ABA Funding Turmoil

The Politics of Autism includes an extensive discussion of insurance and Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Cases of fraud and overbilling have led to a backlash.

Maya Goldman at Axios:

Where it stands: States and Medicaid managed care plans are scrutinizing more autism program spending and imposing cost controls.

• Nebraska cut Medicaid payments for applied behavioral analysis by up to 80% last year. Indiana policymakers have proposed payment caps and reduced rates. New York is considering legislation that would make similar changes.
• Medicaid managed care insurers like UnitedHealth Group have also limited coverage for applied behavioral analysis in some states.

Yes, but: The changes are causing significant upheaval for families that have been using applied behavioral analysis.

• One mother in Arizona told Axios Phoenix that her 3-year-old son spent eight months on a waitlist for services before he got into a program last year.
• Their insurance plan has since removed the provider from its network. The mother said she'll probably have to quit her job when her son loses coverage for his 40-hour-a-week therapy in May.
• North Carolina reversed some cuts to Medicaid payment for applied behavioral analysis services last year after families of kids with autism sued the state.

Autistic People and First Responders, School Employees, and Healthcare Professionals

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.

Lauren Jones at The Henrico [VA] Citizen:

A bill aimed at enhancing professional development opportunities for school employees and healthcare professionals working with students with autism spectrum disorder passed the Senate and House unanimously.

SB1293 , proposed by Sen. William Stanley, R-Franklin County, directs the Board of Education to provide guidance and optional yearly training for staff who regularly interact with students, helping them communicate with and support those with autism.

Stanley emphasized the need for the bill, noting a lack of training among educators and healthcare professionals when working with autistic students.

Christine Sloan at CBS New York:

New Jersey residents on the autism spectrum can soon apply for a designation on their driver's license or ID to help them with interactions with police.

The notation will appear as the number 5 in the "Restrictions" section of an ID.

They'll also be issued a Motor Vehicle Commission "pink card" describing their diagnosis, which must be carried with the license or ID card.

"So law enforcement, when they interact with them, they know how to treat them with respect and make sure that everyone can be treated safely," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.

The card includes a designation section, with boxes to check such as "autism spectrum," "communication disorder" and "disorder hearing aid." It also has a restriction section, with boxes such as "hearing impaired," "mechanical aid," "prosthetic aid" and more.

 KNXV-TV

On Saturday, cops went to the Greater Phoenix Autism Society to bridge the gap between individuals with autism and local law enforcement.

Emily Iland is an autism advocate who leads similar educational initiatives across the country and helped make the "Be Safe" movie which shows different types of interactions people can have with law enforcement.

"It’s hard for people with autism to relate with the police because of the communication and social difficulties that are part of autism,” Iland said.

Grant Kirwan was a participant in the “Be Safe” program, getting paired up with a cop from Gilbert.

“My journey with autism has been a rollercoaster. I, for example, have struggled with loud noises,” Kirwan said.

Blue Envelopes in Arizona

 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 .

From Arizona DOT:

Arizona is launching a program through which drivers on the autism spectrum can place their credentials in special blue envelopes to enhance communication with law enforcement officers during traffic stops.

This voluntary program, which includes education for law enforcement officers, follows a model used successfully in Connecticut. The envelope will have instructions for the driver and law enforcement officer to follow and advise the officer that the driver may respond differently to instructions in situations that can increase anxiety.

To provide the necessary groundwork and training, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is partnering with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) and the University of Arizona’s Police Department, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (ArizonaLEND) training program.

“When I heard about this program in Connecticut, I was extremely fascinated and intrigued to see if we could incorporate it here in Arizona,“ ADOT MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “MVD is thrilled to be partnering with DPS and the University of Arizona Police Department to help calm what can otherwise be potentially stressful situations.”

This program will function similarly to the one Connecticut established in 2020. The blue envelope is a voluntary way to hold important vehicle documents such as insurance and registration, while also being a communication tool between the driver and law enforcement during an interaction.

