CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, which has led many local and national groups, including WVU Medicine, to advocate for people who have Autism Spectrum Disorders.

In a February 2024 issue of Autism Parenting Magazine, West Virginia was ranked as the state with the least support for children with autism compared to the rest of the nation. To form its ranking, the magazine took a look at insurance coverage, the number of school specialists and the number of treatment facilities in each state. 

12 News spoke with Dr. Susannah Poe from WVU Medicine Children’s Neurodevelopmental Center about the challenges West Virginia faces and what can be done to improve its standing. Dr. Poe is the director of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at the center, as well as the president of the board for the Mountaineer Autism Project.

Dr. Poe stated West Virginia’s resources for supporting families with autism are overtaxed and said that “sometimes the waiting list for even a diagnosis is over a year.”

WVU Medicine Children’s Neurodevelopment Center uses ABA to treat children with autism. ABA is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior and has been in use since the 1960s.

Dr. Poe emphasized the importance of treating children with autism early and said “the earlier you do it and the more individualized treatment you provide, the better the outcome for the child their whole life.” 

Back in 2011, The Mountaineer Autism Project helped push mandated insurance coverage of ABA through the West Virginia legislature. Thirteen years later, Dr. Poe estimates that 70% of families that have a child with autism are covered by insurance on some level.

Despite the legal advancements, the problem of treatment still remains unresolved in the state. Dr. Poe explained that many graduating WVU students who become qualified in ABA immediately get hired out of state due to better compensation. The Mountaineer Autism Project is looking to fight this by strengthening the ABA workforce through community college and high school programs in West Virginia.

To learn more about the Mountaineer Autism Project, click here.