Law Would Require Autism Treatment ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - Two bills that would require insurance providers to cover autism treatments are on their way to the Senate.

Some 14 thousand Michigan children suffer from autism -- that's about 1 in 150.

Autism is a developmental disability that usually appears in the first three years of life. The disorder has a wide spectrum of symptoms.

House Majority Leader Kathy Angerer says the package passed by the House would make sure insurers don't discriminate against children with autism.

"Doctors are diagnosing these children, handing them a treatment plan, and saying go get treatment,'" Angerer says. "And then they find out from the insurance company that the treatments aren't covered by the policy that they've been paying for. And it's devastating to families.

Angerer says 47% of children who get early treatment go to kindergarten with their peers, and the disorder is undetectable.

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