ABA Therapy Often NOT Covered by Insurance

TACOMA, Wash. – Grant Fulton is a busy boy.

Seated at a child-sized table in his family's Lacey living room, the 5-year-old kneads a ball of soft, claylike material. He talks about its colors, shapes and textures.

Laurie Waguespack, his therapist, subtly switches between play and learning. Her goal is to help Grant, who has autism, gain cognitive skills.

Waguespack grabs a deck of picture cards, and asks Grant to name the colors and shapes as she flips through them.

"Pentagon. Octagon. Diamond. Black. Circle. Rectangle. Yellow," says Grant, building speed as he identifies 34 of 35 cards correctly.

Eight months ago, says Denise Fulton, Grant's mother, it would have been difficult to get him to name shapes and colors. Two years ago, it would have been impossible. Grant has mastered this only through daily, step-by-step therapy administered by Waguespack and others.

"It's hard trying to rewire the brain," says Fulton.

It's also expensive, with in-home therapy costing anywhere from $15 to $25 per hour. None of it is covered by the family's health insurance plan.

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