Telehealth could be an important component of health care for special-needs children in California, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, in collaboration with UC-Davis Children’s Hospital, The Children’s Partnership and the Center for Connected Health Policy.

“Telehealth … has proven to be an effective tool in making the types of specialized care and coordination needed by children with special health care needs more accessible,” the report said. Read more.

States that provide Medicaid adult dental care still have high rates of dental patients who show up at hospital emergency departments, particularly in urban underserved areas, according to a study released this week. The study — by researchers at Stanford University, UC-San Francisco, Truven Health Analytics and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality — was published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

Researchers said a dearth of dental providers who accept Medicaid patients, particularly in those urban underserved areas, has limited the effectiveness of Medicaid dental coverage in states that provide it. Read more.

The incidence and societal cost of autism has risen dramatically in recent years and will cost California about $40 billion in 2015, according to study results released on Tuesday by researchers at UC-Davis.

Nationally, the costs associated with the disorder could rise to $1 trillion by 2025, researchers said. Read more.

The Special Olympics World Games opened with a star-filled extravaganza at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, but beyond the A-list musical performances, inspiring speeches from the likes of Michelle Obama and glittering fireworks display are countless stories of struggle against the odds.

Over 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 165 countries compete in 25 events. Read more.

                                                     Team USA!

Figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that autism prevalence has increased from 1 in 5,000 in 1975 to 1 in 150 in 2002 to 1 in 68 in 2012. These increases have previously been attributed to there being a greater awareness of autism these days, combined with a broadening of diagnostic criteria.

However, the new study finds that much of the increase in prevalence may be due individuals with related neurological disorders being reclassified, rather than an increase in the rate of new autism cases. Read more.

With California’s fire season coming in early this year and fires close at hand in Lake County, we are reminded again that being prepared is critical. Many resources are available, including how to prepare a ‘go-kit’ and what to do and who to contact if you are threatened. Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD) is a local non-profit that has tools and resources available, and don’t forget DDS’ Consumer Corner for emergency preparedness materials and information.

Change.org has received a petition from a family whose daughter Jocelynn that has Autism is being kicked out of her accelerated math program in the Freehold Township School District in New Jersey. Yes, it is true that children with Autism are a bit different to teach, but that, in no uncertain terms, means that they cannot handle an accelerated program. Sometimes these children are much too intelligent for their own good. Read more.