Rep. Wendzel, Logan Center Clinical Director Wier Testify On Autism Legislation

wendzelhb4059
wendzelhb4059

The state House will soon vote on a bill to help ensure children with autism continue to receive vital services without interruption. State Representative Pauline Wendzel and Logan Center clinical director Kristin Wier testified Thursday on House Bill 4059. At issue is an evaluation that needs to be redone every year for a child to be re-diagnosed. Wendzel notes that causes families to compete with each other to get the re-evaluation and if they fail to get it, the child will have a pause in services which risks their development and progress. She says Michigan is the only state to require the repeated procedure and it needs to stop. Wier added there are adaptive behavior assessments required every six months during treatment, making the annual re-diagnosis unnecessary. Director Wier fielded questions and educated the committee on the history of this redundant evaluation and on the critical services provided to children by the Logan Center and other autism spectrum disorder caregivers across the state.