The business of autism support

Dr. Jean Frazier, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School, addresses an audience at the second annual Central Massachusetts Autism Summit on Sept. 22.

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By Emily Micucci

Maintaining work-life balance is challenging for any parent, but for those who have children with autism, the problem is compounded.

Speakers featured at the second annual Central Massachusetts Autism Summit held at Assumption College Tuesday morning provided insight into the myriad obstacles parents face. Often, children with autism have other health conditions that add to their needs, from psychiatric diagnoses to allergies and gastrointestinal disorders, according to a presentation by Dr. Jean Frazier, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School in Worcester.

‘It takes a village'

Frazier said that for this reason, employers, and the community at large, must rally to support families affected by autism.

“It takes a village,” Frazier said. “I can tell you, as a provider, it’s important to have that village.”

Autism is clearly an emotionally-charged subject for parents. A collection of video testimonials at the beginning of Tuesday’s event, hosted by Franklin-based Horace Mann Educational Associates, provided a glimpse into the difficulties many have trying to manage their children while being productive at work. The annual Autism Summit is part of an effort to increase outreach to families in Central Massachusetts in need of autism services.

Benefits key to talent retention?

But trying to accommodate such employees through robust benefits and support programs in the workplace isn’t strictly a “touchy-feely” matter, according to Lauri Tenney, director of benefits and programs at EMC Corp. in Hopkinton. It also makes good business sense.

EMC, a self-insured company, began offering autism benefits to employees in 2009, before a state law mandating coverage by Massachusetts-based insurers was passed in 2010. Since then, claims for autism services have risen annually as autism awareness has increased, Tenney said.

Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder, a number that has steadily risen over the last decade. Not surprisingly, this has cost EMC money, but the benefits have been a boon in terms of talent retention, accordng to Tenney, who is a parent of a child on the autism spectrum.

EMC, she noted, competes with West Coast companies such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook for top talent. In some cases, employees have stayed with EMC, or joined the company, specifically because of the autism benefits it offers. In addition to coverage for services, the company runs support groups and counseling to parents with autistic children, as well as flexible work arrangements when needed.

“It’s not just a human resources issue. It’s a business issue,” Tenney said.