Project 2025

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

Project 2025 of the Heritage Foundation has a long volume titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.  Page 326:

 The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) houses nearly two dozen programs, ranging from funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf to Special Olympics Funding and the American Printing House for the Blind. Most IDEA funding should be converted into a no-strings formula block grant targeted at students with disabilities and distributed directly to local education agencies by Health and Human Service’s Administration for Community Living.

IDEA is not a civil rights statute.   Its requirements are conditions of federal aid -- also known as "strings."  "No strings" means "no requirements

Spongebob Is Autistic

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss depictions of ASD in popular culture.  

Malia Mendez at LAT:

Tom Kenny is canonizing a popular “SpongeBob SquarePants” fan theory.

Kenny, who has voiced the animated series’ star sponge since the show’s premiere in 1999 and received two Daytime Emmy Awards for his performance, recently confirmed that his character has autism.

“SpongeBob’s kind of on the spectrum, too, as a character,” he said during a May Q&A at Motor City Comic Con in Detroit. Footage of the Q&A reposted Tuesday on X has since gone viral.

During the panel, Kenny recalled the first time he was pressed on the subject: “A person who was obviously on the spectrum came up to me and said, ‘I have a question for you, Tom Kenny, is SpongeBob autistic

Trump to People with Disabilities: "Just Die."

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns.   In this campaign, a number of posts have discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.  He also has a bad record on disability issues more generally. 

At TIME, Fred Trump recalls his uncle Donald at an Oval Office meeting on disabilities:

He sounded interested and even concerned. I thought he had been touched by what the doctor and advocates in the meeting had just shared about their journey with their patients and their own family members. But I was wrong.

“Those people . . . ” Donald said, trailing off. “The shape they’re in, all the expenses, maybe those kinds of people should just die.”

I truly did not know what to say. He was talking about expenses. We were talking about human lives. For Donald, I think it really was about the expenses, even though we were there to talk about efficiencies, smarter investments, and human dignity.

Fred Trump also recalls an earlier conversation about raising money for his severely disabled son.

I got him up to speed on what Eric had told me. I said I’d heard the fund for William was running low, and unfortunately, the expenses certainly were not easing up as our son got older. In fact, with inflation and other pressures, the needs were greater than they’d been. “We’re getting some blowback from Maryanne and Elizabeth and Ann Marie. We may need your help with this. Eric wanted me to give you a call.”

Donald took a second as if he was thinking about the whole situation.

“I don’t know,” he finally said, letting out a sigh. “He doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you should just let him die and move down to Florida.”

Bullying, Depression, and Anxiety

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss challenges facing autistic adults and children.  One is bullying.

Accardo, A.L., Neely, L.C., Pontes, N.M.H. et al. Bullying Victimization is Associated with Heightened Rates of Anxiety and Depression Among Autistic and ADHD Youth: National Survey of Children’s Health 2016–2020. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06479-z.  The abstract:

Autistic youth and youth with ADHD have heightened rates of bullying victimization, anxiety, and depression. The purpose of this research is to use nationally representative US data to 1) estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression among bullied neurodivergent youth and 2) investigate whether the association between bullying victimization and anxiety or depression is significantly greater among autistic youth and youth with ADHD. For this research, we used five years of data (2016–2020) from the nationally representative National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), youth ages 12–17 years (n = 71,973). Data were analyzed with R and the R survey package to estimate average marginal percentages, risk differences, and additive interactions as recommended by STROBE guidelines. The study identified heightened anxiety and depression among bullied autistic or ADHD youth. Results also showed that the increase in the rate of anxiety or depression associated with bullying victimization was significantly greater among autistic youth and youth with ADHD relative to non-autistic non-ADHD youth; interactions were significant among both male and female youth. Autistic youth, youth with ADHD, and youth with co-occurring autism and ADHD are particularly vulnerable to bullying victimization and associated depression and anxiety. Future research is needed to understand why the association between bullying victimization and depression/anxiety is significantly greater among autistic and non-autistic ADHD youth. Recommendations include exploring school-wide anti-stigma initiatives to stop the reciprocal bullying–anxiety/depression cycle, routine bullying and mental health screening of autistic and ADHD youth, and clinical management of bullied autistic and ADHD youth with anxiety or depression

Catholic Schools and Disabilities

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about education and the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. 

IDEA does not apply to private and parochial schools.

