DOD and Special Ed

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

Special Education: Improved Allocation of Resources Could Help DOD Education Activity Better Meet Students' Needs GAO-25-107053.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) operates DOD's school system and provides special education and related services for about 15 percent of its students worldwide. However, GAO found that related services provided by the military branches for students in overseas locations—such as physical therapy—were often limited or unavailable, resulting in service delays or disruptions. These services are required by students' individualized education programs—legally binding written plans describing the services students are to receive. GAO found delays in service delivery for students in 44 of DODEA's 114 overseas schools for 2022–2023 (see figure). Further, from school years 2018–2019 through 2022–2023, at least six cases took more than a year to resolve. Service delays and disruptions can negatively affect students' academic progress, according to related service providers and parents GAO interviewed.

From NEA:

The Federal Education Association, an NEA affiliate, represents 6,000 educators in 161 schools stateside and overseas for military-connected students—the children of active duty and civilian Department of Defense employees. The schools are administered by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).

As part of his “Workforce Acceleration & Recapitalization Initiative,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has proposed eliminating hundreds of positions in DoDEA schools for educators with specialized skills: educational technologists, speech-language assessors, special education assessors, and automation clerks.

The plan shortchanges military-connected students and stretches educators to the breaking point. Tell your members of Congress to take action and stop it!

 

Trump Slashes Autism Research

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the issue's role in campaign politics.   In the 2016 campaign, a number of posts discussed Trump's bad record on disability issues more generally.   As his words and actions have shown, he despises Americans with disabilities.   

To lead a "study" of autism causation, RFK Jr. has named an antivaxxer who is neither a scientist nor a physician.  Meanwhile, the administration is slashing actual autism research.

Alana Samuels at Time:

“Funding for autism research is actually disappearing at a time when we see the director of HHS talking a lot about autism as though they think it is important,” says Micheal Paige Sandbank, an autism researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Behind the scenes, they are taking a hammer to the whole apparatus for autism research.”

...

A big funder of autism research has historically been the DOE’s Institute of Education Sciences, says Sandbank. But the institute, which has a budget of $800 million, was gutted in the Trump Administration’s layoffs, with only a skeleton staff remaining. Autism research at the institute focused on developing and evaluating school-based interventions to improve outcomes for students with autism.

...

Another canceled grant from the NSF funded autism programs in schools and universities. The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University lost $7.7 million in funding because its grant application, which was initially approved, included the terms “inclusion” and “accessibility,” according to Jessica Schonhut-Stasik, who runs communications for the Frist Center and was also a student in the program. The program offered grants for neurodivergent students or people studying neurodivergent students, says Schonhut-Stasik. The grant also sponsored a summer summit for autistic students, says Schonhut-Stasik, who is herself autistic. “This is just so deeply sad,” she says. “To be given this money, to be told, ‘Here is the money to pursue your dreams,’ is just so big for any autistic person,” she says.

...DOD also funded a lot of autism research, Sandbank says, but a reorganization there has left future projects in jeopardy. The DOD funding was through something called Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. In each of the last five years, the Autism Research Program under that bucket has received $15 million dollars, according to DOD press releases. The DOD studies autism in part because it affects children of military families.

In 2025, though, a number of the same research programs received funding as they had in the past, including breast cancer research. But autism was not among the programs listed to receive funding in 2025 announcements. Because autism is not included, Sandbank, who was going to submit a grant for this funding, no longer plans to, she says.
...
NIH is also a huge funder of autism research. But shifting priorities there have ended or delayed some of these projects, says David Mandell, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania who studies autism. The Trump Administration has begun to review and cancel grants that have what it deems diversity, equity, or inclusion terms in them because of a Trump executive order seeking to end what it called “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing.” Grant applicants are being told, Mandell says, that their research no longer meets “agency priorities.” One public HHS document shows at least two autism grants canceled in the sweep: a project looking at biomarkers of late autism diagnosis in female and gender-diverse people, and one preventing suicide among autistic adults.

Juking the Stats at DOD

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families.  As many posts have discussed, the challenges are especially great for military families.

