MADISON, Wis. -- Even though Wisconsin has been one of the leaders in the country when it comes to the level of care given to those with autism, some families dealing with autism say the state has left their children behind.

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Dealing With Autism

"If I'm unable to work, I may have to make a decision to put him in a home, and I've never believed that was something I should even think about," said Kathy Draves, who's 14-year-old son, Brian, has autism.

She's taking time off work to plot a course for her and her son. She says Brian has been acting out at home, and at school, and dramatically losing skills he worked so hard to learn -- ever since state-funded one-on-one home therapy was cut back 80 percent.

"It's like I'm supposed to accept that (I) should watch him regress, when I know that we have something that works, and I can't accept that," Draves said.

Draves was among hundreds who banded together last year, successfully lobbying lawmakers to reinstate $26 million in funds for in-home autism care.

Jean Muckian works with autistic kids. "I don't think the people who made the decisions are aware of what has happened," she said.

She and other service providers say while younger children are being served adequately, many older clients like Brian are not.

"What has happened to the program is a life sentence of solitary confinement for these kids," Muckian said. "As we see with Brian, he's regressed back to his solitary world of autism, where shaking a doll is all that he will focus on."

She and others tried to convince health and family services staff they were making a mistake when they reallocated limited funds, but state officials say changes made were necessary to ensure the continuation of federal funding.

They also say members of the autism coalition agreed with the plan.

"We're going back to square one," Muckain said. "We're doing a rally and contacting legislators."

She says more than 400 families like the Draves have joined a new effort to fight for autism funding.

As it stands, 60 percent of the money spent on in-home care comes from the federal government.