"This program provides explicit support for drivers who choose to participate," said Jennifer Casteix, UArizona Clinical Professor and ArizonaLEND faculty member. "Better understanding of communication differences should positively impact these interactions."

After his interim appointment at the University of Arizona in May 2023, Police Chief Chris Olson shared his desire to bring the Blue Envelope Program to the university. Creating partnerships with University of Arizona units that specialize in autism research and caring for the community have been key in laying the groundwork for this program at the University of Arizona.

According to Chief Olson, “The Blue Envelope program is an outstanding public safety initiative that seeks to improve communication between police officers and autistic drivers during traffic stops.”

Director Jeffrey Glover of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said, “The AZDPS is proud to support and be a part of the Blue Envelope Program. A program like this, seeking to enhance safety for both members of the public as well as all law enforcement officers in the State of Arizona, is absolutely invaluable.”

"We are implementing this program with an evidence-based approach to better support law enforcement and autistic drivers to improve safety outcomes," said Dr. Nell Maltman, UArizona Assistant Professor with the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences.

Training with officers and volunteer drivers to simulate a traffic stop with the blue envelopes will be happening next week at the University of Arizona’s Tucson campus.

The envelopes are expected to be available through ADOT MVD offices, various law enforcement locations as well as other locations across the state starting in May.

For additional information about this program, please visit azdot.gov/BlueEnvelope.

Vote the Spectrum

 In The Politics of Autism, I write:  "Support from the general public will be an important political asset for autistic people. Another will be their sheer numbers, since a larger population of identified autistic adults will mean more autistic voters and activists."

Bridget Dowd at Fronteras:

In 2020, voting participation among people with disabilities lagged nearly 6 points behind the rate for non-disabled people, according to research from Rutgers University.

That’s why an Arizona non-profit is launching a new initiative to get people with disabilities registered for 2024.

First Place Arizona offers supportive housing for adults with autism, Down Syndrome and other neurodiversities. Now it’s launching a program called Vote the Spectrum.

First Place founder Denise Resnik said the goal is to register 10,000 individuals with autism and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities (A/I/DD) and those who support them to vote.

“We want to recognize that people with autism and disabilities are valued, integrated members of our communities and we want to create more inclusive communities and we believe a big part of that is having a voice and a vote," she said.

First Place is also partnering with the Secretary of State’s office and the Maricopa County Recorder’s office to hold mock election days so people know what to expect at the voting booth.

Antivax Testimony

 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.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. 

 Alexander Thompson at The Post and Courier:

A daylong hearing by a Republican panel of South Carolina state legislators about pandemic preparedness saw a parade of witnesses trumpet proven falsehoods about the COVID-19 vaccine while raising doubts about the long-refuted link between childhood vaccines and autism.

... 

The most lengthy testimony given Sept. 12 came from New York attorney Aaron Siri, who spoke for nearly 90 minutes. Siri criticized federal liability shield laws covering vaccine makers and raised doubts about the refuted link between autism and the pre-natal TDAP vaccine.

In May, he testified before the Arizona Senate. Jerold MacDonald-Evoy at the Arizona Mirror:

The most spurious accusations about vaccines came from Aaron Siri, an attorney who is most well known for his work with an organization called the Informed Consent Action Network, or ICAN. In his testimony, Siri mischaracterized vaccine research by leaving out key information about vaccine efficacy and safety.

“Vaccines were not given by God at Sinai, they’re just products,” Siri said during his testimony.

Siri tried to connect vaccines to autism by claiming that there were no studies conducted by federal health authorities that had fully refuted the claim that vaccines given in the first 6 months of life were not causing autism. But that ignores the ample research done by others into the supposed links between vaccines and autism more broadly: Multiple studies have found no connection between vaccines and autism. And a 2013 study published in The Journal of Pediatrics concluded that there was no link between autism and the vaccines given to children in the first two years of life.

The initial report that started the controversy around vaccines and autism was retracted and has been widely debunked in the 25 years since it was published.

