Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

AUSTIN (KRLD) - There's good news for the families of special needs children who rely on State support for therapy.

State District Judge Tim Sulak has granted a temporary injunction preventing the implementation of budget cuts to the program. It's believed the $100-million dollar rate reduction spelled out in Governor Abbott's approved State budget will result in 60,000 children with diseases like Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy losing access to therapy services. These are children like Leslie Wood's Nephew Dawson. Before Therapy Dawson had trouble performing functions as simple as talking and eating. She testified against the cuts at the recent State Health and Human Services Commission Rate Reduction hearing. "These children, our children; after receiving the therapies they need to grow up to become smart, gifted, productive members of society, and therapy is the foundation of the success that they will later have."

State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer has been a vocal opponent of the cuts. He also testified at the hearing in favor of the current Federal match program. "We left Austin with $2-billion dollars left to spend under the spending cap. This is an issue that is about a hundred million dollars of State money and when we spend that money we get $200-million dollars from the Federal Government."

According to State District Judge Tim Sulak, cutting payments for therapy could jeopardize the health of the children receiving them.  A spokesman for the Health and Human Services Commission says they're now consulting with the Attorney General on their next legal move.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)