Years ago, fresh out of college I went to work for a local institution that cared for children and adults with mental disabilities.

It was hard, often emotionally draining work. I cared for a group of young children who, at the time, were probably among the most severely handicapped in Monroe County. Their needs were too great for their families and public schools to manage.

We didn't see many autistic children back then.

Now the statistics are nothing short of shocking.

One in every 63 boys and one in every 100 girls will be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the US this year.

No one knows what causes ASD, and there is no cure.

And autism is not a progressive, terminal disease, which means that autistic children eventually become autistic adults. The cost for a lifetime of care is estimated at $3.5 million to $4 million per adult.

Assembly member David Koon spoke at MCC on Monday evening about a bill he has written that would require private health insurance companies to provide the treatments and services that autistic children need.

Fifteen states currently have similar legislation and 34 others are considering some type of reform measure.

The latest thinking on autism is that an intensive mix of speech, occupational, and physical therapies can help many children become functioning adults. Actress and ASD advocate Jenny McCarthy came to the same conclusion based on her son's experience.

If autism can be arrested or reversed, the high cost of providing autistic adult care could be greatly reduced.

But the current education and health-care systems are not set up for this kind of early and intense form of intervention. Instead of hours of speech therapy daily, most schools will provide less than an hour a week. And health insurance does not begin to cover the costs, either. Insurance companies usually recognize autism as a mental-health problem, and not a bio-medical disorder like brain trauma.

Autistic children and their families are often bounced from one agency to another looking for help, and in the process they frequently incur insurmountable debt. Family stability can dissolve trying to help one autistic child.

The Autism Society endorses A6888, Koon's bill, which is still in committee.

If the new bill makes its way into law, a cost analysis shows that for every $1 New York spends on early treatment of autistic children, the state could save $5 to $7 in long-term care.