Summit Educational Resources

With nearly 4,000 participants on a beautiful, spring Saturday, Summit’s 14th Annual Walk for Autism Awareness, exceeded its $300,000 goal raising more than $311,000.

“We are extremely appreciative of the outpouring of support we received from our families, staff, sponsors, and community friends,” said Stephen R. Anderson, Summit CEO. “These funds are essential in helping us bridge the gap between state funding and our actual expenses and will allow us to continue to provide top-notch services to individuals with autism and their families.” The actual total raised will likely exceed $311,000 due to additional donations made on the Walk website – summitwalk.org – and received by mail.

The Walk, held on Saturday, April 27, was presented by Paddock Chevrolet. Other key sponsors included M&T Bank, The Bonadio Group, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Tops Friendly Markets.

Click here for a letter to Governor Cuomo written on behalf of agency executives of DDAWNY and the families of individuals with developmental disabilities served by DDAWNY agencies. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a 6 percent across the board cut to non-profit providers of OPWDD services including Summit.  While we are hopeful that some concessions will be made, Summit will definitely feel the effect of any reduction.  Services that could be affected include:

• Service Coordination
• In-home respite
• Afterschool Respite – Summit Adventures
• Evening and Weekend Respite – Summit Expeditions
• Community Habilitation
• Family Education and Training
• Supported Employment

Please consider showing your support for individuals with developmental disabilities by sending the Governor  your message of concern.  Using the link below, it will take less than one minute!

http://capwiz.com/iacny/issues/alert/?alertid=62464111

Summit, along with other Western New York human service agencies, advocated with the Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Western New York this past week in opposition to New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's budget. These cuts would have significant impacts on those with developmental disabilities and their families, including: reduced services, layoffs and much longer waiting times to get people the services they need! Parents, self-advocates and human service staff spoke passionately at the press conferences held in Buffalo, Rochester and Niagara Falls.

Click on the below news coverage links for more information:

WGRZ-TV: Groups Push for Added Funding in Budget

WIVB-TV Channel 4 – Disabled decry proposed budget cuts

WKBW-TV Channel 7 – Outrage Over Proposed Cuts to Developmental Disability Programs.

NYSARC: Politics as it Happens - Media Coverage Regarding 6% Cut

People Inc. CEO James M. Boles, Ed.D. Quoted: Buffalo Business First – Social-service agencies reeling after state Medicaid Cuts

The Buffalo News: Letter: Cuomo’s cuts will hurt people with disabilities

The Buffalo News: Another Voice: Careless state cuts would harm our most vulnerable

The Buffalo News: Group protests cuts to programs for disabled

At Summit Educational Resources, we continue to mourn for the families who lost loved ones in the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, on Friday, December 14. 

There have been reports that the perpetrator was alleged to have a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism often characterized by social awkwardness.  Some media outlets have speculated about a link between autism and acts of violence.  Others have mistakenly reported that Asperger’s and autism are mental health disorders, personality disorders, or diseases.

As WNY’s leading service provider to individuals with autism and their families, we want to educate others to help ensure that individuals with autism are not mischaracterized or further misunderstood because of these reports.

To set the record straight:

• No evidence exists to link autism and premeditated violence.
• Individuals with autism who act aggressively typically do so because they are reacting to a situation.
• Research indicates that individuals with autism and those with other disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators.
• Autism is NOT a mental health disorder or a personality disorder; it is a developmental disability.

Please do not judge any individual with autism based on the public discussion surrounding Friday’s tragic event. Instead, please strive to educate and inform your families, neighbors and friends by sharing this information with them.

December 4, 2012 – Proposed emergency regulations from New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) will drastically limit the resources available to families in New York State seeking diagnosis and treatment for their children with autism. 

The regulations, proposed on October 31, the eve of the autism insurance law’s enactment, would require service providers to be New York State licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, or social workers as well as board certified behavior analysts. These DFS regulations exclude hundreds of qualified individuals from providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services, thereby drastically limiting the resources available to New York families as opposed to expanding them as the law intended.

“The design and intent of the Autism Insurance law was to provide insurance coverage for ABA treatment by certified behavior analysts and there are about 700 in the state,” said Dr. Stephen R. Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Summit Educational Resources.  "This regulation would make only 43 professionals eligible to provide this service state-wide,” Dr. Anderson said.

“Many of these individuals may not have experience with individuals with autism and therefore the number of qualified providers may be even lower. This regulation effectively nullifies the insurance law, since essentially no one is qualified to provide ABA in New York,” Dr. Anderson explained.  “The regulation will have a serious detrimental effect on families of children with autism by essentially eliminating their access to services protected under the law,” he added.

