Committee approves pilot to screen and serve foster children for autism

The House Judiciary Juvenile Committee voted to approve House Bill 943 on a voice vote, advancing a pilot program to screen, evaluate and expand treatment access for foster children with autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Michelle Zena, a pediatrician who led multi-county research on autism in foster care, told the committee the bill grows earlier regional work that found autism “six times more common than the population at large” among foster youth and that screening and timely diagnosis reduced placement instability. “The average number of months between when they went into foster care and when they got an autism diagnosis was 40 months,” she said, noting that earlier diagnosis and services reduced the average number of placements for children in her sample.

The substitute version of the bill adjusts reporting language: after one year of operation the division must submit a detailed written report on implementation and effectiveness and then report annually through July 1, 2031. Committee members also adopted an amendment to add the chair of the House Judiciary Juvenile Committee to the list of report recipients.

Supporters described operational hurdles the pilot will address — locating children who change placements frequently, finding clinicians willing to evaluate Medicaid patients, and connecting foster parents with services — and argued that the pilot will build provider capacity across DFCS regions. Dr. Zena said the white papers and pilot design were informed by work done with DFCS and that some small policy changes already adopted locally produced measurable improvements.

The committee’s action was taken by voice vote; the chair declared HB 943 passed as amended. The bill now moves forward as directed by committee procedure.