NOTE: This article serves as guide information only and we recommend parents do up-to-date research before choosing where to base their family. The content in this article was last reviewed on April 30, 2021 and a methodology/references list can be found at the bottom of the content.
Here at Autism Parenting Magazine we understand that making decisions for any child is difficult, but making a decision for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can add an extra-layer of difficulty. We’re always looking for ways to give our readers as much valuable information as possible. We know deciding where to live with a child with ASD can be extremely overwhelming, so we’ve created a guide of the most supportive, and least supportive states.
To conduct our research we looked at the best states in the USA for resources and merged these with the states that offer the most in terms of insurance mandates, grants, and inclusion of the ADDM Network. We found that Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the most supportive states overall. On the other end of the scale, West Virginia, New Mexico, and Tennessee are the least supportive.
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The Most Supportive States for Raising a Child With Autism
Around 1 in 54 children in America have been diagnosed with ASD₁, that’s approximately 135,050₂ under 18s in the USA, which demonstrates a large proportion of families in need of support. 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.
We created this guide for parents and families to help make any decision-making processes easier. 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. Please also note that data is always changing and new clinics are opened regularly, so this list should only be used as a basic guide. However, we hope it provides some insight and gives parents useful information which they can build on.
The 10 most supportive states for raising a child with autism:
Colorado
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Connecticut
Maryland
New York
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
Rhode Island
Montana
The 10 least supportive states for raising a child with autism:
West Virginia
New Mexico
Tennessee
Nevada
Kentucky
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Nebraska
Mississippi
Maine
For more detailed information, please see the tables below which break down the number of facilities in each of the above 20 states, and where they rank in terms of insurance & ADDM inclusion₅.
Most Supportive
Colorado
Insurance coverage
Ranks 4th
Specialist schools
5
ABA therapy providers
17
Sensory gyms
2
New Jersey
Insurance coverage
Ranks 7th
Specialist schools
81
ABA therapy providers
16
Sensory gyms
3
Maryland
Insurance coverage
Ranks 6th
Specialist schools
11
ABA therapy providers
13
Sensory gyms
3
Pennsylvania
Insurance coverage
Ranks 14th
Specialist schools
22
ABA therapy providers
14
Sensory gyms
11
Rhode Island
Insurance coverage
Ranks 29th
Specialist schools
57
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
6
Massachusetts
Insurance coverage
Ranks 2nd
Specialist schools
17
ABA therapy providers
16
Sensory gyms
2
Connecticut
Insurance coverage
Ranks 12th
Specialist schools
20
ABA therapy providers
12
Sensory gyms
1
New York
Insurance coverage
Ranks 10th
Specialist schools
49
ABA therapy providers
20
Sensory gyms
16
Wisconsin
Insurance coverage
Ranks 19th
Specialist schools
17
ABA therapy providers
7
Sensory gyms
4
Montana
Insurance coverage
Ranks 48th
Specialist schools
4
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
1
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Least Supportive
West Virginia
Insurance coverage
Ranks 49th
Specialist schools
6
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
0
Tenessee
Insurance coverage
Ranks 45th
Specialist schools
10
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
1
Kentucky
Insurance coverage
Ranks 32nd
Specialist schools
21
ABA therapy providers
5
Sensory gyms
2
South Carolina
Insurance coverage
Ranks 30th
Specialist schools
8
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
2
Mississippi
Insurance coverage
Ranks 15th
Specialist schools
23
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
2
New Mexico
Insurance coverage
Ranks 50th
Specialist schools
11
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
0
Nevada
Insurance coverage
Ranks 43rd
Specialist schools
3
ABA therapy providers
8
Sensory gyms
0
Oklahoma
Insurance coverage
Ranks 35th
Specialist schools
8
ABA therapy providers
7
Sensory gyms
1
Nebraska
Insurance coverage
Ranks 23rd
Specialist schools
24
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
0
Maine
Insurance coverage
Ranks 13th
Specialist schools
18
ABA therapy providers
Under 5
Sensory gyms
1
From the research carried out, it was also found that all except three states within the top 10 were on the west coast of America. California ranked number one for being most supportive in terms of grants, state laws, and ADDM inclusion. California is currently the only state that has made services and supports for disabilities an entitlement. However, due to its lack of resources in ratio to its population, it was not included as an overall best state.
Although Rhode Island scraped its way into the number nine spot, it is worth noting that it has one of the lowest Medicaid rates. Meanwhile, (after APM’s initial analysis took place), New Mexico recently increased its Medicaid rate by around 30%.
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The Most Supportive States for Raising a Child With Autism
The original research carried out to analyze which states were best for their resources was split into seven primary categories; Diagnosis, Therapy, Health, Education, Recreation, Support, and Other. Some key findings were that the average distance between an individual with autism and any of the seven resource categories is 17.12km, with an average of over 35km away from a Diagnosis resource. Alaska had the biggest distance on average at 100.66km and New Hampshire had the shortest distance, at 9.3km₄.
Almost all states in the USA have a law requiring insurance coverage for autism treatments. A large number of the states have limits on ages and costs to cover ABA therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy). Additionally, treatment you are able to receive in each state varies significantly.
Not taking into consideration the autism resources, the best states for being most supportive were California, Massachusetts, Indiana, Colorado, and Vermont.
5d. ****Google Data with search term ‘sensory gym autism STATE’
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