A Measles Death in New York State

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio. A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.  Last year, he lied about it under oath.

Since  Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has recorded more confirmed measles cases than in the previous 20 years combined. 

With more than two months to go in 2026, the US has already DOUBLED its 2025 total.

Joseph Goldstein at NYT:

A child in New York’s North Country died after contracting measles, the first death in the state from the viral disease in 30 years, health officials announced Monday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the death was a signal that public health protections were eroding as a growing number of families forgo vaccinations.

The child died in Lewis County, which is northeast of Syracuse and has recorded 15 measles cases this year, according to the health authorities, who shared few details about the case.

“I am heartbroken to learn that a child in Lewis County has died after contracting measles,” Ms. Hochul said in a statement.

The governor linked the death to Trump administration policies that she said had undermined public confidence in pediatric immunizations.

“This is New York’s first measles-related death in 30 years, a devastating reminder of what’s at stake when Washington deliberately erodes decades of progress in protecting Americans from preventable illnesses,” Ms. Hochul said.

 

Measles: Pennsylvania Outbreak, New York Emergency

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread. Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio. A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.  Last year, he lied about it under oath.

Since  Trump took office in 2025, the U.S. has recorded more confirmed measles cases than in the previous 20 years combined. 

Mike Stobbe at AP:

Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades.

The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the CDC. The nation has seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.

...
It’s been decades since a U.S. state has seen an outbreak surpass 1,000 cases, stretching back to a multiyear outbreak in New York City in the early 1990s that infected more than 4,500 people.

The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but those rates have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.

Joseph Goldstein at NYT:

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide health emergency in New York State on Monday as measles cases increased dangerously across rural counties where vaccination rates have lagged.

As of Saturday, 108 measles cases had been reported across the state this year, the most since 2019, when New York was the epicenter of a national outbreak. Most of the cases are in rural areas, concentrated in the Finger Lakes region.

Ms. Hochul’s declaration will relax rules about who can administer vaccines to make it easier for midwives, pharmacists and other health care workers to give shots to prevent measles.

“After reviewing the latest data on measles cases in New York State, I am declaring a state disaster emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront this disease,” the governor said. “No one should get seriously ill or die from a vaccine-preventable disease.”

Seclusion in Boxes

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the use of restraint and seclusion, along with cases of abuse.

Emilie Munson at The Times-Union (Albany, NY):

A public school district in northern New York broke state education regulations at least six times when it chose to confine students with disabilities in padded, wooden boxes in the classroom, an investigation by the New York State Education Department found.

The state ordered the Salmon River Central School District to change its policies and special education practices by this fall and submit paperwork to demonstrate its compliance.

State investigators found five students with disabilities were placed in the large boxes "with the door held shut," an act that constitutes seclusion, a practice banned by education regulations in New York.

The release of the state report is the latest development in a monthslong saga that resulted in criminal investigations, the introduction of new legislation, condemnation from the governor and the departures of multiple school administrators in the district since mid-December, when photos of one of the crates emerged on Facebook.

The state's conclusions differ from the findings released by an attorney hired by the school district to conduct a review of the use of the boxes. That attorney determined the boxes had been used this school year on two students who usually chose to go into the boxes and stay there. The students "were never locked or confined in the boxes (doors were only closed by the students themselves)," the attorney, Kate Reid, wrote in a report.

Assemblyman Michael Cashman, a Democrat who represents the area that includes the school district, pointed to the differences between the state's report and the one produced by the attorney retained by the district, saying "it raises even more questions as to why such a large gap in findings was released."

"The NYSED investigation findings tell an absolutely abhorrent story of mistreatment of youth," he said. "These harms are amplified by the cultural context they unfolded within: many of the families in the school district are Indigenous, a group that has a long history with systemic abuse from schools."

The attorney hired by the district said the public school used two timeout boxes at Salmon River Elementary School and had a third at the St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School that was never used. The state report did not discuss which schools the five students subjected to timeout boxes attended.

The school district built at least one of the wooden timeout boxes, according to records obtained by the Times Union.

