April is Autism Awareness Month.
Autism has been in my life for over 19 years. My daughter has a diagnosis of autism and intellectual disability. She is a wonderful and loving person with many abilities and many challenges. As a family, we have taken care of her and have always advocated for her. As a part of the Planning & Placement Team, I have worked with the school system to create good programming for her. Essentially, we are responsible and active participants in the care and education of our daughter. We will continue to help her to be as independent and productive as possible as well as take care of her. In short, we are following the rules and the laws.
She is a young adult with autism. She was born in 1992. Her peers are only the tip of the autism iceberg.
According to The Child-Autism-Parent-Cafe:
Past & Present: Autism Prevalence Rate
1985: The prevalance of Autism is 1 in 2500 births
2000: Autism rates rise to 1 in 500
2004: 1 in 166 children are affected with Autism
2009: 1 in 91 births result in an Autism diagnosis
2012: 1 in 88 children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder by age eight
Autism is "a continuing urgent public health concern." - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While autism is one of the most common developmental disorders American children face, many professionals in the medical and educational fields are still unaware of the best methods to diagnose and treat the disorder. What is known is that once a diagnosis is made, initiating early intervention services significantly improves outcomes for people with autism and can reduce the level of funding and services needed later in life.
Presently, there is no known cause or cure for autism. Presently, best methods and practices for diagnosis and treatment haven't been developed or determined.
There are more questions about autism than there are answers.
Early intervention services help improve the outcomes for people with autism. But, because autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, supports and habilitation are needed throughout that person's education and lifetime.
Not only does autism affect the individual, it affects the entire family. Autism is a social/communication disorder leaving many families are isolated. Sometimes the only help is what is mandated by law.
Here's a partial list of how the government helps people and families living with autism:
Birth To Three: Provides early intervention services
I.D.E.A.: Mandates a free appropriate public education for ages 3-21
SSI: Supplemental Security Income (from Social Security)
Medicaid: Health Insurance
Department of Developmental Disabilities: Provides a case manager, funding and some programming depending upon level of need for individuals that also have an intellectual disability
People who have High-Functioning Autism, Asperger's Syndrome or those who don't have a dual diagnosis of intellectual disability, don't receive services once they graduate from high school. Bureau of Rehabilitation Services provides services for a limited time and then is phased out.
IDEA has never been funded properly. Parents constantly and continually have to fight for educational programming. The maze of obtaining services once children turn 18 years old is a nightmare. The quality of services and level of funding now are not adequate, but if the Republicans have their way, it will get worse.
The Paul Ryan/Republican Budget
•For those currently under 55 – as they become Medicare-eligible – it creates a Medicare payment, initially averaging $11,000, to be used to purchase a Medicare certified plan. The payment is adjusted to reflect medical inflation, and pegged to income, with low-income individuals receiving greater support. The plan also provides risk adjustment, so those with greater medical needs receive a higher payment.
•The proposal also fully funds Medical Savings Accounts [MSAs] for low-income beneficiaries, while continuing to allow all beneficiaries, regardless of income, to set up tax-free MSAs
•Modernizes Medicaid and strengthens the health care safety net by reforming high-risk pools, giving States maximum flexibility to tailor Medicaid programs to the specific needs of their populations. Allows Medicaid recipients to take part in the same variety of options and high-quality care available to everyone through the tax credit option.
According to the Consortium For Citizens with Disabilities:
Ryan Budget Dangerous for People with Disabilities: CCD urges Congress to Reject the Ryan Budget
Washington, DC March 21, 2012 – The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), a national coalition of 113 organizations representing the needs of people with disabilities, believes that the budget resolution proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is dangerous for people with disabilities as it calls for deep cuts to Medicaid, deeply cuts spending for non-defense discretionary programs that support the health and well being of people with disabilities, and would lead to tens of millions of Americans losing their health insurance or become underinsured.
The Budget introduced this week would block grant Medicaid and cut Medicaid spending by $810 billion over the next 10 years. A cut this deep would leave many without health care, cost-effective screenings and treatment. With half of Medicaid’s recipients being children, many of whom have disabilities, this means that millions of children will be denied care and preventative treatment. This change as well as the structural changes to Medicare, will result in shifting costs to states and to individual consumers. This will put a huge burden on already strained state budgets and will lead to further cuts to human service programs.
Those cuts are only for healthcare.
The Republicans want to privatize Social Security.
The Republicans want to defund public education, the only guarenteed intervention and treatment for autism.
The Republicans want to defund research.
We don't know the cause of autism. We don't have a cure for autism. We don't really know the best way to treat autism. Autism lasts a lifetime.
People with autism are growing up. They want to live productive lives as independently as possible. Without early intervention, education and safety net supports, their outcomes will deteriorate. The numbers of people diagnosed with autism is growing. Ignoring this issue will not make it disappear.
Living with autism is overwhelming for families.
In 2012, 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Some of those children will be born into Republican households.
Social Darwinism's "survival of the fittest" doesn't sound so good when it happens to your child and family.
Vote for President Obama, vote for Democrats.