Autism Families Take Offense at TRICARE

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.

A previous post noted that TRICARE has been touting Autism Acceptance Month.  Military families are not buying it.

Maggie BenZvi at Coffee or Die:

On April 8, the Facebook page for TRICARE, the government health care program that provides medical insurance for military service members and retirees, posted a message regarding April’s status as a month for awareness and acceptance of autistic people.

“April is #AutismAcceptanceMonth!” the post read. “We can all work to make room for more inclusivity and tolerance with just a little patience, understanding, and education.”

For Holly Duncan, the post was a stab in the heart.

“I don’t ‘tolerate’ my kids,” Duncan told Coffee or Die Magazine in the days after the post went up. “I don’t ‘tolerate’ their autism. I learned to live in their world.”

...

TRICARE is not just some corporate PR department looking for clicks. Rather, as demonstrated by the hundreds of responses to the post and according to parents who spoke to Coffee or Die, TRICARE has failed to deliver needed help to their families.

The reaction to TRICARE’s Facebook post was instant and outraged: scores of military parents who say they have spent hours or even years fighting with TRICARE to get appropriate therapy services covered for their children.

Hundreds of comments quickly piled up on the post.

“Oh, look, useless virtue signaling as they cover less for families. Thanks, TriCare,” wrote a user named Rachel Dawn.

“What a slap in the face #TRICARE with this post!” Kira Barrett-Voelker commented.

“Whoever marketed this mess is an embarrassment,” wrote Kristin Borg.

Duncan, along with Jennifer Bittner, co-chairs the Autism Family Advocacy Committee for Exceptional Families of the Military.

Both women are military spouses, both have two children on the autism spectrum, and both are dismayed by recent TRICARE changes that make receiving those therapies even more difficult.

Hari Srinivasan Wins Soros Fellowshp

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Many posts have discussed programs to provide them with training and experience.  

I also discuss the growing number of college students on the spectrum. 

A release from UC Berkeley:

You can hear Hari Srinivasan’s confident voice in his academic research papers, his Daily Californian newspaper articles and in his poetry and essays. But in person, you’re not likely to hear him speak.

That’s because the UC Berkeley psychology major’s ability to vocalize is severely limited due to regressive autism and a neurological disorder known as oral-motor apraxia.

It closed many doors to him. But not at Berkeley, and certainly not now.

Srinivasan is the first nonspeaking person, or as he puts it, “minimally speaking autistic” to win a prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. He will receive $90,000 to fund his Ph.D. studies in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

Along with Dave Epstein, a Ph.D. student in computer science at UC Berkeley, Srinivasan is among 30 erudite U.S. undergraduate and graduate students selected this year for the 1998-founded fellowship. The honor recognizes immigrants and children of immigrants “who are poised to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture or their academic field.”

...

As a Haas Scholar, Srinivasan has conducted research on emotions, among other scholarly pursuits, and will graduate Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi. Beyond the campus, he has served on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health, which advises federal policy around autism, and on the boards of several national advocacy nonprofits.

Ukrainians with Disabilities

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss international perspectives.  In Ukraine, children with autism and other disabilities are suffering.

The continued military attacks against Ukraine are putting the lives of an estimated 2.7 million people with disabilities at risk. The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today deplored the Russian Federation’s aggression despite repeated calls for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. The Committee issued the following statement:

“The Committee is deeply disturbed that the fate of people with disabilities in Ukraine is largely unknown. There are ongoing reports that many people with disabilities, including children, are trapped or abandoned in their homes, residential care institutions and orphanages, with no access to life-sustaining medications, oxygen supplies, food, water, sanitation, support for daily living and other basic facilities.

People with disabilities have limited or no access to emergency information, shelters and safe havens, and many have been separated from their support networks, leaving them unable to respond to the situation and navigate their surroundings.

The continued military attacks leave people with disabilities extremely vulnerable and at grave risk of harm. Women with disabilities are at heightened risk of rape and sexual violence that has been widely reported. Few people with disabilities are reported to be internally displaced or to have reached Ukraine’s borders, indicating that many of them have not been able to flee to safety.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires States to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities when meeting their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law. Ratified by both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the Convention requires States to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of people with disabilities in situations of risk, including armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies.

States parties to the Convention also have obligations for cooperation between and among States, and in partnership with representative organisations of people with disabilities and other civil society organizations, to provide humanitarian assistance that is inclusive and accessible.

The Committee urges all States, UN agencies, civil society and other stakeholders involved in humanitarian action to recognise and respond to the pleas and requirements of people with disabilities caught up in the hostilities. Their specific requirements, including according to gender and age, should be identified and included in all responses to the crisis. Ensuring access to humanitarian corridors, inclusion in evacuation and crisis response plans and the provision of accessible emergency information and communications are measures which should be implemented.

Measures need to be taken to ensure that all people with disabilities are accounted for, protected and provided with immediate access to humanitarian aid, taking into account their individual support requirements. Refugees and internally displaced people with disabilities, and people with disabilities in refugee-like situations need to be provided with support tailored to their individual requirements at border crossings, reception and accommodation facilities and to be provided with relocation assistance. Children with disabilities should be provided with individualised support to ensure they are not separated from their families and are protected from institutionalisation and other harmful practices, such as trafficking.

Above all, the Committee calls upon the Russian Federation to immediately end the hostilities and observe and respect the principles of international human rights and humanitarian law.

