"Child With Autism" Signs in New York State

In The Politics of Autism, I write about the everyday struggles facing autistic people and their families -- including safety on the streets.

Jane Kwiatkowski at The Buffalo News:

Laura Moeller and other parents of autistic children shared a victory this week after New York State approved road signs to alert motorists that a child with autism resides nearby.

The issue came to light during the summer of 2019 when parents in Lancaster, Hamburg and Amherst requested municipal officials post warning road signs to alert motorists of children with autism.

“Although some municipalities had erected the signs warning of children with autism in the area, others like Lancaster and the Village of Hamburg had refused to do so because the signs were technically illegal,” said Assemblywoman Monica P. Wallace, D-Lancaster.

The Town of Amherst in 2019, went ahead and installed a "Child with Autism Area" sign with Supervisor Brian Kulpa explaining it was in the best interest of the residents.

State regulations were recently amended to allow for the signage if the following conditions exist: the child with autism is under the age of 18, the average daily traffic volume is less than 2,000 vehicles, the speed limit is 35 mph or less, and the roadway is residential.

Angelica Morrison reports at Buffalo's WIVB-TV:

Autism License Plates in Tennessee

One theme of the book I'm writing is that autism touches a bewildering array of policy areas.  For instance, what does autism have to do with automobiles and driving?  From The Chattanoogan:

The Tennessee autism community needs help getting the state’s first Autism Awareness license plate printed. Once a specialty plate project has been approved by the House and Senate, Tennessee requires 1,000 copies be pre-sold before it will be added to the DMV lineup of plates available.

The autism community has less than 150 left to pre-sell in order for this plate to be printed.

The Autism Awareness license plate was the project of four Tennessee moms. All four have children on the autism spectrum and wanted to spread autism awareness in a big way, while also raising money for the autism organizations that have touched their lives.

The funds from the license plate sales will support the missions of Autism Tennessee (formerly the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee), the Autism Society of East Tennessee and the Autism Society of the Midsouth, serving West Tennessee.

The organizations provide resources and supports to families living with autism.

License plates are $35.

For more information, or to order an Autism Awareness license plate, go to autismtn.org  

Driver Licenses

In Fitchburg, MA, the Sentinel & Enterprise reports:

Having dealt with special-needs student in the Narragansett Regional School District for years, Carla Charter knows that being diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder shouldn't be a proverbial death sentence.

With a bill being presented to Statehouse lawmakers Tuesday, Charter and Rep. Denise Andrews, D-Orange, hope to make the roadways safer for drivers on the autism spectrum and police officers who may pull them over.

"Most people, even those educated on the subject, can't tell if someone is autistic or has Asperger's syndrome right away," Charter said Sunday. "Even an officer educated on the topic couldn't tell if someone was on the autistic spectrum if they pulled them over at 3 in the morning. If something comes across as odd to an officer, things could escalate."

Charter noted that people dealing with autism-spectrum disorders often can have a tough time with social interactions. Some may answer questions with an honesty not seen as disarming, some may not be able to make eye contact and others may have issues with people -- including police officers -- getting in their personal space.

"Someone with social-interaction issues might do something that would cause a police officer to think something was wrong," Charter said. "We're hoping to lower the chances of something bad coming out of it. The bill would increase safety for everyone involved."

The bill would put into effect a special designation on a license that would alert dispatchers that the carrier has an autism-spectrum diagnosis. The placing of such a designation would be completely voluntary, Charter said.

Driving

From a study in The Journal of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics:

Although a significant proportion of teens with higher functioning autism spectrum disorders were driving or learning to drive, the fact that most driving teens' individualized education plans did not include driving goals suggests an area of opportunity for improvement in transition planning. Driving teens were more frequently in regular education settings with college aspirations, which could help schools identify potential drivers.

At PsychCentral, Janice Wood provides some background:

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies note that the rate of children diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder has increased over the past decade, which means that more of these kids are approaching the age to drive legally.

“Little is known about how HFASDs affect a person’s ability to drive safely,” said lead author Patty Huang, M.D., a developmental pediatrician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers, so it is important that we understand how HFASDs impact driving and how to develop appropriate educational and evaluation tools.”

In a first step to better understand the issue, researchers surveyed almost 300 parents of teens with HFASDs and discovered a handful of predictive characteristics among teens who are likely to become drivers, including: Being at least 17 years old; enrolled full-time in high school; planning to attend college; holding a paid job outside the home; having a parent who has taught another teen to drive; and including driving-related goals in his or her individualized education plan (IEP).