When Lansdowne resident Pat DiBari's son was diagnosed with autism last summer, DiBari discovered news that shocked him just as much: insurance companies do not cover autism or its therapies.

"What's even more tragic is the American Association of Pediatrics and the [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] say early intervention in autism helps produce the best results," he said. "But people have to fund it on their own or forego therapy all together. It's a nightmare for parents."

Now DiBari, along with Jodi Folta, one of the founders of the Loudoun County Autism Network, are spearheading an effort to support legislation introduced by Del. Bob Marshall (R-13) that would mandate medical coverage of habilitative services for children. The bill describes habilitative services as "health and social services directed toward increasing and maintaining the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social functioning of developmentally delayed individuals, including occupational, physical, and speech therapy; assistance, training, supervision, and monitoring in the areas of self-care, sensory and motor development, interpersonal skills, communication, and socialization; and reduction or elimination of maladaptive behavior."

The bill was left in committee during this spring's session, but it has been regenerated with a public hearing anticipated in Richmond some time this fall.

"This is where we are focusing our efforts," Folta said. "This is where we think we can get the most bang for our buck."

Folta said Marshall's legislation would take a large burden off of parents of autistic children, many of whom are facing medical bills ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 per year and are having to take out home equity loans and second mortgages to cover the cost.

"This would help parents to just . . . breathe," she said.

To help get the word out about the bill and to bring families with autistic children together, DiBari and Folta have put together the Loudoun County Autism Summit. The summit will be held from 6 to 10 p.m., Monday, July 28, at The Potomac Club at Lansdowne on the Potomac. The community has welcomed the summit in its ballroom, DiBari said.

"You hear about all these great efforts, these pockets of efforts going on around the county and my goal was to get all these people together," he said. "Certainly, I'm not an expert, but collectively, we are."

Doctors, therapists, educators, nonprofits, advocacy groups and parents are going to come together to talk to Loudoun legislators about Marshall's bill, and the importance of getting it passed.

"Some insurance companies say it's a school problem, but it's a medically diagnosed condition," DiBari said of autism. "You need medical supports."

Both DiBari and Folta hope that the legislators will not only be better informed about the bill, but also about the realities of autism and what families live with day to day.

"We think they need to hear from their constituents," Folta said. "We want to start that drum roll and get people going."

So far several Loudoun legislators have agreed to come to the summit and DiBari is working on securing the rest of the Loudoun delegation. He is also reaching out to the schools and the Loudoun Health Council, which recently adopted its top priorities, including an increase in autism awareness and early intervention.

According to Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization founded to improve public awareness about autism and to promote autism research, one in 150 children has been diagnosed with autism, and more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.

"And autism is an excluding factor for some insurances," Folta said.

"It's really a sin," DiBari said. "It's a public policy issue. Autism Speaks estimates it would cost $3 to $4 a month to cover autism."

Autism was first medically identified in 1943, and is part of a group of disorders called autism spectrum disorders. Since the spectrum is so vast, each child diagnosed on the spectrum is different and needs different therapies and services for treatment.

"Only recently was it decided that [autism] was a medical diagnosis," Folta said. "But there's no scientific proof of what works and what doesn't. You can't do a double-blind study. What works with one child might not work with the next."

Since autism is not medically covered, it can be difficult for families to find the right services for their children or what steps to take to help their children improve.

"Because it's so new, we're all kind of looking around saying, 'Now what?'" Folta said. Many families she and DiBari know have to travel to Washington, DC, Maryland and Baltimore to get services.

Loudoun, they say, faces an even bigger challenge because of the rate it is growing. And many of the new families are young.

"More kids are being born and more kids are being diagnosed," DiBari said.

To help the families of Loudoun, DiBari developed The Loudoun Project, an interactive community Web site. He and Folta hope that parents can connect with other parents experiencing the same things they are and find the support that they need. The site is also where DiBari is garnering support for Marshall's bill and the summit.

"We're the fastest growing county and this is the fastest growing epidemic in the world," he said. "We need to continue to get as much attention on it as possible."

Registration for the summit is required but the event is free and registrations will be accepted up through July 28. To register, visit www.theloudounproject.ning.com.