Autism and Political Careers

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."  Previous posts have discussed autistic officeholders and political candidates in California,  New York, Georgia, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Friedman, Sally, Kennedy Cox, and Richard K. Scotch. 2026. "Autism and Political Careers: Navigating Political Leadership" Societies 16, no. 2: 67.   https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16020067.  Abstract:

Individuals on the autism spectrum have been stigmatized as not being expected to engage in certain activities, such as interpersonal interaction and communication, which are related to the capacity to exercise leadership and may have implications for their capacity to effectively function in political roles. In this paper, we profile four politicians (who happen to be state legislators) with autism who have beaten the odds with electoral success. We examine their routes to office, their range of activities, including how they represent autism, and the intersectionalities (in addition to autism) that impact their lives.

From the article:

More specifically, we profile four state legislators who self-identify as on the autism spectrum. Jessica Benham and Abigail Salisbury (both Democrats) currently represent the 36th and 34th districts, respectively, in Pennsylvania. Benham was first elected in 2020, and Salisbury in a special election in 2022. Briscoe Cain (R), in office since 2017, represents the 128th district in Texas and is running for Congress in one of the areas involved in the current mid-stream redistricting controversies. Yuh-Line Niou (D) represented the 65th district in New York between 2017 and 2022, when she engaged in what turned out to be an unsuccessful run for Congress. While these are the only elected officials our searches turned up as identified as autistic, as Cain’s story below shows, autism, under some circumstances, can be an invisible disability if or until an individual chooses to “come out.” Given the stigma, the choice not to divulge may make sense for many. Despite the notable stereotypes attached to people on the autism spectrum and acknowledging that the people studied here are “highly functioning,” these four legislators have, nonetheless, by virtue of their political careers, taken on leadership roles. As such, they are involved in the many and varied activities generally engaged in by state legislators. We focus below on their backgrounds/roots to political office, their “autism journey,” their activities as state representatives, and the several intersectionalities that are part of their lives.

 

States Trying to Curb Medicaid Spending

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

Nada Hassanein at Medical Xpress:

Parents of children and young adults who receive applied behavior analysis, or ABA, worry states' cost-saving measures will make it harder for them to get vital services. About 5% of children ages 3 to 17 on public insurance have autism spectrum disorder, compared with 2% who have private insurance, according to a CDC survey.

...

In 2014, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mandated that all state Medicaid programs cover comprehensive autism services for children. It did not explicitly require coverage of ABA, but by 2022, every state Medicaid program covered ABA.

In addition, more kids are getting diagnosed with autism as screenings increase. As a result, state spending on the service has skyrocketed. In Indiana, for example, Medicaid spending on ABA therapy grew from $21 million in 2017 to $611 million in 2023. The sharp increase has prompted Indiana, and other states, to take steps to control costs.

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The Medicaid changes included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed in July will increase the pressure: The law includes more than $900 billion in federal spending cuts over the next decade. Medicaid is funded jointly by the federal government and the states.

...

Several states this year have considered curbing ABA costs by capping therapy hours, tightening provider enrollment rules, reducing reimbursement rates or changing patient eligibility rules. A bill in New York, for example, would establish a 680-hour annual cap on ABA services.

But nowhere has the issue been more prominent than in Indiana, where Medicaid has covered ABA therapy since 2016.

Historically, Indiana Medicaid has reimbursed ABA providers for most services at a rate of 40%, regardless of what they charged.

That "created some very strange incentives for a small portion of the provider network," said Jason McManus, president of Indiana Providers of Effective Autism Treatment (InPEAT), which represents smaller ABA providers in Indiana and larger providers that operate in Indiana and elsewhere. "You had folks who were charging exorbitant amounts for the service."

Beginning in 2024, Indiana lowered its reimbursement rate to about $68 per hour—and received plenty of pushback.

States Warn About Shrub Oak

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the use of restraint and seclusion, along with cases of abuse.  In America's complex system for dealing with autism, oversight is uneven, and people on the spectrum can fall through the cracks.

Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen at Pro Publica

Two more states are now scrutinizing a New York boarding school for autistic students and have warned school districts about troubling conditions there.

In Connecticut, education officials visited Shrub Oak International School and alerted districts that a state watchdog group determined there were ongoing “serious safety concerns” at the unregulated for-profit private school. Separately, the state’s Department of Developmental Services, which serves residents with intellectual disabilities and autism, has decided to stop sending more students there, an agency spokesperson told ProPublica. That agency described the facility as looking “more akin to a penal institution than an educational campus.”

Washington education authorities, meanwhile, visited Shrub Oak this month and warned school districts to contact the state before considering enrolling students there. Officials are reviewing the state’s relationship with the school, officials told ProPublica.