Siri also said that the inactivated polio vaccine “does not in any way stop the infection and transmission of the virus.” He did not mention that the vaccine prevents the paralysis that polio causes, or that widespread adoption of the vaccine worked so well that polio was eliminated in the Americas by 1994, in 36 Western Pacific countries in 2000 and in Europe by 2002. India was declared polio-free in 2014.

ICAN has been on the frontlines of anti-vaccine misinformation and is led by Del Bigtree, a television and film producer who has become an anti-vaccine activist. ICAN was listed as one of the “key organisations” tied to the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s “The Disinformation Dozen”,” the anti-vaxxers who play leading roles in spreading digital misinformation about COVID vaccines.

GOP Keeps Going Antivax

 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.   And among those diseases could be measles and COVID-19.

Unfortunately, Republican politicians and conservative media figures are increasingly joining up with the anti-vaxxers.   Even before COVID, they were fighting vaccine mandates and other public health measures. 

Virginia Kruta at the Daily Wire:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded Thursday to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim that he had advocated burning the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) “to the ground,” and he didn’t back down an inch.

DeSantis, who officially announced his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, made it clear that complete destruction of those particular institutions might be going too easy on them.

“There was a report that — I had spoken with Bobby Kennedy Jr., and he had said that ‘the governor said that you know, that we need to burn to the ground the CDC’ and all these things,” DeSantis began.

“And I just want to be very clear, full disclosure,” DeSantis continued. “I was not that kind to CDC and NIH and any of those [agencies]. Just for the record, just so your viewers don’t think I’m going soft, but I can’t think of a more catastrophic response than how this country responded to COVID, particularly at the federal level.”

Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone:

Arizona Republicans are hosting a two-day, QAnon-inflected, anti-vaccine circus at the statehouse — focused on supposed “atrocities” committed by public health officials in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The hearings, which began this morning, are organized by a new state Senate body, the Novel Coronavirus South Western Intergovernmental Committee. The committee’s chosen acronym — NCSWIC, which has been plastered on posters promoting the hearings — offers unusual cross-branding. It shares the abbreviation of an infamous QAnon catchphrase, “Nothing Can Stop What Is Coming.”

...'

Other “sponsors” of the proceedings include Robert F. Kennedy’s anti-vax nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, and a little-known group calling itself 1,000 Widows, which seeks testimonies from families of Covid victims. “Whistleblowers who know the truth about what really happened to our loved ones at the hands of the hospitals carry the greatest responsibility than anyone on earth,” says a statement on its website.

 

Measles Vaccination Down in Some Places

 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.

Mike D'Donfrio at Axios:

Only 82.2% of kindergarteners in district-run schools had all five mandatory immunizations for illnesses such as mumps and chickenpox during the 2021-22 school year, Christina Clark, spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia, told Axios. That’s down from an 89.9% immunization rate for kindergarteners during the 2019-20 school year. ... Immunization rates for 7th graders and 12th graders — who require additional vaccines — also dropped last year compared to pre-pandemic times, according to state data released last month.

Ciara McCarthy at The Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Routine vaccination rates for Fort Worth kindergartners have dropped to worrisome lows in the last school year, with just 86% of youngsters having received the vaccines that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Fort Worth school district officials say they are stepping up outreach, enlisting campus nurses and principals to remind families that kids need to be up to date on their shots or else submit proof of medical or conscientious exemption to the vaccine.

Jerod MacDonald-Evoy at the Arizona Mirror:

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health recently announced three measles cases in the county as the state has continued to see year-over-year drops in how many children are being vaccinated against the highly contagious viral infection.
...

The vaccine is administered to children. In Arizona, the vaccination rates among children have been dropping every year. In some parts of the state, the number of schools with herd immunity has reached single digits.

...

In Maricopa County, for example, there are 876 childcare or preschool facilities. Just 517 of them — not quite 60% — meet the 95% threshold that protects children in attendance from a severe outbreak.