Ellis Giacomelli at The Watertown Daily Times:

Health insurance for military members and their families falls under the DOD through TRICARE, and for autism, plans cover occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician services, psychological services, psychological testing, prescription drugs and speech therapy.

For ABA specifically, coverage is separately offered through TRICARE’s Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration. Used by several federal departments, demonstrations are designed to gauge the effectiveness and direction of a program.

According to an analysis prepared by Dr. Ira L. Cohen and published earlier this year, DOD reports have been “substantively flawed and based on the incompetent interpretation and analysis of the collected data,” leading to results that suggest military children with autism were not making behavioral progress with ABA.

“What we’ve clearly seen since 2018, is that TRICARE, if you take these reports together, is building a case against ABA services,” NCAAS spokesperson David A. Fuscus said in a February interview, adding that the case is an apparent attempt to save the department money. “At the same time, the costs for ABA services have gone up dramatically.”

With rising health care prices across nearly all sectors, the DOD has calculated ABA program costs have increased by 65% over four years, to $370.4 million in 2019.

-----------

Autism Services for Kids is a campaign sponsored by the National Coalition for Access to Autism Services (NCAAS) to ensure that military children with autism have access to the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) healthcare provider, TRICARE. Our campaign is designed to stop DoD from discrediting a proven and effective treatment for children with autism to save money. Military families already shoulder too many burdens – wondering if their child with autism will get the treatment they need shouldn’t be one of them.

The National Coalition for Access to Autism Services (NCAAS) is the voice of service providers and other constituents who help Americans with autism achieve their full potential. NCAAS believes Americans with autism deserve affordable coverage that ensures access to quality treatment. NCAAS members provide services to individuals across a range of private and public programs, including commercial insurance through employer-sponsored plans and the individual market, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, and TRICARE.

The Need for Research on Outcomes

Uncertainty is a major theme of The Politics of Autism. Here is how I start chapter 3:

If we can land a man on the moon, why can’t we cure autism? Frustrated parents may ask that question, remembering that when John F. Kennedy committed the United States to go to the moon, NASA scientists and engineers figured out how to get there. Ever since Neil Armstrong stepped off the lunar module in 1969, politicians have held up the Apollo project as a model for solving all kinds of problems. But autism is not rocket science. Contrary to the usual meaning of that expression, I hardly suggest that autism science is simple; rather, it is more puzzling than rocket science.

When the moon program was getting under way, there was consensus about the fundamental terms and facts. Although the engineering details were challenging, the basic math and physics behind the mission dated back to Isaac Newton. Autism is different. As we have already seen, it is a contested concept with many uncertainties. Just picture an Apollo program in which experts saw different kinds of moons in different parts of the sky and were not quite sure about the laws of motion.

Research on outcomes, especially among adults, is shockingly sparse.

 Ann Wagner, Leslie Caplan, Denise Juliano-Bult, and Nicole Williams have a guest editorial at Autism in Adulthood titled  "Improving the Rigor of Research on Autism in Adulthood Requires Valid and Reliable Measurement Tools."

Largely through the efforts of autistic self-advocates, families of autistic youth transitioning to adulthood, researchers, and concerned caregivers and policy makers, there is increasing recognition that autistic adults face unique challenges and that the supports and services available to them are often inadequate or inaccessible.1 Across the globe, we are hearing about the urgent need to do a better job of reducing barriers to the full social, economic, and political participation of autistic people in society.2–4 As government employees who oversee programs that provide research grant funding, we want to highlight the importance of rigorously designed research that evaluates the impact of interventions and policies on the people they are meant to help. The availability of valid reliable tools to evaluate the impact of interventions and policies is absolutely critical but is often overlooked. ...

We describe three U.S. federal funding programs here that can support the development of outcome measures, but it is important to note that there are other research funding sources within the United States and internationally12–15 that could support such efforts.

