Friday, September 19, 2014
Associated Press
CINCINNATI
Parents of an autistic child on Thursday sued the Ohio Department of Health and others in federal court, alleging discrimination against Ohio’s autistic children by failing to provide what the lawsuit describes as federally mandated treatment.
Gary and Nikki Ruhl, of Mansfield, in northern Ohio, sued in U.S. District Court in Cleveland on behalf of their 3-year-old son. The lawsuit charges the health department and the coordinator of Ohio’s system that provides early-intervention services aiding the development of children up to age 3 refused to provide necessary treatment. The complaint is similar to one recently settled in federal court in Cincinnati over an autistic boy in southwestern Ohio.
The Ruhls’ lawsuit alleges the health department and system coordinator Wendy Grove refused to provide intensive treatment known as applied behavioral analysis for their son and “all infants and toddlers with autism in Ohio.” It also alleges the state has denied funding for services to make up for the earlier lack of treatment.