The scrutiny of Shrub Oak comes as a ProPublica investigation published in May documented how parents and workers repeatedly asked New York authorities to investigate their concerns at the school to no avail.

Shrub Oak

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the use of restraint and seclusion, along with cases of abuse.  In America's complex system for dealing with autism, oversight is uneven, and people on the spectrum can fall through the cracks.

Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen at Pro Publica report on  Shrub Oak International School, an expensive private residential facility in Westchester County, New York:

No state agency oversees Shrub Oak, which enrolls a range of students with autism including those whom other schools declined to serve and who have severe behavioral challenges and complex medical needs. The private, for-profit school chose not to seek approval from New York’s Education Department.

That means it has gotten no meaningful oversight and state officials have had no authority over the school — over who works there, whether money is spent properly and if the curriculum and services are appropriate for students with disabilities.

Even without New York’s approval, Shrub Oak receives public money from school districts across the country that pay tuition for the students they send there.

Shrub Oak opened in 2018 with grand promises: beautiful dorms, an indoor therapy pool, an equestrian stable, a restaurant-quality kitchen, sophisticated security, round-the-clock care and cutting-edge education for students with autism from around the world.

Some of those promises never materialized. A ProPublica investigation — based on records from school districts, court documents and interviews with nearly 30 families and just as many workers — also found accusations of possible abuse and neglect: unexplained black eyes and bruises on students’ bodies, medication mix-ups, urine-soaked mattresses and deficient staffing. Many parents and workers, armed with confidential documents and photos of student injuries, described their futile efforts to get authorities to intervene.

...

Shrub Oak is among the most expensive therapeutic boarding schools in America. Tuition for residential students is $316,400 this school year. Many students require a dedicated aide for 16 hours a day, bringing the total to $573,200. Shrub Oak currently enrolls about 85 students, ages 7 to 23, from 13 states and Puerto Rico.

Though the school touts its expertise with students who need constant care, police records detail young people swallowing aluminum foil, plexiglass, diapers and their own feces; putting their heads or fists through windows; and running away as recently as late March.

Autism Cards in Suffolk County, New York

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

[M]any police departments have trained officers and other first responders how to spot signs of autism and respond accordingly.  Some organizations have also published identification cards that ASD adults can carry in order to defuse potential conflicts. Virginia provides for an autism designation on driver licenses and other state-issued identification cards. Once again, however, the dilemma of difference comes into play. One autistic Virginian worries: “Great, so if I get into an accident, who’s the cop going to believe, the guy with the autistic label or the guy without it?” Clinical psychologist Michael Oberschneider is concerned about the understanding level of first responders: “I think many people still think of Rain Man or, more recently, the Sandy Hook Shooter, when they think of autism even though very few people on the autistic spectrum are savants or are homicidal and dangerous.”

Jennifer McLogan at WCBS-TV in New York:

Suffolk County law enforcement officers are now equipped with a tool to help people on the autism spectrum during potentially stressful encounters. It was designed by a young man from Long Island, who is on the spectrum himself.

Christopher Cortale, a receptionist at the Winters Center for Autism in West Babylon, helped design an emergency card to foster communication in stressful situations.

At the top, the card reads, "Please be patient. I have autism. Please point to the pictures to help me understand what you want." Underneath are photos of a driver's license, registration, insurance and weapons.

The card also includes photos and captions violations for officers to indicate if the individual with autism is being warned, ticketed or arrested, and reasons, such as license plate, tail light, speed limit, stop sign or several others.

The bottom of the card has a section titled "I need help" with photos indicating low fuel, flat tire, hospital, emergency contact, tow truck and lost.

 

NYC Children with Disabilities

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. II also discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. 

Alex Zimmerman at Chalkbeat:

Children with disabilities often must travel outside their neighborhoods to attend schools with smaller class sizes staffed by teachers with specialized training. Those trips can stretch over an hour each way, thanks in part to the city’s notoriously unreliable yellow bus system. Lengthy commutes can make it difficult to attend after-school programs or build friendships with children in their neighborhood who attend local schools.

“Many of our kids, we’ve got to send them way out of the neighborhood at great expense to the system and at great inconvenience to the families and to the kids themselves,” schools Chancellor David Banks said during a press conference at Brooklyn’s P.S. 958, which opened last school year as a model for serving local students with a broad range of abilities.

“We’ve got to fix this,” Banks said. “Today really is the beginning of that work.”

