Revealed: The most supportive states to raise autistic children; New Jersey One of the Best
Thursday, December 29, 2022
West Virginia, New Mexico, and Tennessee have been named the top three worst states to raise an autistic child. The states have been named after analysis of data looked at resources available for people with autism, individual state laws requiring insurance coverage, if a state is part of the ADDM Network and grants available to families. One in 54 children have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the US. The research also revealed the East Coast is the best place to raise autistic children, with seven out of the ten states ranked best all on the East Coast. Colorado, Massachusetts and New Jersey have been named the best states.
Research conducted by Autism Parenting Magazine has revealed the top ten states for raising a child with autism, as well as the states that offer the least support, with West Virginia ranking the worst place, while Colorado is named the best.
Autism Parenting Magazine has created a guide for parents and families of the best states for raising a child with ASD, which incorporates the best states available for resources***, as well as those states which offer the most comprehensive insurance mandates, grants, and whether the state was a part of the ADDM Network.
The list of the best and worst states, along with the full research can be found here:autismparentingmagazine.com/supportive-states-raising-autism-child/
The worst states for raising a child with autism are:
- West Virginia
- New Mexico
- Tennessee
- Nevada
- Kentucky
The best states for raising a child with autism are:
- Colorado
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Connecticut
- Maryland
According to research, around 1 in 54 children in the USA have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)*, that’s approximately 135,050** under 18’s in America. When raising a child with autism there are various factors to take into consideration, from resources including schools and sensory gyms to the monetary and legal aid parents may be provided with, all of which change state by state.
As shown in the above lists, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the top three states for raising a child with ASD. When analyzing the resources available, the states that offer the highest number of resources based on ratio of their population are Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Colorado***. However, when taking into consideration their ranking for most comprehensive insurance, grants and inclusion within the ADDM Network, Colorado moved from the third spot, to the first.
From the research carried out, it was also found that all except three states within the top 10 were on the east coast of America. Although California ranked number one for being most supportive in terms of grants, state laws and ADDM inclusion, due to its lack of resources in ratio to its population, it was not included as overall the best state.
Mark Blakely, Founder of Autism Parenting Magazine, said:
“Making informed decisions for your children is extremely important for every parent. However, when you have a child with ASD it can complicate decision-making further. It might not be well-known to all families that different states can offer so much more, or so much less, in terms of resources and insurance support. That’s why we wanted to create a comprehensive list of the most supportive states to assist families who are making these decisions.
“Raising an autistic child can be lonely, intimidating, and scary at the best of times, and our goal is to offer families easily-accessible information to make their decision-making as informed as possible. Of course, some families may need resources more than they need insurance support, or visa versa, so this list may not be the perfect option for every family. However, we hope that it provides some insight and gives parents the basis of information from which they can build on when deciding the future of their child.”
Raise Awareness and Support Autism
Make your own pin set to raise awareness and show your support. Although autism cheap enamel pins are small, they are a huge tool in putting autism in the spotlight. As a disorder that affects tens of thousands of children in the United States alone, it is critical that autism is fully understood by the wider community. To begin with, let people know that ASD exists. It is easy to distribute autism awareness pins in bulk, they are visible, and they are durable. Start a conversation when you put them on. This could lead to another person taking over the cause. Every child should have an awareness badge.
ENDS
*https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
**https://www.statista.com/statistics/457786/number-of-children-in-the-us-by-age/
***Best/Worst States for Autism Resources | by Robert Lawrence, PhD | AutisticalData | Medium