The Autism Society of Hawai'i has appealed to members of the legislative education committees to ask Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto to use her powers as Department of Education procurement officer to extend for six months the contracts of three agencies that provide services to autistic children that were set to expire yesterday.

But DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen said "it's not possible" for the superintendent to do that because there can't be overlapping contracts for the same services. New contracts for intensive services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders were set to go into effect today.

Knudsen said, "We've obligated those monies through the new contracts."

However, he said the department has issued short-term contracts to two of the agencies that lost intensive service contracts — North Shore Health and Alaka'i Na Keiki — for a transitional period for 26 children diagnosed with autism.

Parents fear their children may suffer setbacks if their service providers are changed because children with this disorder react poorly to changes in routine. Parents have said they worry about serious regression in their children's behavior and months of readjustment.

Knudsen also said that for the most part the individuals that were providing services to the children will continue with the same children because the providers are changing agencies.

"In most cases it doesn't mean a change in personnel," he said.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.