Improving options for autistic children

A year ago, most local families were forced to drive to Columbia, St. Louis and even other states regularly for diagnosis and treatment of an autistic child.

The therapies that parents were able to implement in Southeast Missouri didn't always seem effective or practical.

But over the past 12 months, services for autistic children have increased dramatically.

Read Sunday's Southeast Missourian for the first of a two-day series on reports about the changes in dealing with autism.