Other counties are far less protected. In Yavapai County, only 20% of preschool or childcare facilities are protected. The figures are even worse at elementary schools: Just 14% of kindergartens and 17% of 6th grade classrooms have community immunity. A similar trend is seen in Mohave and Gila counties.

Mesa First Responders

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between first responders and autistic people. 

From the Mesa, Arizona, Fire and Medical Department:

Mesa Fire and Medical Department joins more than 60 organizations in and near Mesa, AZ, to become a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) in an effort to create a truly inclusive community. The CAC designation, granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), means that staff, firefighters and first responders at Mesa Fire and Medical Department have received position-specific training through IBCCES to enhance their understanding and sensitivity when helping individuals with autism or other sensory sensitivities.

“Mesa Fire and Medical Department is grateful for the opportunity to receive this training. It allows us to meet the needs of all citizens that we respond to and serve the community with CARE (Compassion. Accountability. Respect. Excellence.),” said Battalion Chief Chuck Busboom of Mesa Fire and Medical.

Mesa Fire and Medical Department provides an all-hazard delivery of service.

All-hazards can be defined as: a department that provides every level of a hazard response whether it is trench rescue, hazardous materials, confined space, building collapse, rope rescue, fire extinguishment, EMS, dive rescue, swift water and vehicle extraction.

As part of an initiative toward inclusion for residents and visitors with autism and other sensory disorders, Visit Mesa gathered community support from city and local officials, private businesses, and other partners to achieve the IBCCES designation of the first-ever Autism Certified City by IBCCES.

For almost 20 years, IBCCES has been the industry leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for education, healthcare, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES provides evidence-based training and certification programs created in conjunction with clinical experts and individuals with autism in order to provide professionals serving individuals with cognitive disorders a better understanding of what these disorders are, industry best practices, varied perspectives, and the latest research in these areas.

“IBCCES is excited to partner with the Mesa Fire and Medical Department to further build a truly inclusive city. This designation shows their commitment to providing the best care for individuals with autism and ensuring they can respond appropriately in critical situations,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES Board Chairman.

IBCCES also created CertifiedAutismCenter.com, as a free online resource for parents that lists certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.

Housing Opportunities

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families.  Housing is a big one for autistic adults.

Terry Tang at AP:

Social media and online resources are inspiring parents to look beyond the status quo, said Desiree Kameka, director of the nonprofit Autism Housing Network, which maintains a list of U.S. residential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It shows nearly 50 communities are being developed or are in the planning phase nationwide, including several that are parent-driven.

"All of a sudden, they start seeing other families and other communities have been successful," Kameka said. "It gives them hope and initiative that maybe they can make it a reality."

In 2018 alone, metro Phoenix saw two housing projects open.

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and his wife launched Treasure House, a residential community for young adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Its first resident was their son, Zack. First Place-Phoenix, a 55-unit apartment complex for adults with autism was sparked by the founder looking for a place for her son.

The Luna Azul complex is comprised of 14 two- and three-bedroom homes with another 16 planned. Prices range from around $400,000 to more than $500,000. Anyone can move in, but there is an emphasis on inclusion of people with disabilities.

Mesa, Arizona: "Autism Certified City"

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families

AZ Big Media reports:

Mesa is the first-ever Autism Certified City in the U.S. designated by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), raising the profile of the East Valley city to millions of individuals with autism and millions of annual travelers impacted by autism. The innovative initiative is expected to raise the national profile of the city and inject a new source of visitor dollars to the region.

The nearly year-long effort behind the autism designation was launched by Visit Mesa, the leading regional destination marketing organization, to encourage businesses to participate in specialized autism training geared toward executives and front-facing hospitality and service staff to better recognize Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and service the needs of ASD travelers from the planning stages of a vacation to when they arrive in the destination, and throughout their stay. Marc Garcia, Visit Mesa’s CEO, ignited the effort after his 6-year-old son’s autism diagnosis.

