dining room table in their suburban Northern Virginia home,

, now a chatty and personable boy, sits in the den watching a

movie with the shades drawn and the lights turned off. When he began

ABA therapy at age 3, he could barely speak, she recalls. Now, he's

able to talk, have relationships with his siblings and other kids at

school, and be included in a general classroom, she says, breaking

into a smile. His need for intensive therapy has waned with each

improvement. While the hours fluctuate, what was once upwards of 20

hours a week is now closer to 10. " I look at periods of time that

are dark and ugly, " she says, recalling the intense stress she first

felt dealing with her son's condition. " It's that grieving period

when you give your life up and your expectations for your child's

life--that for me was a dark period. "

Marine Corps Master Sgt. Buck Doyle and his

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