Children with autism who are entering kindergarten in Districts 5, 12, and 14 will be guaranteed a spot in a specialized program in their home district. (Those districts cover Harlem, Crotona Park in the Bronx, and Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods, respectively.) To accomplish that, the city is adding 160 total seats in those neighborhoods across three existing programs: ASD Nest, Horizon, and AIMS, which is short for Acquisition, Integrated Services, Meaningful Communication, and Social Skills.

Although Banks previously expanded Nest and Horizon programs, the addition of 160 new slots represents a drop in the bucket given the growing number of children who are classified with autism and who qualify for them. More than 10,000 children with autism could benefit from a seat in a Nest or Horizon program but are placed elsewhere, according to Education Department figures.

Prevalence and Underdiagnosis in NY-NJ Metro

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss evaluation, diagnosis, and the uncertainty of prevalence estimates.

Walter Zahorodny and colleagues have an article at the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders: "Prevalence and Characteristics of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan AreaBrief Reportith Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area."

Abstract

Purpose

Almost all epidemiologic studies estimating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence have focused on school-age children. This study provides the first population-based data on the prevalence and expression of ASD among adolescents in a large US metropolitan region.

Methods

Active multiple source ASD surveillance of adolescents aged 16-years was conducted according to the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network method in a four-county New Jersey metropolitan region. Prevalence estimates are provided, characteristics are described and comparison of the distribution and characteristics of ASD is offered for this cohort, at 8 and 16-years.

Results

ASD prevalence was 17.7 per 1000 (95% CI: 16.3–19.2)]. One-in-55 males and one in 172 females were identified with ASD. High-SES was positively associated with ASD and White adolescents had higher ASD prevalence (22.2 per 1000) than Hispanic adolescents (13.1 per 1000). One in four study-confirmed individuals with ASD did not have an ASD diagnosis. A majority of ASD adolescents (58.8%) had a co-occurring neuropsychiatric disorder. White and High-SES individuals had greater likelihood of co-occurring disorder. The demographic distribution and functional profile of ASD was similar in this cohort at 8 and 16-years.

Conclusion

Approximately one-in-55 adolescents in our area had ASD, in 2014, and one-in-4 16-year-olds with ASD was not diagnosed. A majority (3-in-5) of the adolescents with ASD had a co-occurring neuropsychiatric disorder. ASD under-identification and the high frequency of co-disorders in adolescents with ASD pose significant challenges to care and support.

Training the NYPD

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between police and autistic people.  When cops encounter autistic people they may not respond in the same way as NT people, and things can get out of hand. Among other things, they may misinterpret autistic behavior as aggressive or defiant, and respond with tasers, batons, chokeholds, or worse.

Posts have discussed incidents in the following places:

• Orlando
• Richmond, VA
• Jackson County, KS
• Glynn County, GA
• Douglas County, CO
• Graymoor-Devondale, KY
• Vacaville, CA
• Metrairie, LA
• Salt Lake City
• Statesville, NC
• Buckeye, AZ

This list is not exhaustive.  Indeed, it does not even scratch the surface.

Police training could be helpful, but we also need programs to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the training.

A release from the Mayor of New York:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks, and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban today announced a new partnership between the DOE and the Police Academy aimed at working with young people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Experts from the DOE’s Special Education Office led a day-long training in person at the Police Academy on behaviors and responses of students with autism and other developmental disabilities and to educate NYPD recruits on responsible and compassionate ways to communicate with all young people.

...

This partnership signifies the first time the DOE has been invited to directly participate in the training of NYPD recruits. Experts from the DOE will visit the Police Academy on a regular cadence going forward, hosting trainings for each class of recruits, starting with the current training class.

During the training session, participants not only develop an understanding of autism and communication-based disabilities but learn strategies to support students with autism and other developmental disabilities during crises, responding effectively and increasing the use of thoughtful communication tools. Participants also received an overview of school supports for students when they are in crisis and tools interventions schools use prior to calling for emergency services.