• The Autism Research Program (ARP), under the Department of Defense CDMRP, is focused on supporting research that will lead to better outcomes to ultimately improve the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum.11 To reach this goal, the ARP developed a four-faceted strategy11 that includes funding high-impact research to address major knowledge gaps in autism research, invest in projects with potential for immediate implementation, invest in projects with potential for broad dissemination, and focus on novel ideas that fulfill the needs of the autism community and maintain high scientific rigor. One of the program's strategic goals is to fund research centered on addressing the needs of autistic people into adulthood. Since 2013 the ARP has invested in research aimed at determining key factors of success in the transition to independence and developing interventions that promote successful transition. The ARP will continue to make investments in this area of research, as addressing the needs of autistic individuals into adulthood remains one of the four strategic goals of the program.
• The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) funds applied research and development, including autism-related research, that address the following mission: “To generate new knowledge and promote its effective use to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities of all ages.”16 NIDILRR funds research and development that supports full inclusion and integration into community and society in three outcome domains: health and function, community living and participation, and employment. NIDILRR supports measurement development in all of these domains. NIDILRR is housed in the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports a broad range of research on autism, including studies of the brain and other biological aspects of autism, research to refine and improve diagnostic tools and outcome measures, and developing effective treatment and services tailored to important life stages of people on the autism spectrum. Areas of emphasis include improving access to care and supports and optimizing capacity for independent functioning and community integration for children, transition-age youth, and adults on the autism spectrum. With attention to differences across communities, care settings, and systems, intervention strategies must be designed for rapid adoption and implementation on a broad scale. NIMH is a part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Department of Defense and Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss federal spending for people with autism and other disabilities. 

From the Pentagon's Autism Research Program:

It is estimated that 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with over 3.5 million (M) Americans living with this developmental disorder. The Department of Defense Autism Research Program (ARP) was established in 2007 to improve the lives of individuals with ASD by funding innovative, highly impactful research. Since its inception, the ARP has received $81.9M in Congressional
appropriations. The appropriation for the ARP for fiscal year 2018 (FY18) is $7.5M. Through the program’s Areas of Interest, the ARP focuses on ways to improve diagnosis, treatment, and study of the psychosocial factors that affect key lifetime transitions to independence and a better quality of life for those with ASD and their families. To date, the ARP has funded 152 research awards, resulting in over 230 peer-reviewed publications and 20 patent applications.

A December 24 release:

The FY20 Defense Appropriation provides $15 million (M) to the Department of Defense Autism Research Program (ARP) to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit and innovation with high impact that focuses on autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, the Defense Health Agency J9, Research and Development Directorate, manages the Defense Health Program’s Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The managing agent for the anticipated Program Announcements/Funding Opportunities is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).

Data:

Congressional Appropriations

• $81.9 million
  FY07-18
• $7.5 million
  FY19

Funding
Summary

• 160 Awards in
  FY07-18
• Recent Applications Recommended for Funding

Programmatic
Panels

• FY20 Programmatic
  Panel
• Previous Years' Programmatic
  Panels

Peer Review Participants

• FY19 Peer Review Participants
• Previous Years' Peer Review Participants

Autism and Medical Marijuana

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.

Lynn Arditi at NPR:

Rhode Island is one of a small but growing number of states that allow medical marijuana for treating severe forms of autism.

The decision is raising hopes for some parents of autistic children. But there's scant scientific evidence about the benefits — and risks — of marijuana use in these children.

"The research basis for a lot of the hopes for using medical marijuana for autism - it's really minimal," says David G. Amaral, a psychologist and research director of the M.I.N.D. Institute at University of California, Davis. (M.I.N.D. stands for Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.) "I mean there's very meager clinical evidence for effectiveness."

Meager evidence because there have been no large clinical trials to determine whether marijuana or its compounds are effective — or safe — in treating children with autism.
"Unless there's a clinical trial done in the right way and showing the safety, No. 1, of the drug," Amaral says, "and then the benefit of it ... it may be that families are wasting their time — and maybe exposing their family members to a potentially dangerous situation."

That's not to say that marijuana doesn't hold promise for autism treatment. In fact, the first large-scale clinical trial in the U.S. to test the idea is just getting underway at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

The trial, funded with a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, will examine the effectiveness of a cannabis-based compound known as CBDV (which stands for cannabidivarin) on irritability and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders.

