Maryland Advocacy
Autism Speaks advocates to protect the rights, services and supports of people with autism. We work with partners on the federal and state government levels, collaborating with advocates, other organizations and policy leaders to redefine possible for people with autism.
Because of our collective advocacy, we have helped secure federal funding for programs in Maryland and advanced policy that improves autism insurance coverage, autism research, lifespan services for people with autism and more.
Because of state advocacy, Maryland...
- Requires health plan coverage of autism-relevant services including applied behavior analysis (ABA). Instead of caps on services, there are floors for coverage by state-regulated private insurance plans and burdensome requirements have been removed from the Medicaid EPSDT autism benefit.
- Has one of the only autism-specific Medicaid home and community-based services waivers in the country and passed the “End the Wait Act” in 2022 to reduce waiver waitlist by half.
- Negotiated a proposed $450 million cut to developmental disability services down to just $29 million in Fiscal Year 2025.
Because of federal advocacy, Maryland...
- Research institutions have been awarded over $100.1 million in autism research funding since FY15, including over $9 million in FY24 (most recent year available).
- Funded training for future health professionals at Kennedy Krieger Institute through the LEND program to provide better health care services for autistic Marylanders
- Has an Autism Center of Excellence at Johns Hopkins University
- Received funding to track autism prevalence and other important data about the characteristics and demographics of autistic children in Maryland (at Johns Hopkins University).
- Law enforcement agencies and other organizations have received 4 grants (nearly $550,000) because of Kevin and Avonte’s Law, to help prevent deaths and injuries associated with autistic individuals wandering from safety.