Suicide and Self-Injuiry

In The Politics of Autism, I write about the many challenges facing people on the spectrum.  Among many other things, they are at high risk for suicide. (In July, the United States transitioned from 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 – an easy-to-remember three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. "

 At Autism, Theodoros V Giannouchos and colleagues have an article titled "Suicide and non-fatal self-injury-related emergency department visits among individuals with autism spectrum disorder."  The lay abstract:

This study used data for 14.4 million individuals with 43.5 million emergency department visits from all hospitals in the state of New York to explore the association between suicide and non-fatal self-injury-related (self-injury) emergency department visits and autism spectrum disorder. Overall, we found that individuals with autism spectrum disorder had more emergency department visits and admissions through the emergency department, more years of emergency department utilization, and higher prevalence of mental health-related comorbidities. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder were also significantly more likely to have at least one self-injury-related emergency department visit compared to those without autism spectrum disorder. These results emphasize the need to raise awareness across both family caregivers and healthcare providers on the increased suicide and self-injury risks that individuals with autism spectrum disorder face and to improve care delivery practices. In addition, effort to promote and increase timely access to mental health care is an urgent priority for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

From the article:

Combined, our results suggest that while the high and growing suicide, and non-fatal self-injury rate in the United States is a concern for the entire population, it is a particular concern in the ASD community and notably among younger children and adolescents (Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2020). Given existing documented issues for individuals with ASD in accessing needed care in a timely manner, many are forced to seek treatment from EDs that are often overwhelmed and not well equipped to address the specific needs of individuals with ASD (Muskat et al., 2015; Nageswaran et al., 2011; Nicolaidis et al., 2013). Our findings suggest that identifying ways to increase timely access to outpatient care—and mental health care in particular given the observed and increased prevalence of ED visits for mental health conditions among those with ASD which is consistent with previous work—is an urgent priority for individuals with ASD to provide continuous and supportive care and to prevent suicidal and non-fatal self-injurious attempts (Lytle et al., 2018). This is emphasized by previous work that found more than half of individuals who leave the ED after a suicide attempt never attend their first outpatient appointment (Lai et al., 2019). Increasing access to outpatient care will require policy changes to overcome both the shortage of mental health care providers in certain parts of the country as well as the large proportion of mental health care professionals who do not accept health insurance, such as expansion of virtual appointments, higher reimbursement rates, and reduced administrative and contractual complexity (Bishop et al., 2014; Thomas et al., 2009).

Earmarks Are Good: The Case of Staten Island

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the congressional role in the issue.

Dr. Gracelyn Santos at The Staten Island Advance:

Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis has announced she helped secure $500,000 for the Eden II School for Autistic Children as part of the federal government’s appropriations process.

Eden II will use the funds to renovate an existing building to expand day habilitation services for adults with autism.

“For nearly 50 years, Eden II Programs have gone above and beyond to support people with autism by helping them achieve their full potential through a number of educational, residential, and day habilitation programs,” Malliotakis said. “Serving more than 500 individuals across the New York City and Long Island communities, Eden II has become a leader in helping participants and their families overcome many of the challenges associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Questions about Special Ed in NYC Orthodox Schools

In The Politics of Autism, I write about special education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. II also discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. 

 Brian M. Rosenthal at NYT:

Less than a decade ago, New York City drastically changed the way it provided special education to thousands of children with disabilities.

State law requires cities to deliver those services to students in private schools, even if the government has to pay outside companies to do it. But for years, when parents asked, New York City officials resisted and called many of the requests unnecessary.

In 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio changed course. Responding to complaints, especially from Orthodox Jewish organizations, he ordered the city to start fast-tracking approvals.

The policy has made it easier for some children with disabilities to get specialized instruction, therapy and counseling. But in Orthodox Jewish religious schools, particularly in parts of the Hasidic community, the shift has also led to a windfall of government money for services that are sometimes not needed, or even provided, an examination by The New York Times has found.

...

Five hearing officers told The Times that in proceedings involving Hasidic children, some parents have not seemed to know what they were requesting, or why. In one case, a mother could not explain her son’s disability, records show.

The Chabad Girls Academy, a Hasidic yeshiva in Crown Heights, sent an email to one mother in 2020 that said her daughter would qualify for autism treatment and provided her with a sample prescription for the child’s doctor, according to a copy of the message obtained by The Times. “Please can you have her medical doctor write a prescription stating diagnosis of F84.0,” the email said. “This is what we need.”

The mother told The Times her child does not have autism.

A lawyer for the school, Jules Halpern, said the school never pressed to get any child diagnosed with autistic disorders. “Email exchanges with this parent or any other would clearly demonstrate a dedicated educator working diligently and completely in the interest of the student,” he said.

Autism and Policy Advocacy

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the policy advocacy by autistic people, family members, and allies.