The study's lead researcher, Dr. Eric Hollander, directs the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The trial is expected to enroll about 100 patients and be completed in 2021.

Big Funding Deal

The Politics of Autism discusses legislation before Congress.

From Autism Speaks:

Autism Speaks advocates for appropriations to ensure federal agencies that run programs for autism research, services, and supports are appropriately funded.

Twelve appropriations bills, which provide funding for the federal government in the next fiscal year, must pass each year. These bills must be enacted by October 1, or the government shuts down due to lack of funding.

Last week, an appropriations “minibus” was enacted that includes the funding bills for the Department of Defense, and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for Fiscal Year 2019.

This is the first time the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill has been completed before October 1, the start of the new fiscal year, since 1999.

This spending package includes wins for autism research and services, including

• $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH’s funding increase is particularly important in achieving the goal set by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to double the autism research budget by 2020.

• $150 million increase for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), with $57.5 million NIMH funds designated for the BRAIN initiative.

• $23.1 million for autism activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC’s work includes providing essential data on autism spectrum disorder (ASD), searching for risk factors and possible causes, and developing resources to help identify children as early as possible.

• $1.5 million increase to the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) for autism activities, with $33.5 million of HRSA funds designated for LEND.

• $7.5 million for the Autism Research Program at the Department of Defense. Since its inception in Fiscal Year 2007, close to $100 million has been directed to promote innovative research designed to advance the understanding of ASD and to improve the lives of those living with autism. 

• $12.4 billion for IDEA special education, an $87 million increase over last year.

These funding increases and focus on autism-specific programs keep us on a path toward new autism discoveries and supports.

We owe a special thanks to Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA)who led the effort for these programs in the House of Representatives, and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thom Tills (R-NC) who led the effort in the Senate.

Defense Department Funds Research on Cannabis and Autism

In the Politics of Autism, I discuss funding of autism research:

Bureaucracies other than NIH came into play – even the Department of Defense. Starting with the 2007 defense appropriations bill, the Pentagon’s Office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs has included the Autism Research Program. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2012, NIH and ten other federal agencies awarded $1.2 billion to fund autism research projects.[i] In the meantime, private organizations such as the Simons Foundation and Autism Speaks also spent millions on autism science.[ii]

[i] U.S. Government Accountability Office, “Federal Autism Activities: Better Data and More Coordination Needed to Help Avoid the Potential for Unnecessary Duplication,” GAO 14-16, November 2013.  Online: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/659147.pdf.[ii] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, “2010 Autism Spectrum  Disorder Research Portfolio Analysis Report,” July 2012, p. 53. Online: https://iacc.hhs.gov/portfolio-analysis/2010/2010_portfolio_analysis.pdf.

A release from Montefiore Health System:

The Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded $1.3 million to fund a clinical trial at Montefiore Health System that will examine the effect of a cannabis compound called Cannabidivarin (CBDV) on irritability and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These characteristics are common in children with ASD and it is thought that the non-psychoactive and safe compound CBDV may be an effective way to address behaviors such as aggression, self-injurious behavior and tantrums.

One in 68 children has ASD. In addition to irritability and repetitive behaviors, such as rocking and hand-flapping, these children also have problems communicating. These symptoms are believed to be caused by underlying mechanisms in the brain. Since founding the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program in 2009, Eric Hollander, M.D., director, Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program and Anxiety and Depression Program at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Einstein, has conducted numerous clinical trials investigating the use of a variety of compounds and treatments to target these common, but challenging behaviors.

“The behavioral problems associated with ASD can cause significant burdens to children and their families,” said Dr. Hollander. “There are few medications available to treat ASD and current treatment options have substantial side effects. We are hoping that CBDV will prove to be an effective method for managing disruptive and impulsive behaviors in patients with ASD, while also targeting the mechanisms in the brain that cause the behaviors.”

