{"id":465684,"date":"2026-10-14T10:46:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/465684\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:46:49","slug":"texas-health-agency-proposes-eliminating-childrens-autism-program-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/465684\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas health agency proposes eliminating children\u2019s autism program"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, 7-year-old Israel Solis couldn\u2019t communicate with the world around him. Born with autism and nonverbal, he would bite and scratch himself in frustration when someone couldn\u2019t understand his needs. Therapy through a state-subsidized program gave him a voice: using a picture system he\u2019s learned from his providers in Houston, he\u2019s now able to convey his desires.<\/p>\n

But Texas wants to eliminate the state program, which allows some families to pay nothing for services, because of state budget cuts. In its budget request to the Legislature for the 2028-2029 biennium<\/a>, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) proposed eliminating funding for the Children\u2019s Autism Program<\/a> (CAP) entirely, stunning advocates, providers and parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the doors just completely close to access that at all, you just feel like it\u2019s all caving in on you, like \u2018how am I going to get some help?\u2019\u201d said Israel\u2019s mother Elizabeth Solis, who has another son who obtains services through a CAP-funded program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake\u2019s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities<\/a>; she pays nothing for their services.<\/p>\n

CAP, which started in 2008, contracts with 16 providers across Texas to provide focused applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to autistic children at a reduced cost based on their families\u2019 incomes and insurance coverage. Children are eligible for up to 720 hours of ABA therapy, which advocates consider the gold standard for autism treatment, over their lifetime.<\/p>\n

Over the last two years, the state spent $13.7 million on the program, and this year even expanded the program, extending eligibility to those up to 21 years old and removing a cap on yearly hours. In fiscal year 2026, the state autism program funded treatment for 583 children, but contractors report there are at least 1,000 more children<\/a> on waitlists statewide.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were really shocked to see nothing, and it\u2019s just blank where the line item should be,\u201d said Jacquie Benestante, executive director of the Autism Society of Texas. \u201cWe\u2019re used to having to fight for funding, but to actually have a program just slashed and canceled is pretty shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\"\"Elizabeth Solis helps her son Israel with his shoes after arriving home. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune\n<\/p>\n

\n\"EleazarEleazar Solis laughs as he plays catch with his dad at their home . Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From left to right: Eleazar Solis III, 9, Elizabeth Solis, 38, Eleazar Solis Jr., 38, and Israel Solis, 7, pose for a portrait at their home in Houston. Both their sons have autism and receive ABA therapy at a CAP-funded program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake\u2019s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

In July, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed state agencies, appellate courts and universities to cut spending by 3%<\/a> in the next biennium. In response to questions about why HHSC chose to eliminate the program, officials pointed to HHSC\u2019s 3% budget reduction summary<\/a>, which says the agency \u201cfocused reductions on the lowest direct service impact to clients and minimizing impacts to federal funding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, in HHSC\u2019s budget request proposing to axe the program, officials explicitly acknowledged the acute need for autism therapy. \u201cThe demand for services exceeds the availability of qualified providers especially in rural parts of the state,\u201d per the request. \u201cWhile private and public insurance now provide coverage for treatment services there are often not providers available in all parts of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Legislature agrees to eliminate the program, children would still receive services through the end of August 2027, HHSC said.<\/p>\n

Many of Texas\u2019 public programs are funded with federally matched dollars. Jeff Miller, a senior policy specialist at Disability Rights Texas, said CAP, as a solely state-funded program, may have seemed like an easy way to cut costs without endangering federal funding.<\/p>\n

Complexities around Medicaid coverage for ABA therapy may also be partly to blame. In 2022, Medicaid benefits started covering ABA therapy for people 20 years old and younger<\/a>, making the state\u2019s autism program appear redundant. But relying solely on Medicaid could still leave many without access to ABA therapy, said Jolene Pohl, advocacy director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, those Medicaid benefits don\u2019t apply to families without insurance or who are on self-funded insurance plans, which aren\u2019t required to cover ABA therapy. Second, Medicaid, despite the new benefits, is far from a guarantee for accessing ABA therapy: due to low reimbursement rates, it\u2019s difficult to find providers willing to take Medicaid clients. CAP is an avenue for families that fall through these gaps to still access ABA therapy, Pohl explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would make more sense to increase the funding and get those kids off the waitlist and give them the services that they need,\u201d Pohl said, \u201cbecause eventually it\u2019s going to cost the state more if we don\u2019t provide the services to these eligible families in a timely manner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Single mother Emily Pena said that even though her daughter Lila Rodriguez, 5, is on Medicaid, finding a provider still proved difficult. She eventually discovered a CAP-funded program at the University of Houston-Clear Lake\u2019s autism center.<\/p>\n

Lila was nonverbal when she was first diagnosed and struggled in pre-K. ABA therapy works by using positive reinforcement to encourage desired behaviors. For instance, to help address Lila\u2019s meltdowns when tablet time ended, therapists used something fun, like slime, to redirect her so that she associated the transition with a positive outcome. Pena said the center\u2019s program, which Lila attended two or three times a week until she graduated in June, allowed her to enjoy \u201csomewhat of a normal childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past 20 years, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has risen 300%<\/a>, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. With autism diagnoses on the rise, ABA therapy is in high demand. In Texas, wait times for CAP-partnered programs are measured in years, not weeks.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"Elizabeth Solis with her son Israel during an ABA therapy session at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune\n<\/p>\n

\n\"\"Eleazar Solis sinks his head into his hands during an ABA therapy class at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune\n<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dorothea Lerman, director of the University of Houston-Clear Lake\u2019s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, poses for a portrait. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune<\/p>\n

The University of Houston-Clear Lake\u2019s autism center has worked with the state to offer ABA therapy since CAP launched. Last year, the center\u2019s CAP-affiliated programs provided therapy for 41 families, the center\u2019s director, Dorothea Lerman, said, and there\u2019s another 200 families on the waitlist. She called the proposal to eliminate CAP \u201cdevastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no other option for the majority of them, and so they would basically have no services,\u201d Lerman said. \u201cIt would greatly impact the quality of the whole family\u2019s life \u2013 the ability to take your child to the grocery store or out to a restaurant, to function better and learn better in public school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her center doesn\u2019t have the infrastructure to take Medicaid or insurance, Lerman said. If the proposed CAP elimination goes into effect, the center would have until August 2027 to find an alternate source of funding before its CAP-affiliated programs shut down.<\/p>\n

The proposal has also left Hailey Johnson baffled and frustrated. Her son Micah Ortiz was diagnosed with autism at 18 months; now 3 years old, he attended one of the university\u2019s CAP-funded programs for several months and is on the waitlist to return to the program. Johnson said that ABA therapy improved his communication skills and mitigated his meltdowns and aggressive behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s already hard enough on families with kids with autism \u2026 We don\u2019t have that many resources as it is,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThis was a really great one, and they\u2019re going to take that away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Coalition of Texans with Disabilities has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For years, 7-year-old Israel Solis couldn\u2019t communicate with the world around him. Born with autism and nonverbal, he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1864,1865,392,1562,56,58,57,287,1564,293,106126,6473],"class_list":["post-465684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-dan-patrick","tag-dustin-burrows","tag-greg-abbott","tag-health-care","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-politics","tag-state-government","tag-texas-legislature","tag-university-of-houston-clear-lake","tag-well-a-homepage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}