 Katie Yoder at Catholic Review:

According to a report by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), the largest, private professional education association in the world, close to 1.7 million students attended nearly 6,000 U.S. Catholic schools for the academic year 2022-23.

Only a low percentage of those schools include students with disabilities or learning differences, according to available estimates. The National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion, a nonprofit that supports inclusive education, finds that about 2 percent of Catholic schools include students with intellectual disabilities, while the NCEA estimates that 6.9 percent of Catholic schools have students with a diagnosed disability or learning difference.

“We think that that’s an underreport, by the way, because several dioceses with large numbers of participating students have not supplied data to us,” NCEA President and CEO Lincoln Snyder said. “We also know that there’s a lot of children with learning differences that may not be diagnosed or may not be reported.”

Looking at the data, Colleen McCoy-Cejka, co-founder of Inclusion Solutions, which equips schools to educate all learners, also emphasized that around 20% of the population is neurodivergent, which simply means that differences in their brains affect how their brains function.

“That means every classroom everywhere is neurodiverse,” she said. “What we really want to know is: How many Catholic schools are intentionally addressing the learning differences that are present in their schools with excellence?”

Simulated Traffic Stops and Blue Envelopes

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between first responders and autistic people.  Some jurisdictions allow autistic drivers to ask for a blue envelope to disclose the driver's diagnosis in case of an accident or traffic stop.  Others have ID cards.

Grindle, H., Sassu, K.A., Dooley, J.M. et al. Facilitating Interaction with Police During Routine Traffic Stops for Persons with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi-org.ccl.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06459-3  Abstract:

A product of ASD socio-communicative-deficits and insufficient police training related to autism, ASD-police interactions have the potential to become problematic, with negative outcomes for ASD individuals and police alike. Thus, the combination of police acclimation, simulatory experience for drivers with ASD and the introduction of Connecticut’s recent Blue Envelope could improve overall experiences for drivers. A simulated routine traffic stop practice event, utilising pre- and post- measures was conducted in an effort to quantify drivers’ feelings about current and future interactions with police. Our prediction that participants would experience a statistically significant improvement in anxiety, comfort and self-perceived knowledge levels about future ASD-police interactions immediately following the intervention was confirmed. Our prediction that initially significant disparities between participants with and without police experience – those with previous police encounters versus those that don’t - would become not significant immediately following the intervention was disconfirmed. While the longitudinal data suggested that improved post-intervention ASD psychological measures remained statistically significant in the long-term, the sample responses to our long-term questionnaire were too few in number to make any definitive conclusions. It is suggested that practice traffic stops such as these could benefit both drivers with ASD and law enforcement nationwide. It is further suggested that police officer curriculums should include additional training regarding special populations.

Progressing the Blue Envelope Protocol

In recent years, the Blue Envelope program has continued to grow, partially helped by the running of these traffic stop practice interventions. Widespread progress has been made throughout the United States when it comes to the protection of ASD drivers and implementing appropriate, thorough police training. However, such efforts have not been united, but implemented on a seemingly state-by-state basis. The Blue Envelope provides a tool that can be standardized and universally used across the nation. With pre-existing state motor vehicle departments, the critical infrastructure required for the mass distribution of the blue envelopes is already in place. A crucial step towards bettering the safety of ASD individuals on the road, a national availability would ensure consistent support to this special group, regardless of place of residence. The national expansion of the program would voice the importance of inclusivity and accessibility to ASD individuals around the United States, emphasising that their ability to participate and enjoy in life’s activities is just as important as anyone else’s, reducing stigmatisation towards ASD persons.
Expanding Police Training

Fundamentally, the maximal efficacy of the Blue Envelope will only be achieved if police are properly trained to understand its utility for ASD drivers and what socio-communicative-cognitive deficits have the potential to complicate ASD driver-police interactions. The voluminous number of horrific ASD-police incidents illuminate the inadequate training law enforcement has previously received (Soares et al., 2019; Hepworth, 2017).

