thias over at Pundit Nation wrote a great article on the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce
(WMC) trade association’s opposition to Wisconsin Senate Bill 178, which would mandate that insurance companies in Wisconsin provide coverage for treatment and therapy for children with autism. I know that as the parent of an autistic child I’m incredibly biased in my support of SB178, but I simply cannot understand how anyone with any sense of compassion, empathy, or decency could be opposed to providing increased coverage for children affected by autism and other related disorders.

Depending on the severity of their case, children affected by autism and related spectrum disorders can have varying levels of ability to function, and likewise their potential for improvement is equally varied. For children like my son Nick - who’s fortunate to have a very mild case of autism - the potential for significant and lasting improvement is tremendous, so long as intervention is done as early as possible. My wife, Nick, and I have waited just over twelve months for the therapy Nick needs, and that’s even given the fact that I’m a state employee, and therefore have pretty darn good health insurance. We’ve had to jump through innumerable hoops when it comes to applying for Medicaid, and then came the waiting.

I’ve written more than once about my frustrations when it came to our wait for Nick’s therapy, and I can only hope lawmakers in Madison -regardless of political affiliation - will come together and do the right thing in passing SB178 into law. Providing more resources for diagnosis, intervention, research and therapy for children affected by autism and related spectrum disorders is the right thing to do, not just from a moral standpoint, but from a dollars and cents standpoint. I know the WMC is arguing it would be too expensive for insurance companies in Wisconsin to have to provide coverage for autism and related spectrum disorders - and the therapy is expensive, running into the tens of thousands of dollars per year - but when I hear that argument I’m reminded of the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” Any money spent now on autism intervention and therapy is going to prevent even more money being spent in the future to help take care of individuals who may not be able to function in society because they didn’t have the opportunity for a timely intervention and therapy.

If there’s one thing I hate above all else about living in an apartment, it’s my noisy neighbors. The upstairs neighbors are great people, but they sound like a herd of elephants doing professional wrestling on our ceiling. As if that’s not bad enough, one of the neighbors with whom we share a bedroom wall snores so loud he sounds like a bobcat trapped in a burlap sack. I’m a pretty sound sleeper, but one night last week he was snoring loud enough to wake me up out of a dead sleep.

Like I mentioned, I like my neighbors, but I can’t wait until we can buy a house so that we don’t have to worry about noisy neighbors snoring too loud or doing professional wrestling on our ceiling.

The boy has discovered a new favorite show…SpongeBob Squarepants. He giggles and giggles throughout the entire show, but especially so any time SpongeBob laughs.

Yesterday this blog had its highest number of visitors ever…until today. I know fifty visitors in one day isn’t much, but that’s fully one hundred eyes that have read this blog. Heady stuff, right there.

One of my favorite guilty pleasures? Watching Dr. Phil when I happen to come home from work a little early. I love trying to impersonate Dr. Phil for my mother in law, though I don’t know how much she appreciates my attempts.

Every time I hear Senator Sam Brownback’s name mentioned, I always think of Brokeback Mountain. I suppose it’s the similarity between the two…or could it be something else?

This is a very personal entry, so please bear with me.

I know I’ve done my fair share of complaining lately about my frustration with how long it’s taken for my son Nick to get approved for Medicaid so he can finally get the therapy he needs, but it looks like my complaining days are over - at least for now. All it took was a check of today’s mail for all the prayers of my wife and I to be answered, because we finally got the letter from the County that we’ve been waiting for. To summarize the letter, Nick’s been moved to the top of the list for autism treatment, pending verification of some minor details on our part. We’ve already provided all the details that were necessary, and the return letter is sitting on the kitchen table waiting for me to mail it tomorrow.

Words really can’t adequately describe how I’m feeling right now - they really can’t. This day has been a long time coming, and while I know there’s probably a little more waiting yet to be done, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We finally have hope that Nick’s going to get the help he needs, and that’s a great thing. I love my son, and I’m so happy for him right now.

I came across an interesting article on the long wait to get children with autism therapy in the MJS. According to the article, “[h]undreds of children with autism aren’t getting the therapeutic aid many medical experts say represents their best hope of attaining a normal life.” As the parent of an autistic four year-old, I can speak firsthand about the long wait for therapy. Nick was first diagnosed as autistic over a year ago, and despite completing and submitting the Medicaid paperwork right away, we’re still on the waiting list for Medicaid. As a result, Nick has to go without the therapy that everyone agrees would be so beneficial to his continued development. In fact, here’s an interesting quote from the MJS article:

Although there is no known cure for autism spectrum disorders, or developmental disorders characterized by impairments of social functioning and both verbal and non-verbal communication, studies show that some children with autism are able to achieve near-normal functioning through a rigorous combination of speech, occupational and physical therapies.

What’s so frustrating for Patti and I is the fact that we both know Nick would would make so much progress if just given the right chances. Nick’s incredibly bright, and pretty much every “expert” - teachers, doctors, etc. - who have interacted with him have agreed his is a very mild case of autism, which is obviously a good thing, but it also serves to add to our frustration. As a parent, I just want the best for my son, and that includes the best possible treatment to help him deal with his autism. I wish I could afford the $40,000 per year for the therapy Nick needs, but I can’t, and that kills me.

This is my life, for everyone to see.

So Patti and I survived Summerfest, but the day/night was not without some raised eyebrows and a healthy dose of laughter. The raised eyebrows were the direct result of having to pay $4.50 for a single beer, a fact meant Patti and I spent close to 40 dollars on beer alone. Thankfully we ate before we left for Summerfest, so we didn’t blow too much money on food. Other than the exorbitant prices for food and drink, Summerfest itself was a blast. We listened to a lot of great music, met up with some of Patti’s friends, and in general just had a good time. At the end of the night, we headed over to the Marcus Amphitheater for the Daughtry concert, which was as good as I expected, so all in all it was a good night.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about Summerfest is the opportunity it affords for people watching, which has always been a hobby of mine. Yesterday was like an all you can eat buffet for people watching, because the hot weather + no shortage of alcohol will always lead to hilarity. Patti and I saw plenty of folk who had no business wearing the outfits they were wearing, and we saw no shortage of drunk folks acting like complete and total fools. All in all we had a great time, and Summerfest definitely lived up to its billing as The World’s Largest Music Festival.

It’s always nice to have a Friday off from work, and it’s even nicer to have a Friday off from work so you can go to Summerfest. That’s where Patti and I will be today - enjoying all the great music and good food, and tonight we’re going to see Daughtry at the Marcus Ampitheater. Patti’s a big fan, and I don’t mind his music, so it should be a good show. There are a few good bands playing on the other stages tonight, but I don’t think we’ll get to see any of them since our show starts at 8:00.

At any rate, it should be a good time, because the weather’s supposed to be absolutely beautiful, with no chance of rain.

…but things didn’t go according to plan. Today was veterans’ day at the Zoo, and since my grandfather had given us some wristbands for admission/parking/etc., my mother and I decided to take Nick and meet up with my brother, his girlfriend, and their respective kids. All was going according to plan until Nick had a complete meltdown in front of the “monkey island,” and nothing seemed to help make the situation any better. Ultimately we made our way out of the Zoo and came back home, which is a little bit of a disappointment given that the whole day was going to be free.

Though I’m disappointed, I’m still glad we were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather for a little while, and there’ll be plenty of other opportunities to visit the Zoo.