“With Visit Mesa leading the charge, Mesa, Ariz. is rolling out the welcome mat for individuals on the autism spectrum,” said Mayor John Giles. “We commend Marc Garcia and the staff at Visit Mesa for their vision.”

Prevalence Among 4-Year-Olds

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the uncertainty surrounding estimates of autism prevalence.

Deborah L. Christensen and colleagues have a study at MMWR titled: Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 Years — Early Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, Seven Sites, United States, 2010, 2012, and 2014,  

It finds that prevalence was higher in 2014 than in 2010 in New Jersey, but was stable in Arizona and Missouri. From the abstract:

The findings suggest that ASD prevalence among children aged 4 years was higher in 2014 than in 2010 in one site and remained stable in others. Among children with ASD, the frequency of cognitive impairment was higher among children aged 4 years than among those aged 8 years and suggests that surveillance at age 4 years might more often include children with more severe symptoms or those with co-occurring conditions such as intellectual disability. In the sites with data for all years and consistent data sources, no change in the age at earliest known ASD diagnosis was found, and children received their first developmental evaluation at the same or a later age in 2014 compared with 2010. Delays in the initiation of a first developmental evaluation might adversely affect children by delaying access to treatment and special services that can improve outcomes for children with ASD.

Public Health Action: Efforts to increase awareness of ASD and improve the identification of ASD by community providers can facilitate early diagnosis of children with ASD. Heterogeneity of results across sites suggests that community-level differences in evaluation and diagnostic services as well as access to data sources might affect estimates of ASD prevalence and age of identification. Continuing improvements in providing developmental evaluations to children as soon as developmental concerns are identified might result in earlier ASD diagnoses and earlier receipt of services, which might improve developmental outcomes.

Vaccine News: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. 

The Good:

Carmen Forman at Arizona Capitol Times:

Gov. Doug Ducey promised today he will not sign several controversial bills moving through the Legislature that could lead to fewer children being vaccinated.

Ducey said he will not sign any legislation that goes against promoting vaccinations.

“I’m pro-vaccination and anti-measles,” he said.

Specifically, Ducey was referring to three bills proposed by Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, although he didn’t address the measures individually.

The bills would:

• Expand vaccination exemptions and eliminate a requirement that parents sign a state form in order for their kids to receive an exemption
• Require doctors to offer parents a blood test to determine if their child is already immune
• Require parents to be given extensive information about the risks of vaccines, including information that is typically reserved for doctors

Jessie Hellmann at The Hill:

Most states also allow exemptions for religious reasons, and 17 states, including Washington and Texas, allow exemptions for both religious and personal or philosophical beliefs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Both Washington and Texas have seen measles outbreaks this year.

Lawmakers in Iowa, New Jersey and Vermont, which already ban personal or philosophical exemptions, are now debating proposals to eliminate religious exemptions.

Proposals in Maine and Oregon would eliminate both exemptions, while measures in Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington state, where there are 66 confirmed measles cases this year, would only eliminate personal exemptions and leave religious exemptions in place.

All of the major medical and health organizations oppose religious and personal exemptions and have for years urged state lawmakers to eliminate them.

The bad:

There are eight cases of measles in Texas so far this year. Sophie Novack at The Texas Observer:

A bill filed in the Texas Legislature this month by Representative Matt Krause, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, would make it easier for parents to request vaccine exemptions. A similar version was left pending after a House Public Health Committee hearing in 2017, but Krause’s new bill would go further, explicitly preventing the state health department from tracking the number of exemptions. Even though the exemption data doesn’t include anything that could identify individual students and is only available at the school district level, Krause and [State Rep. Bill] Zedler point to fears among anti-vaxxers that they will be tracked and bullied. “We’ve seen instances in California, stuff like that, where they start hunting people down,” Zedler said.

Public health officials say the proposal would curb their ability to identify and stop disease outbreaks, and parents of immunocompromised kids would have even less information to decide where to send their children to school.

