Neurodiversity Focus lets wellness accounts cover sensory and focus tools for plan members
Desjardins Insurance is extending group benefits coverage to services provided by educational therapists and behaviour analysts under Neurodiversity Focus, an offering the Montreal-based insurer announced on Monday.
The company said in an announcement distributed by Cision that plan members’ wellness accounts can cover certain tools and equipment for neurodivergent individuals.
Eligible items help with concentration, time and transition management, reducing environmental stimuli, and sensory regulation.
The insurer’s group benefits offering already covers professional services delivered by speech therapists, mental health professionals, neuropsychologists and occupational therapists, and Desjardins Insurance said coverage for those services will continue.
Chantal Gagné, president and chief operating officer of Desjardins Financial Security, said in the announcement that “there are as many ways of being neurodivergent as there are people.”
Each person has their own needs, circumstances, and experiences, she said.
Neurodiversity includes attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia and dyscalculia, Desjardins Insurance said, and neurodivergent individuals may benefit from different types of support, care and resources.
Desjardins Insurance has partnered with Autism Canada to offer employers tailored tools and resources.
Insured persons will get access to Maple’s Beyond ADHD program, which provides ADHD assessment, diagnosis and follow-up care.
The fdmt online store sells products supporting individuals with various learning, development or adaptation needs, and NeurAlly Care offers tools and support to parents of neurodivergent children through the KeenSpire app.
The additions complement resources already offered by Biron for pharmacogenomics and by HALEO for sleep disorders, alongside the insurer’s Health is Cool 360° platform, which will include a new section on neurodiversity.
Coverage for tools and equipment runs through the wellness account rather than an insured benefit.
