Chicago Autism Network is dedicated to helping local families find and afford effective autism therapy and supports.

Effective autism therapy can change the life of autistic individuals, and should be available to everyone on the spectrum. Unfortunately, too many families cannot afford the annual cost of intensive therapy (over $90k without insurance, about $8-10k with insurance), leaving their children without the support they need to reach their potential. To help more children get needed therapy, we created the Therapy Assistance Grant Program, which offers financial aid to help families cover out-of-pocket therapy costs and/or insurance premiums. Since this program began in 2019, we have awarded over $300,000 to local families, accomplishing the following:

Enabled 21 children to start autism therapy (in-home, in-clinic & therapeutic day schools)
Helped 25 children continue receiving services they wouldn’t have been able to afford without assistance,
Assisted 9 families in paying off medical debts accrued from ABA therapy,
Helped 5 individuals undergo neuropsychological evaluations necessary for proper autism treatment.

Furthermore, these grants aim to help those in the most underserved communities, as illustrated in the following numbers:

92% of our grantees have incomes below the federal poverty line,
96% of our grantees are racial minorities (33% Black, 39% Latinx, 22% Asian),
73% live in the city of Chicago, with 67% living on the south or west sides.

Your support can help us extend more support to local families through this program and our other efforts to support the autism community, including our monthly virtual parent workshops and our annual autism Expo.

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