For better ASD-police outcomes, police officers need to undergo training that increases their understandings of the ASD population and provides them with strategies that are likely to result in successful interactions with this population. When police arrive on the scene, their presence can sometimes escalate an already tense environment. It is imperative that the time allocations of police training program are proportionally reallocated to address the disproportionate problems vulnerable populations face, as the present “exposure of trainees to the particular needs of persons with ASD is limited” (Osborn, 2008, p.372). While over half of law enforcement officers had responded to a call involving an individual with ASD within the last year, over 70% of officers reported they had received “no formal training in ASD” (Gardner et al., 2019, p.1278). Ultimately, the creation of a national ASD-related police curriculum, one that is constantly reviewed and updated, would be incredibly beneficial to state governed police training protocols. Police officers have shown a willingness to learn about this issue (Swan & Perepa, 2019), it is time we put in place the appropriate framework for that to be made possible.
Simulation Opportunities

With high rates of ASD-police issues, it is important drivers are doing what they can to limit the likelihood of an unpleasant police engagement. Subsequently, programs such as the practice traffic stop intervention that was facilitated and referenced herein should be universally accessible, with routine simulation experiences run across the country. The psychological improvements observed suggest that the event we ran would be immensely beneficial to the larger ASD driving community. If drivers across the country were able to participate in events such as this, it is highly probable that similar positive outcomes would be yielded on a larger scale, whereby improving positive outcomes for all those involved, drivers and law enforcement alike (Gammicchia & Johnson, n.d.). Effective implementation of these practices provides vast opportunities for all.

Prenatal Diet

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition. 

Friel C, Leyland AH, Anderson JJ, Havdahl A, Brantsæter AL, Dundas R. Healthy Prenatal Dietary Pattern and Offspring Autism. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(7):e2422815. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22815

Key Points

Question  What is the association between a healthy prenatal dietary pattern and offspring autism diagnosis and autism-associated traits in 2 large prospective cohort studies: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort (MoBa) and the Avon Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)?

Findings  In this cohort study including 84 548 mother-infant dyads in MoBa and 11 670 mother-infant dyads in ALSPAC, maternal consumption of a healthy dietary pattern was associated with reduced likelihood of offspring autism diagnosis (MoBa) and reduced likelihood of social communication difficulties (MoBa and ALSPAC). No other consistent associations were observed.

Meaning  These findings highlight the association between prenatal diet and offspring autism-related outcomes and contribute to the evolving understanding of autism etiology.

Abstract

Importance  Prenatal diet may be causally related to autism; however, findings are inconsistent, with a limited body of research based on small sample sizes and retrospective study designs.

Objective  To investigate the associations of prenatal dietary patterns with autism diagnosis and autism-associated traits in 2 large prospective cohorts, the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).

Design, Setting, and Participants  This cohort study used data from MoBa and ALSPAC birth cohort studies conducted across Norway and in the Southwest of England, respectively. Participants were people with singleton pregnancies with self-reported food frequency questionnaire responses. MoBa recruited between 2002 and 2008, and ALSPAC recruited between 1990 and 1992, and children were followed-up until age 8 years or older. Recruitment rates were 41% (95 200 of 277 702 eligible pregnancies) in MoBa and 72% (14 541 of 20 248 eligible pregnancies) in ALSPAC. Data analysis occurred February 1, 2022, to August 1, 2023.

Exposure  A healthy prenatal dietary pattern was derived using factor analysis and modeled as low, medium, and high adherence.

Main Outcomes and Measures  In MoBa, the offspring outcomes were autism diagnosis and elevated social communication questionnaire score at ages 3 years and 8 years, with further analysis of the social communication difficulties and restrictive and repetitive behaviors subdomains. In ALSPAC, offspring outcomes were elevated social communication difficulties checklist score at age 8 years. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using generalized nonlinear models.

Results  MoBa included 84 548 pregnancies (mean [SD] age, 30.2 [4.6] years; 43 277 [51.2%] male offspring) and ALSPAC had 11 760 pregnancies (mean [SD] age, 27.9 [4.7] years; 6034 [51.3%] male offspring). In the final adjusted models, high adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, compared with low adherence, was associated with reduced odds of autism diagnosis (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.92) and social communication difficulties at age 3 years in MoBa (OR 0.76, 95% CI, 0.70-0.82) and age 8 years in ALSPAC (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55-0.98). There was no consistent evidence of association with the other outcomes.

Conclusions and Relevance  In this cohort study of mother-child dyads, adherence to a healthy prenatal dietary pattern was associated with a lower odds of autism diagnosis and social communication difficulties but not restrictive and repetitive behaviors.

