A new Eastern Michigan University survey has found Michigan is facing a shortage of qualified professionals that can assist children with autism.
The study found roughly 75% of children diagnosed with autism that needed some form of behavioral treatment had to wait an average of five-and-a-half months to get it from a board-certified professional.
The survey’s author, EMU Assistant Professor Adam Briggs, says receiving treatment can play a key role in a child’s development.
“So, if we have this problem in our field, where individuals are getting this diagnosis of autism and then getting prescribed behavioral intervention, but they’re having to go on a wait list prior to receiving intervention, that’s potentially lost time.”
Briggs says besides the long-term goal of recruiting more specialists, making more resources and training programs available to caregivers could also help alleviate the problem in the short-term.
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