The Office of Vermont State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, has upheld last year s estimate of $57 million in State spending to help about 1,000 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), at the request of the House Committee on Human Services. The number of students with ASD increased 16.5 percent last year.
Some legislators and social service advocates raised questions about the reported $57 million total last year and the House Human Services Committee asked the Auditor s Office to review the spending estimates. The $57 million estimate first appeared in State government s Report to the Legislature to Address Services for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders delivered in January, 2008. (Autism is a neurologically based developmental disorder that can have profound life-long effects in social interaction, ability to communicate, imagination and establishment of relationships; it is also identified as a pervasive developmental disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms.)
The Auditor s Office conducted interviews, reviewed data and visited schools to review $27.5 million in special education spending by the Department of Education (DOE) and nearly $30 million of expenditures in the Agency of Human Services (AHS) which support individuals with ASD and their families. Individuals between 3 and 21 years old typically receive most of their State support through special education services.
The original $57 million estimate was developed within a short time frame, said Deputy State Auditor George Thabault, who noted the report was not the product of a formal audit. The estimate also did not include all programs at the Agency of Human Services that benefit ASD individuals. Some of the expenses were counted by both Education and Human Services, and some other expenses at AHS were later found to be lower than estimated. The result is a bit of a wash, Thabault said, and our view is that the $57 million estimate for ASD-related expenses in 2007 is reasonable. He said the estimate did not include many direct medical expenses paid by the State s Medicaid health insurance programs.
Auditors reviewed DOE expenditure reports related to $27.4 million in special education costs for 568 ASD students in 2007, an average cost of about $48,000. Sixty students had costs above $50,000, totaling $5.4 million ($90,700 average). Auditors reviewed several high-cost files, including the highest autism-related special education cost reported for the year $247,296 for a student served in an out-of-state residential and educational center. Special education costs above $50,000 are 90 percent reimbursed by the State; costs below $50,000 are reimbursed by the State at approximately 58 percent.
Auditors noted that information from DOE indicated that there was a 16.5 percent increase in the number of students with an ASD designation from December 2007 to December 2008. Experts noted in a 2006 report that the number of Vermont children with ASD was increasing by about 20 percent annually.
Legislators also asked auditors to review progress on plans for early screening and diagnosis of autism-related disorders. Thabault said recent, intensive planning efforts, led by AHS and DOE, have resulted in seven key state priorities for autism services. Auditors provided the committee information on steps taken to implement one key goal, which states, Children in Vermont will be screened and diagnosed for developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, as early as possible.
Autism report available at: www.auditor.vermont.gov Click on Audits and Reports and then Reports to view the report.
Or call 1-877-290-1400 to request a copy
State Autism Program officials for further information or comment:
Dept. of Education: Claire Bruno, 802-828-5116, Autism Consultant, Dept. of Education
Agency of Human Services: Clare McFadden, 802-241-2863, Autism Specialist, Dept. of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (Agency of Human Services)
1. Vermont Interagency White Paper on Autism Spectrum Disorders (Report to the ACT 264 Board), by Agency of Human Services and Department of Education. March, 2006. http://www.autismtaskforce.com/white_paper.html
[1] Vermont Interagency White Paper on Autism Spectrum Disorders (Report to the ACT 264 Board), by Agency of
Human Services and Department of Education. March, 2006. http://www.autismtaskforce.com/white_paper.html