Florida Advocacy

Autism Speaks advocates to protect the rights, services, and supports of people with autism. 

Because of our federal & state advocacy in Florida,

• The University of Miami School of Medicine has received funding to train future health professionals at provide better health care services for autistic Floridians.
• Law enforcement agencies and other organizations have received 14 grants (totaling over $2 million) because of Kevin and Avonte’s Law to help prevent deaths and injuries associated with autistic individuals wandering from safety.
• Research institutions have been awarded over $56 million in autism research funding since FY15, including over $6 million in FY23 (most recent year available).
• Florida has an autism insurance law requiring health plan coverage of relevant services including applied behavior analysis (ABA) in state-regulated private insurance plans and Medicaid
• The Florida Department of Financial Services launched a new ASD and insurance focused webpage in 2022, after advocacy to increase information on what autism insurance benefits are available in Florida.
• Successful advocacy collaborations have resulted in recent state law changes that:
  • Expand provider access to public schools, allowing for increased patient treatment and generalization of skills.
  • Expand special education eligibility from age 5 to age 9 for students with developmental delays, helping the approximately 30% of children with autism who are not diagnosed by age 8.