“This is the modus operandi for anti-vaxxers in Texas: to promote exemptions, obfuscate and minimize transparency,” said Peter Hotez, a leading vaccine scientist and dean for the National School for Tropical Medicine at Baylor Medical School. “To do this in the middle of a measles outbreak in Texas is especially unconscionable.”

The ugly:

CDC reports 159 cases of measles in the United States this year:

Antivax Bills Advance in Arizona

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. 

Stephanie Innes at the Arizona Republic:

Disregarding warnings by public health officials, an Arizona legislative panel on Thursday endorsed three bills that critics say will erode immunization coverage among Arizona schoolchildren. The House Health and Human Services Committee approved all three bills in contentious 5-4 votes that were split along party lines, with Republicans favoring the measures and Democrats voting in opposition. Several critics pointed out measles outbreaks across the country and said the three bills could make Arizona more vulnerable.

... 

One of the measures — House Bill 2470 — not only expands vaccine exemption categories in Arizona, it gives parents additional leeway by removing the requirement that they sign a state health department form to get a vaccine exemption.

...
Two other bills endorsed by the committee Thursday would create more work for physicians. House Bill 2472 requires doctors to offer parents an "antibody titer" blood test to determine whether their child needs a vaccine or is already immune. House Bill 2471 is an informed-consent bill that would give parents information about vaccine ingredients and vaccine risks, including how to file a complaint for vaccine injury.

Bruce Y. Lee at Forbes:

Huh? The Grand Canyon may not be the only big gap in Arizona. Pushing these three bills through would seem like a huge gap between what is being done and what is truly needed. The state of Washington had to declare a statewide emergency and has already spent over a million dollars of taxpayer money dealing with the measles outbreak. All scientific evidence suggests that lower vaccination rates in Clark County, Washington, led to the outbreak. Therefore, the focus in Washington has been trying to increase vaccination rates.

...

On top of all this, Arizona may have the lowest measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination rates in the country at 84.1%, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey as Claire Cleveland and Jessi Schultz reported for the Cronkite News Service. Such a rate would be well below the 95% critical immunization threshold needed to prevent the measles virus from more readily spreading in a population, as I described previously for Forbes.

AZ Scraps Vax Education Program

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.

Stephanie Innes at The Arizona Republic reports that Arizona has scrapped a vaccine education program.

The pilot online course, modeled after programs in Oregon and Michigan, was created in response to the rising number of Arizona schoolchildren skipping school-required immunizations against diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough because of their parents' beliefs.

But some parents, who were worried the optional course was going to become mandatory, complained to the Governor's Regulatory Review Council, which reviews regulations to ensure they are necessary and do not adversely affect the public. The six-member council is appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey, with an ex-officio general counsel.

Members of the council questioned the state health department about the course after receiving the public feedback about it, emails show. The state responded by canceling it.

The complaints that ended the pilot program came from about 120 individuals and families, including 20 parents who said that they don't vaccinate their children, records show.

Also at The Arizona Republic, E.J. Montini:

As Republican state Rep. Heather Carter said, "I'm not sure why providing 'information' is seen as a negative thing. Providing information doesn't take away a parent's choice to seek an exemption. ... This is a major concern. Vaccines have saved lives for generations. We all want to live in safe and healthy communities."

Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories have existed for as long as there have been vaccines. In the early 1800s there were wild stories about smallpox vaccine recipients turning into cows.

These days anti-vaxxers tilt more toward the debunked notion that vaccines cause autism.

When an state panel acquiesces to a small minority of such voices it runs the risk of putting everyone’s children and all those with weakened immune systems in harm's way.

Dr. Karen Lewis, Medical Director of the Arizona Immunization Program Office of the Arizona Department of Health Services, writes at AZ Pulse:

In a recent study on the eighteen states that allow for personal belief exemptions (also known as nonmedical exemptions [NMEs]), Arizona ties at 4th place for having the highest percentage of NMEs in kindergarteners. The study found Maricopa County has the highest rate of NMEs among all of the studied metropolitan areas.