The DOD spends millions of dollars on medical research every year through Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. The goal of the DOD is to support groundbreaking research that could help members of the military and their families. With so many children and families affected by ASD, the DOD recognizes the need for new and effective treatment methods. At Montefiore, the DOD grant will fund a phase two double-blind, randomized treatment trial where children with ASD aged five to 18 years old will receive either a CBDV pill or a placebo, twice daily over 12 weeks. Participants’ moods and behaviors will be measured on a standard behavioral checklist prior to and after the 12 week treatment to determine if CBDV improved both social and cognitive functioning, as it has been shown to do in animal models.

“The repetitive features of ASD are also common characteristics of a variety of other compulsive disorders, including Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Body Dysmorphic Disorder,” said Dr. Hollander. “The overarching goal of our work is to discover new ways to target the underlying causes of all of these conditions, ease the associated symptoms and ultimately improve quality of life for many, many people.”

Dr. Hollander has dedicated his career to investigating the root causes of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. He has more than 28 years of clinical and translational research experience, having been principal investigator on several federal grants and authored hundreds of research papers.

Defense Department Autism Research Will Continue

Previous posts have noted a surprising source of autism funding:  the Defense Department. Autism Speaks reports:

House and Senate budget negotiators have agreed to continue funding the Department of Defense Autism Research Program (DoDARP) at $6 miilion in the next defense budget.

Congress has included funding for peer-reviewed autism research through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) since 2007. About $47 million has been set aside for autism research through the program since it started.

DoDARP’s mission is to promote innovative research that advances the understanding of autism spectrum disorder and leads to improved outcomes. Each of the CDMRP research areas involve community members to find and fund the best research to eradicate or treat medical conditions.

The defense bill goes to the President to be signed into law.

Duplicative Research

A previous post discussed duplication and overlap in employment programs.  The same problems plague research, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office:

Eighty-four percent of the autism research projects funded by federal agencies had the potential to be duplicative. Of the 1,206 autism research projects funded by federal agencies from fiscal years 2008 through 2012, 1,018 projects were potentially duplicative because the projects were categorized to the same objectives in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's (IACC) strategic plan. Funding similar research on the same topic is sometimes appropriate--for example, for purposes of replicating or corroborating results--but in some instances, funding similar research may lead to unnecessary duplication. The potentially duplicative research projects included those funded by the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Education (Education), National Science Foundation (NSF), and agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)--Administration for Children and Families, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Each agency funded at least 1 autism research project in the same strategic plan objective as another agency. For example, 5 agencies awarded approximately $15.2 million for 20 autism research projects related to 1 objective to test methods to improve dissemination, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions, services, and supports in diverse community settings.

...Per federal internal control standards, agencies should establish a means of communicating with other agencies; this is important to maximize the efficiency of the federal autism investment and minimize the potential for unnecessary duplication

Autism and the Shutdown

Autism Speaks reports:

Many federal government activities have started shutting down as Congress failed yesterday to agree to a continuing budget resolution to keep the government running beyond September 30. Federal agencies last night submitted their shutdown plans to the Office of Management and Budget.

While the shutdown will not stop Medicaid and Social Security assistance for the nation's disabilities community, the processing of claims, new applications and other activities could be slowed significantly due to furloughs of staff. New autism research by the National Institutes of Health and prevalence monitoring by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also could be impacted due to furloughs. Military families could see some reductions in services provided by civilian employees. About one-third of federal employees will be furloughed.

Medicaid and Social Security funding by federal law is mandatory and therefore checks will continue to be issued. But due to employee furloughs, the processing of payments and new applications could be delayed should the shutdown become extended.

Public schools also should experience little immediate impact as they have already received a portion of their federal funding and are largely funded by state and local government.

Vulnerable areas for the autism community include the Department of Defense where civilian employees who provide support services for military families are subject to furlough.

Report on Military Families

Blue Star Families, a national, non-profit network of military families, has a new report on the military family lifestyle.

The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) offers support for families that have a family member with a medical or an educational need that requires special services. Similar to the 2012 survey, 18% of respondents have a family member enrolled in the EFMP. The top four conditions reported this year include: 46% with a speech or language impairment, 39% with a developmental delay, 36% with autism, and 28% with a specific learning disability.
...