The autism insurance law covers diagnosis and ABA treatment for those with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability that affects communication, reasoning, and social skills.  ABA is an evidence-based approach that has been shown in research studies to be the most effective treatment for individuals with autism.  “The approach breaks complex skills into small steps to improve skills and to address behavioral and  medical concerns related to eating, feeding, sleeping, toileting and challenging behaviors,” explained Dr. Vicki Knapp, Chief Clinical Director of Summit and President of the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis.

Several other states have allowed Behavior Analysts to provide and/or supervise ABA services for persons with ASD under similar laws.  “Currently, there are nearly 750 Board Certified Behavior Analysts in New York State,” Dr. Knapp said. “The Behavior Analyst Certification Board has high standards for certification (coursework, supervision, and a certification exam) and this credential is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA),” she added. “We are confident that our community will succeed in lobbying strongly enough to rectify this situation.”

As of October 2012, according to the New York State Education Department, there were 22,805 children between the ages of 4 and 21 that were identified with autism, a number that does not include preschoolers or adults with autism and  has certainly increased as the incidence of autism has skyrocketed.  The Centers for Disease Control reported in April 2012 that autism affects 1 in every 88 children, a significant increase over its previous report in 2009 that indicated that 1 in every 110 children were affected.

Media note:  Summit CEO, Stephen R. Anderson, is available to answer media inquiries regarding the Autism Insurance Reform Law.  Please call me to arrange.

CONTACT:

Ellen Spangenthal, Director-Communications

716-629-3471 or   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Calling it “one of the strongest laws in the country to help individuals with autism,” Judith Ursitti, Director of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks, discussed details of New York’s Autism Insurance Law during a workshop at Summit on Wednesday, November 7.  The new law took effect on November 1.

The law requires state-regulated health plans to provide medically necessary coverage for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder including:

• Behavioral health treatment (such as applied behavior analysis)
• Pharmacy care (if the policy covers other prescription drugs)
• Psychiatric care
• Psychological care
• Therapeutic care, including non-restorative therapy (if the policy covers therapeutic care for other condition) provided by licensed or certified speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, or physical therapists
• Augmentative communication devices
• Any other medical care provided by a licensed health care provider

Ms. Ursitti pointed out that New York is one of only three states in the country with no age cap, a significant benefit to adults with autism.

“The law is designed to help ameliorate the symptoms of autism,”  she said.  Because the law is so new, Ms. Ursitti advises parents to work closely with their physicians and insurance carriers to determine coverage for services. 

Ms. Ursitti’s presentation is available here.

Summit Expeditions is closed today Thursday Dec 27th due to the snow.

Judith Ursitti, Director of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks, will familiarize parents, caregivers, and professionals with New York’s new autism insurance reform law on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Summit Educational Resources.

This free workshop will cover the law, signed by Governor Cuomo and enacted last year, which takes effect November 1. This workshop will address questions about the law and how it will affect you as a parent or provider.

Among the issues covered will be:

• What is covered under the new law?
• How will the law impact your health plan?
• How will healthcare benefits interface with benefits under an IFSP, IEP, or ISP?
• What do you do if your plan is self-insured?
• How will potential changes in DSM impact coverage?

Please RSVP by calling Debbie LaBruna at 716-629-3425 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Duane Paddock, President and CEO of Paddock Chevrolet, was recognized for more than ten years of generous support and advocacy for children with autism at the “Party for Summit” on Tuesday, October 2, from 6 – 9 p.m. in the Buffalo Yacht Club, 1 Porter Avenue, Buffalo. 

The fundraising event attracted more than 200 parents, staff, and community supporters who enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while listening to the music of Kevin McCarthy and bidding on a variety of Silent Auction items.

Since 2000, Mr. Paddock has been a strong advocate for Western New York children with autism and developmental disabilities providing both volunteer and financial support from his dealership, Paddock Chevrolet, and his family.  Over the years, Mr. Paddock has served as chairman of several Summit events including the highly successful “Summit Walk for Autism Awareness” in April which raised nearly $300,000 to help fund gaps in programming for children and young adults served through Summit’s programs.

In 2009, Mr. Paddock contributed a lead gift of $100,000 to help Summit open the Paddock Vocational Training Center in Amherst which provides academic, vocational training and life skills instruction for nearly 70 adolescents and young adults with autism and complex disabilities.

“Through his involvement, and that of his family and employees at Paddock Chevrolet, Duane Paddock has made tremendous strides in increasing awareness of autism in our community.  His community leadership means a great deal to Summit and the families we serve, said Stephen R. Anderson, Summit CEO.

Dr. Anderson, along with Summit Foundation Board Member and Walk Chairman Tom Rosenecker, presented Mr. Paddock with an original piece of student artwork featuring three models of Chevrolets.