This is a very long. growing, and probably incomplete list of other correlates, risk factors, and possible causes that have been the subject of serious studies: 

1. Inflammatory bowel disease;
2. Pesticides;
3. Air pollution and proximity to freeways;
4. Maternal thyroid issues;
5. Autoimmune disorders;
6. Induced labor;
7. Preterm birth;
8. Fever;  
9. Birth by cesarean section;
10. Anesthesia during cesarean sections;
11. Maternal and paternal obesity;
12. Maternal diabetes;
13. Maternal and paternal age;
14. Grandparental age;
15. Maternal post-traumatic stress disorder;
16. Maternal anorexia;
17. Smoking during pregnancy;
18. Cannabis use during pregnancy;
19. Antidepressant use during pregnancy;
20. Polycystic ovary syndrome;
21. Infant opioid withdrawal;
22. Zinc deficiency;
23. Sulfate deficiency;
24. Processed foods;
25. Maternal occupational exposure to solvents;
26. Congenital heart disease;
27. Insufficient placental allopregnanolone.
28. Estrogen in the womb;
29. Morning sickness;
30. Paternal family history;
31. Parental preterm birth;
32. Antiseizure meds
33. Location of forebears
34. Lithium
35. Aspartame
36. BPA
37. Brain inflammation
38. Maternal asthma
39. Infertility
40. Ultraprocessed foods
41. Household chemicals
42. Parental psychiatric disorders
43. Fluoride

 

Republican Platforms on Disabilities

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in presidential campaigns.  

The 2024 Republican platform does not mention the word disabilities.

The 2016 Republican platform plank on disabilities:

Under the last two Republican presidents, landmark civil rights legislation affirmed the inherent rights of persons with disabilities. Republicans want to support those rights by guaranteeing access to education and the tools necessary to compete in the mainstream of society. This is not just a moral obligation to our fellow Americans with disabilities. It is our duty to our country’s future to tap this vast pool of talented individuals who want to work and contribute to the common good. For that reason, Republican leadership led to enactment of the ABLE Act (Achieving a Better Life Experience) and the Steve Gleason Act. The former, for the first time, lets people with disabilities maintain access to services while saving to develop assets. The latter, bearing the name of the former NFL player with ALS, provides access to speech-generating devices. In addition, our Workforce Innovation aPnd Opportunity Act will make it easier for students with disabilities to pursue competitive employment. 

Persons with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to be self-employed as the general population. To encourage their entrepreneurship, it makes sense to include them in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) certification program, which opens up federal contracting for emerging businesses. Any restructuring of the tax code should consider ways in which companies can benefit from the talent and energy of their disabled employees. 

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has opened up unprecedented opportunities for many students. Congressional Republicans will lead in its reauthorization, as well as renewal of the Higher Education Act, which can offer students with disabilities increased access to the general curriculum. Our TIME Act (Transition to Integrated and Meaningful Employment) will modernize the Fair Labor Standards Act to encourage competitive employment for persons with disabilities. We affirm our support for its goal of minimizing the separation of children with disabilities from their peers. We endorse efforts like Employment First that replace dependency with jobs in the mainstream of wthe American workforce. 

e oppose the non-consensual withholding of care or treatment from people with disabilities, including newborns, the elderly, and infirm, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which endanger especially those on the margins of society. We urge the Drug Enforcement Administration to restore its ban on the use of controlled substances for physician-assisted suicide

Slapper Faces Charges

In The Politics of Autism, I write about the everyday struggles facing autistic people and their families, including violence against autistic children.

Vivian Chow at KTLA-TV:

The man who was caught on video slapping an autistic boy in Pacoima now faces [misdemeanor] criminal charges.

Scott Sakajian, a Sun Valley resident, was charged with willful cruelty to a child and battery on a person, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

Sakajian is accused of slapping Alfredo Morales, 10, after the boy touched the emblem on his Mercedes-Benz sedan on July 1.

Alfredo and his older sister, Claudia Morales, were crossing the street when the incident happened.

Sakajian made an immediate U-turn and followed the siblings to a bus stop. He stepped out, walked over to Alfredo who was sitting on a bench and slapped him.

His sister tried intervening and explained that Alfredo had autism, but the man still struck the boy.

Cell phone video of the confrontation went viral on social media, leaving community members outraged. The family also filed a police report.

Since the incident, Alfredo’s family, who is homeless and lives out of a broken truck, have been surrounded by an outpouring of support, with many saying they resonated with the story.

TRUMP IS STILL AN ANTIVAXXER

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.

A number of posts discussed Trump's support for the discredited notion.