Relocations can be particularly challenging for those who have children with special needs. While 72% felt that TRICARE provides appropriate medical care for their families, many respondents reported challenges with access to services during relocations. Sixty-eight percent of respondents struggled with finding new doctors, and 65% reported difficulty in obtaining access to respite care as they relocated. Families may also struggle when trying to obtain recommended specialty services that are not covered by TRICARE, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism. The unreimbursed costs can cause financial hardships for families. One Navy spouse described this challenge for her family when she stated, “He probably would’ve stayed in if he felt that we would not have to spend so much money out of pocket obtaining speech, occupational, and physical therapy for our son.”

If the family is also trying to access state benefits such as Medicaid, the lack of waiver portability becomes a challenge since the EFM will be moved to the bottom of the waitlist every time the family moves to a new state. Sixty-four percent of respondents reported difficulty accessing community/state-based supports, such as Medicaid waiver benefits. In addition, 55% of respondents with an EFM also reported difficulty finding adequate housing when relocating. Since families often do not know exactly where they will be living when they PCS [permanent change of station], families’ ability to plan in advance can be significantly inhibited. Finally navigating the educational system can be challenging for families with special needs children. Sixty-three percent of respondents felt supported by their local school systems. Of those with children in the DoDEA school system, 65% felt supported, while 35% percent did not feel supported. Regardless of how supported they may feel in their current schools, relocation can bring an additional set of challenges. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) describes guidelines for qualification and requires school districts to provide comparable services when a student moves, but the DoD and each state establish their own eligibility criteria. Thus, there is a variety of ways that each school district can fulfill the federal regulations, which can lead to inconsistency as a student moves from state to state or even to a new district.

TRICARE in the Conference Report

Previous posts have described the progress of TRICARE legislation in Congress. Autism Speaks provides an update on the defense authorization conference report:

Both the House and Senate had approved bipartisan amendments to the new defense authorization bill requiring coverage for military retirees, in addition to active duty members, and provided for recommended levels of care consistent with best practices. The Senate version went further by incorporating the Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Public Health Service.

When the House and Senate met in conference committee to reconcile their two bills into a final version, the members noted their awareness of ongoing litigation in which the U.S. District Court ordered TRICARE to provide ABA benefits to all service members as a medical treatment.

“The conferees understand that the plaintiffs and DOD have each submitted motions to reconsider the court order,” the conference committee reported. “The conferees have provided DOD this one-year authority in order to allow DOD to assess such coverage independent from litigation proceedings."

The one-year pilot program is to start within 90 days of enactment of the new DoD authorization bill. Within 270 days, DoD will then be required to report to Congress on costs and any recommended legislative remedies.

At Time, Jeremy Hilton is skeptical:

For those who don’t know, anytime the Defense Department is told to conduct a “pilot program” or to “study” an issue, the results will most likely not be in the interest of anyone but the Pentagon. The conferees cited an ongoing class-action lawsuit, seemingly as one of their reasons for wanting to put the pilot program in place (see page 123 of the conference report).

Autism Votes Video

A new video from Autism Votes:

Shelley Hendrix, director of grassroots advocacy for Autism Speaks, explains why the subject is political:

We now know that in 2000, 1 in every 88 babies born in America that year went on to develop an autism spectrum disorder. And yet, our country spent barely $50 million on research for autism that year. Our community pushed the United States Congress and with heavy lifting, the federal government now appropriates close to $235 million per year to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense for research and services related to autism.

Prior to 2007, just one state required health insurance companies to provide access to the healthcare treatments and therapies that people with autism need. These are treatments and therapies prescribed by medical professionals, but almost all health policies in the United States specifically excluded the treatment of autism. With hard work and dedication of volunteers all over the nation, 32 states have now improved healthcare access for individuals with autism.

 These changes came about with the passage of new laws. Autism IS political, whether you realize it, or not.

Why? Because individuals with autism obtain assistance from a variety of public agencies at the federal, state and local level. Because our children receive special education services which are governed by our local school boards and each state’s Department of Education. Because many of our children and adults receive services through Medicaid. Because legal reform is required to right the inequities our community has consistently faced.

