COLUMBUS (WCMH) — On Wednesday Governor John Kasich ceremonially signed a bill which extends autism healthcare.

The bill was officially signed in January and took effect on April 6th. This was four years in the making but governor wanted to ceremonially sign it on Wednesday during autism awareness month to symbolize how important he feels this bill is.

Lawmakers and families who have children with autism were all in attendance at the statehouse.

What does this bill mean for families who have a child with autism? Jessica Lewis, a local mom with a 6 year old who has autism says this is a step forward. “It’s a huge step forward there are a lot of people who struggle to get things covered to…. occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy those things aren’t cheap and those parents whose child hasn’t been able to get the Medicaid for a child with disability you have to be out of pocket”

Finding a school for her son after dealing with bullying then trying to find the right types of therapy hasn’t always been easy. Damyon is six years old, in kindergarten and attends school online through Ohio Virtual Academy.

Lewis doesn’t think children should be denied coverage because of their diagnosis, “It’s like denying someone insurance because they have a heart attack as a preexisting condition that’s not OK.”

Weekly sessions of applied behavior analysis also known as ABA therapy for a child with autism was paid for out of pocket. With this law passed, it provides more extensive coverage for those therapy sessions for ages 14 and under.

Kasich was eager to ceremonially sign this bill saying, “This is really critical to a lot of people who didn’t know if they would be bankrupt if trying to get their kids help so this bill is really going to make a big difference.”

Lewis says the next step is acceptance, “More people are aware now all we need is the acceptance. Acceptance is what we we’re fighting for. We’re no longer fighting for awareness we want the acceptance.”

The coverage caps off at the age of 14. NBC 4’s Elyse Chengery asked Kasich what’s next for anyone older than 14? Kasich said going forward it’s about working to get more coverage and see what can be done next.