 

Whoops. Seems like RFK Jr.'s son posted and has since deleted video of a call between RFK Jr. and Trump after the shooting. In the video Trump repeats his old (false) claims about childhood vaccines, suggesting the vaccine schedule causes injuries in babies. https://t.co/K4RWXfoudS pic.twitter.com/KZcSBVtxWE

— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) July 16, 2024

State of the States on IDD

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and  Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, and director, State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities project

In FY2021, 87% of the total public funding for IDD services was distributed through Medicaid-related services.

As a percentage of each state’s budget, supports for intellectual and developmental disability services make up between less than 1% and up to 6% of any state’s budget, or an average of 2.57%. This is illustrated in the map below.

After Olmstead, funding shifted away from congregate settings:

 

Data on Autism and Public Insurance

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and  Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Division of Quality and Health Outcomes. 2024 Medicaid and CHIP Beneficiaries at a Glance: Autism. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Baltimore, MD. Released July 2024.

Approximately 5 percent of children ages 3 to 17 with public insurance have Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as reported by parents. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides states with several options under the federal Medicaid program for providing services to eligible individuals with Autism or ASD, including access to therapy services, preventive services and other licensed practitioner services. The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit requires that all children enrolled in Medicaid, and at state option children enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), receive screenings designed to identify health and developmental issues, including ASD, as early as possible. EPSDT also requires that Medicaid programs provide medically necessary diagnostic and treatment services to covered children. 

 Key Findings • Children with public coverage were reported to have significantly higher rates of Autism or ASD than children with private or no current coverage. • Half of children with public coverage who were reported to have Autism or ASD were diagnosed by age 4.

Appropriations and Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

For those who remain at larger residential institutions, the horrors of yesteryear have generally ended. In 2012, however, a ten-year-old video surfaced, showing disturbing image of an electric shock device at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton Massachusetts. Staffers tied one student to a restraint board and shocked him 31 times over seven hours, ignoring his screamed pleas to stop. The Rotenberg Center is the only one in the nation that admits to using electric shocks on people with developmental disabilities, including autism. Center officials said that they had stopped using restraint boards but insisted that shocks were necessary in extreme cases to prevent officials insist the shock program is a last resort that prevents people with severe disorders from hurting themselves or others.

From the Autism Society:

The House Appropriations Committee passed a bill on July 10 to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (L-HHS-ED) for Fiscal Year 2025 FY25. The bill report language can be found here. Two separate summaries were developed. One summary was developed by the majority (Republicans); another summary was developed by the minority (Democrats). The Autism Society is still reviewing the bill. At first glance, we are disappointed to see significant cuts to programs within the CDC that support drowning prevention and suicide prevention. There are also cuts to maternal and child health and Kevin and Avonte programs. We are also analyzing a proposal to consolidate NIH institutes and their impact on funding

From the Autistic Self Advocacy Network

ASAN welcomes the removal of Section 722 from the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In June, some members of Congress introduced a rider to the act that would stop the FDA from banning electric shock devices for behavior modification, such as the devices used at the Judge Rotenberg Center. Section 722 said the FDA cannot ban a device that is used by court order. All of the electric shock devices used at the Judge Rotenberg Center are used because of a court order.

If this rider had passed, it would have taken away the FDA’s power to move forward with the proposed rule that ASAN and many grassroots advocates commented to support. Because of your powerful activism, this rider failed to make it into the final bill, and the FDA still has the power to #StopTheShock.

This was only possible thanks to the hard work of our grassroots. You called, emailed, and shared across social media to make your voices heard. Members of our community have fought to end the use of shock devices at the JRC for over a decade, and we will not be ignored. Your calls, along with the hundreds of public comments sent in support of the FDA’s proposed rule, have gotten us that much closer to ending this tortuous practice once and for all.

We also thank the many members of the House Appropriations Committee who supported removing Section 722. At last night’s markup of the bill, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz all used their opening remarks to point out the harm this rider would have caused, and the urgent need to remove it. Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop spoke in his remarks about our community’s work to educate the Committee members on this issue. We are thrilled that the House Appropriations Committee listened to our community on this urgent issue and acted to protect disabled people from torture.

We are grateful that this rider did not make it into the current version of the bill, but the fight isn’t over yet. The full House of Representatives, and the Senate, still need to vote on this bill. Thanks to your efforts, we have built strong bipartisan opposition to Section 722. We will continue to work with Congress to make sure this rider stays out of the final bill. Meanwhile, the FDA still needs to do their part with the power our community fought for them to keep. ASAN calls upon the FDA to swiftly release the final version of their proposed rule “Banned Devices; Proposal to Ban Electrical Stimulation Devices for Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior.”