Technology, Customized Learning, and Special Needs Students

Previous posts have discussed the use of computer technology in helping ASD people. Tom Vander Ark writes at Education Week:

A Fordham report suggests the nation can save $10 billion if districts just budget the same way. But the report didn't even consider the digital learning revolution occurring. Continued progress from primary research combined with the potential of customized learning appears to have transformative potential for special education. 

Leading venture funds have launched funds focused on iPad apps for entertainment. Given the identified potential to meet special needs it may be time for a Special Ed App Fund. .. A fund that combined philanthropic and venture capital could be just the bill. If foundations and donors extracted some of the risk, I think we'd see more entrepreneurs and investors turn their attention to meeting special needs. Heading in that direction, the Department's research arm, IES developed the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. Program Manager Edward Metz pointed me to several examples:

• iPrompt from Handhold Adaptive for students with ASD
• Stories in Motion from 3C Institute for high functioning ASD

...

Feel Electric teaches kids how to modulate their emotions with a DARPA-funded version for military families.

...
Federal special education policy may also provide a force for digital education in public education's mainstream, argues Dean Millot, Managing Partner for K-12 at the investment consulting firm Good Harbor Partners. Under the Response to Intervention option, school districts are incentivized to meet the needs of special education students with the same digital technologies that offer mainstream students individualized learning. By this means, the Individual Education Program mandated by law for special needs students could evolve to a standard of individualized learning for every student.

The Defense Department Funds Autism Research

At the University of Virginia, The Cavalier Daily reports:

University researchers have received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to fund studies that evaluate the driving skills of teens with autism spectrum disorders, mainly Asperger’s syndrome and high-functioning autism. The co-investigators of the study, Medicine Prof. Daniel Cox and Education Prof. Ron Reeve, who is also a licensed clinical and school psychologist, hope to teach students with these disorders how to drive effectively with the use of a virtual reality simulator.

...

The grant supporting the research was part of the Department of Defense’s budget to help people with autism spectrum disorders. Reeve and Cox received the grant after submitting a proposal request to the department. Of the 71 applications submitted for the grant, only three proposals were funded.

“We were very fortunate,” Reeve said. “We are just excited about it and hope that we can help these kids lead more normal lives.”

Some background from Autism Speaks on the Department of Defense Autism Research Program (DoD-ARP):

The Defense Department's autism research program is funded in the U.S. Army Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation Medical Advanced Technology account. It is administered as a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), similar to current programs for breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers. Research funded by CDMRP is peer-reviewed, and benefits from the direct input of consumer advocates, and is targeted to the most innovative, promising research in the field.

Fragile X Funding

The National Fragile X Foundation reports:

The National Fragile X Foundation applauds the United States Congress and President Barack Obama for including Fragile X Syndrome for the first time ever within a select group of conditions eligible for research funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The new law, signed by President Obama on Dec. 19, designates $50 million through the FY 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Fragile X is one of a select group of priority conditions that are eligible for funding under the PRMRP.

"We are thrilled that Congress and the President have recognized this need in our communities," said Robert Miller, Executive Director of The National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF). "Fragile X poses a serious challenge to families and communities everywhere, challenges that are much more acutely felt by our military families. This funding is a promise of support and a means to a better outcome for those affected by Fragile X."

Fragile X syndrome and its associated disorders are caused by a genetic mutation on the X chromosome and impact over one million Americans. Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome include intellectual, physical and occupational disabilities. Behavioral problems, including autism, are also common among those with Fragile X.

"As the only Member of Congress who has a child with Fragile X, I understand the true value of priority designation for this genetic disorder," said Congressman Gregg Harper (R-Miss.). "Thousands of families across America are battling this disease and this research funding opens a new chapter of hope as we continue to learn how Fragile X impacts individuals. I'm thankful for the leadership of Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the Ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, who helped secure these federal dollars."

In March 2009, Representative Harper did a public service announcement on Fragile X.  At the same time, he joined with other members to form a Fragile X Caucus.  In July he discussed Fragile X on MSNBC:



See here for more on the link between autism and Fragile X.