...
Vaccine hesitancy is increasing in the United States. In a national telephone survey, approximately 3% of parents reported refusing all vaccines for their children and almost 20% had refused or delayed at least one of the recommended childhood vaccines. In a survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 87% of pediatricians had encountered parents who refused a vaccine. The most common reasons that parents refused vaccines were that they believed that vaccines were unnecessary and that they had concerns about autism.
...
Vaccines do not cause autism. Twenty large epidemiologic studies done in several countries by multiple investigators have shown no links between autism and vaccines. Yet people who are fearful about autism and other misconceptions continue not to vaccinate their children.

Buckeye Update

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between police and autistic people.   Police officers need training to respond appropriately.  When they do not, things get out of hand.  A case from Buckeye, Arizona is an example.

Robert Kahn reports at Courthouse News Service:

Suing the Buckeye, Arizona, police officer who beat up their autistic 14-year-old while he was playing with a piece of string in a public park, the boy’s parents say department brass justified it by saying the boy’s repetitive behavior indicated that he was “under the influence of an inhalant.”

Kevin and Danielle Leibel brought their federal complaint Wednesday against Buckeye, its police department and Officer David Grossman on behalf of their son, Connor, in Phoenix, seeking punitive damages on nine counts, including battery, excessive force, negligence, failure to train and illegal arrest. They also sued Police Chief Larry Hall and Lt. Charles Arlak.

Buckeye, pop. 65,000, is a western suburb of Phoenix.

The Leibels claim Grossman had no training in autism and admitted it when Connor’s caretaker asked him after she interrupted the assault. The family says Connor was “forcibly restrained, slammed against a tree, and pinned to the ground by” Grossman.

Medical Marijuana for Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

The conventional wisdom is that any kind of treatment is likely to be less effective as the child gets older, so parents of autistic children usually believe that they are working against the clock. They will not be satisfied with the ambiguities surrounding ABA, nor will they want to wait for some future research finding that might slightly increase its effectiveness. They want results now. Because there are no scientifically-validated drugs for the core symptoms of autism, they look outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine and FDA approval. Studies have found that anywhere from 28 to 54 percent of autistic children receive “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), and these numbers probably understate CAM usage

These approaches sometimes include marijuana.

Maria Clark at The New Orleans Times-Picayune:

Louisiana residents living with autism disorder are one step closer to accessing medical marijuana as a possible treatment option.

The bill (HB 627) cleared the Louisiana House 78-21 Thursday (April 5) after several members of the cabinet questioned a new amendment proposed by Rep. Dodie Horton R- Bossier that would have made medical marijuana accessible to anyone with any medical condition. Horton added that it would be up to medical specialists to determine whether a patient could be treated with medical marijuana.

The amendment was a complete 180 for Horton who on Thursday morning voted against a similar bill (HB 579) that expands the use of medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, glaucoma, severe muscle spasms, and chronic pain. The bill cleared the committee with a vote of 8-4

At The Denver Post, John Ingold reports on a bill to allow medical marijuana for autism.

At the end of more than five hours of testimony and debate, lawmakers on the state House Health, Insurance and Environment Committee approved the bill by a 12-1 vote, the first of several hurdles at the Capitol that it must clear before becoming law.

The bill, House Bill 18-1263, would allow doctors to recommend marijuana as a treatment for symptoms suffered by anyone diagnosed on the autism spectrum. An initial provision in the bill that also would have qualified acute pain as a condition meriting cannabis was stripped out before the committee’s final vote.

Thursday’s hearing echoed numerous prior debates in recent years at the Capitol that pitted families with personal anecdotes of transformations brought about by cannabis against doctors worried by the lack of high-quality studies and unknown long-term effects.

Overall, more than 93,000 people in Colorado have active medical marijuana cards — 314 of those age 17 or younger, a decline from several years ago, when families with children who suffer from epilepsy poured into the state in a similar quest to help their children through marijuana.

KSWO-TV reports on a movement to allow it in Arizona:

KSWO 7News | Breaking News, Weather and Sports