A spirited and passionate roundtable conversation about the vital importance of policy advocacy. Featuring: 

THOMAS J. ABINANTI - New York State Assemblyman and Chair of NYC Committee on People with Disabilities 

JUDY SHAPIRO - Parent Advocate and Founder of TAFKID 

HALEY MOSS - Autistic Self-Advocate, Author and Attorney, University of Miami Law School, Student Commencement Speaker 

CAMILLE PROCTOR - Founder and Executive Director, The Color of Autism Foundation 

Moderated by SIMCHA WEINSTEIN and KIM KAISER 

Presented by Jewish Autism Network, The Color of Autism Foundation

Autism-Supportive College

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the growing number of college students on the autism spectrum. 

A release from SUNY Empire State

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY– November 7, 2022)

SUNY Empire State has been designated a first-of-its-kind Autism Supportive College by Anderson Center for Autism. The designation signals that SUNY Empire embeds supports into its culture, infrastructure, and planning to create an inclusive environment and improved academic experience for students with autism and other neurodiversities.

...
Anderson Center Consulting & Training awarded the designation to SUNY Empire after careful consultation and training with the college’s faculty and staff, as well as review of SUNY Empire’s current practices and organizational structure and development. SUNY Empire has invested approximately $30,000 over the past two years to make the institution more inclusive. Criteria required for the Autism Supportive College designation include:

• Identifying a plan with measurable objectives, opportunities to educate faculty and staff about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and supports that can be instituted to encourage inclusion and academic success for individuals with ASD.
• Ensuring key faculty and staff are educated about ASD and the common challenges individuals with ASD experience when pursuing higher education.
• Including systems, practices, and procedures that support the inclusion of Autistic and Neurodivergent students in their pursuit of academic, social and career achievement.
• Creating a sustainability plan that includes measured objectives, accountability measures demonstrating success, feedback from students, faculty and staff, and subsequent steps toward a sustained inclusive program.

In 2020, SUNY Empire established its Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES) to better serve autistic and neurodiverse individuals in the classroom, workplace, and beyond. CAARES Director Noor Syed and Assistant Director Lauren Allen have led the charge to deliver community and professional outreach, provide career support for autistic and neurodiverse college students, and conduct research with and in support of neurodiverse individuals through partnerships with people and organizations around the world.

Research suggests that nearly 2% of college students identify as neurodiverse, a term that encompasses the idea that variation in human brain function is normal and that brain function not considered “typical” should not be stigmatized.

...
For more information about the designation, visit www.andersoncenterforautism.org/autism-supportive-programs

Polio Returns to NYS

 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.

Giavanni Alves at the Staten Island Advance:

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday, following increased detections of the polio virus in New York.

The virus has been found in wastewater samples in New York City and Nassau, Orange, Rockland and Sullivan Counties.

Most recently, a sequence analysis of a sample collected from Nassau County in August was genetically linked to the first confirmed case of paralytic polio in New York, which was identified in an unvaccinated individual in Rockland County in July.

The New York State Health Department (NYSDOH) said all of the samples are cause for concern, as they reflect an expanding community spread.

Hochul’s executive order allows the state to immediately expand its network of polio vaccine administrators, affording more resources to local health departments and ramping up polio vaccinations.

The State Health Department’s goal is to increase the statewide polio vaccination rate from its current approximate 79% to 90%.

“On polio, we simply cannot roll the dice,” NYSDOH Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a statement. “If you or your child are unvaccinated or not up to date with vaccinations, the risk of paralytic disease is real. I urge New Yorkers to not accept any risk at all.”

Polio Redux

 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.

 Ari Daniel at NPR:

Polio is the disease most people thought we had put behind us here in the United States. But earlier this summer, an individual in Rockland County, N.Y., contracted the virus likely from exposure in this country, and ended up paralyzed.

The last time there was community transmission of polio in the U.S. was 1979. The Americas were declared polio free in 1994. Though it's just one case of paralysis at the moment, public health officials — both locally and nationally — are taking the news very seriously.

Wastewater testing and genetic sequencing have shown the virus has been quietly circulating in a couple New York counties since at least May. And it recently was detected in New York City's wastewater. "Even a single case of paralytic polio represents a public health emergency in the United States," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared in a recent report.

Low vaccination rates in Rockland county mean there's a risk of more paralytic cases in that community, the report said. The challenges that health officials are facing while managing the local response in New York may indicate where other spots in the country could soon be headed.