Women who live in areas with polluted air are up to twice as likely to have an autistic child than those living in communities with cleaner air. That’s according to a new national study from Harvard University published online in Environmental Health Perspectives. KUER’s Andrea Smardon reports on what this might mean for Utah - which has the highest autism rates in the country, and occasionally the worst air quality.
A new poll shows that the majority of Utah voters want John Swallow out of office, a man shot while at church is expected to recover, and a program for treating children with Autism in Utah is accepting 35 new applicants.
Utah parents of children with autism can now apply for limited spaces in a treatment program. The state Department of Health’s Medicaid Autism Waiver Program opened enrollment Monday for 35 children under 7 years old, but advocates in the autism community say it’s not enough.
A bill that would mandate insurance coverage of autism testing and treatment in Utah will advance to the floor of the state Senate. The Senate Business and Labor Committee approved the bill 5-2 Thursday, despite lawmakers concerns that the bill would not only cost taxpayer money, but would also drive up health insurance premiums.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services gives Utah conditional approval for their state run health exchange, a University of Utah program tries to give children with Autism a better quality of life, and the Holly Oil Refinery in Woods Cross gets approval to expand.
The University of Utah iSTAR program is helping give children who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder a better quality life through the use of technology.
The iSTAR program uses a free 3D design application called SketchUp to help kids with a high functioning form of the Autism Spectrum Disorder develop better social and career skills. iSTAR project director Cheryl Wright says the results they’ve seen so far are encouraging.
