TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - An East Texas autism director said a Texas proposal to eliminate funding for children's autism programs would end a grant that has served nearly 300 families since 2017."Before we were able to get this service, you could only access (Applied Behavior Analysis) if you had a commercial insurance policy, which cuts out a huge part of our population," said Raychel Hall, director of autism services at Andrews Center TLC.

She said the grant funds individualized work on social communication, daily living and independence skills, with early intervention as the focus."We're able to work on so many things that are going to make a huge difference in their lives, their family's lives," Hall said.

"Early intervention is the key to this."The director said Medicaid is required to cover ABA but is not a comparable service.