The Committee will continue to monitor the situation of people with disabilities in the conflict, in close cooperation with organisations of people with disabilities and human rights organisations.”

TRICARE Angers Military Families

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.

Karen Jowers at Military Times:

A Facebook post from Tricare celebrating April as “Autism Acceptance Month” has struck a nerve, with hundreds of military families criticizing the Defense Department for its health care coverage of autism treatment for military families.

Families complained that recent DoD policy changes have resulted in cuts in coverage for autism treatment.

“What a gross post from a group that has made getting services so difficult for hundreds of people,” wrote Meigan Toland, commenting on Tricare’s simple April 8 post.

At last look on April 11, there were 690 comments to the post, which reads: “We can all work to make room for more inclusivity and tolerance with just a little patience, understanding and education. Learn more about Tricare coverage of Autism treatment: tricare.mil/autism.

The post “immediately, albeit unintentionally, highlighted the concerns and limitations with the changes in autism care that many military families encounter,” stated a press release from the organization Exceptional Families of the Military.

Autism and Voting Rights

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."

 From Autism Speaks:

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in-person voting may present challenges. Autistic voters may encounter hurdles at local election sites that can discourage them. For example, crowded spaces, long lines and wait times, and sensory impacts from harsh lighting and loud noise levels can be especially difficult. Some people with autism do not communicate verbally but may use a family member to help them navigate and/or a device for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), which may be unfamiliar to others and questioned by poll workers.

 Matt Vasilogambros at Pew:

Voting rights activists argue the new state restrictions passed in the name of ballot security have made it harder for all voters, including those with disabilities, to cast a mail-in ballot. Indeed, Texas election officials rejected nearly 23,000 mail-in ballots during the March primary—around 13% of total ballots cast. The typical rejection rate in Texas primaries is less than 2%.

Around the country, new voting restrictions driven by former President Donald Trump’s lie about widespread voter fraud have complicated an already difficult process for 38 million disabled voters—a diverse community with differing physical, sensory and cognitive abilities.

When Georgia banned handing out water in voting lines, and Wisconsin banned ballot drop boxes and absentee voting assistance, and Florida limited absentee ballot collection efforts, voters with disabilities faced additional hurdles that have and will continue to prevent many from exercising their constitutional right. Last year, 19 states enacted new voting restrictions, including limits on early and mail-in voting. Several states, including Arizona and Georgia, have added more restrictions this year.

Advocates for voters with disabilities have fought these measures through lawsuits and broad voter education efforts. That has proven challenging, however, as advocates navigate sudden shifts as measures make their way through the judicial system and undergo last-minute legislative changes during the primary season.

Antivax Rally in Los Angeles

 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.

Benjamin Oreskes at LAT:

More than a thousand people opposed to vaccine mandates rallied in Grand Park in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday, waving American flags and holding signs with such messages as “Defeat the Mandates” and “Reclaim Your Divinity.” One musical act drew cheers while performing a song with the chorus “this is a war on religion.”

A slew of featured speakers was interspersed with musical acts as crowds listened to people decry COVID-19 vaccine requirements, Democratic politicians and mask mandates imposed during various time periods over the last two years.

Vendors hawked T-shirts with swipes at President Biden and his messages about vaccines, while volunteers walked around with petitions to recall L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón. Other volunteers handed out fliers for a variety of Republican politicians in California.

“I won’t put that mask on because all I can think of is anger,” said Judy Mikovits, a virologist who espouses a litany of debunked views about COVID-19 and ailments such as chronic fatigue.

...

The streets around Grant Park were lined Sunday with big rigs that were part of the “People’s Convoy” that had traveled to Los Angeles for the rally after a nationwide tour. The group of about 100 truckers embarked in February from San Bernardino on the tour that took them to Washington, D.C., and back.

 

Happening right now, Jimmy Dore is speaking at a far right antivax "defeat the mandates" rally featuring some of the biggest grifters around & huge right wing grifting doctor orgs like the FLCC which spreads Covid misinformation.

Not an antivaxer though! lol pic.twitter.com/VRbesChR4v

— ♿🕊️ 🙌 💉 Love Beats Hate 👨‍❤️‍👨 (@LeftwardSwing) April 10, 2022

Bret Weinstein, previously of ivermectin fame, also pretaped and didn’t show up at the LA antivaccine rally. Something something Nuremberg. Again, you get the vibe that fewer and fewer people care enough about this stuff to show up in public and listen to Facebook memes out loud.

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 10, 2022

Antivax Group Continues Harassment

 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.

It should not be a surprise that they took part in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Cheryl Clark at Medpage Today:

Kristina Lawson, president of the California Medical Board, is again publicly fighting back against the controversial group America's Frontline Doctors and their leader, California licensee Simone Gold, MD, JD -- this time for releasing a 21-minute video in which Lawson is depicted as a whip-wielding Nazi.

The video also perpetuates misinformation about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and about disproven treatments for the disease.

"It is disturbing to be targeted by anti-science zealots and the people they seek to manipulate," Lawson wrote in a statement that was released by her representative, Jason Overman. "Since the 'movie' was released, I have received a constant stream of emails and voicemail messages threatening me and demanding I resign from my position."

...

It features a clip from a widely reported incident last December in which four unnamed representatives from America's Frontline Doctors confronted Lawson in a parking garage as she was leaving her law firm office to return home. Earlier, they had staked out Lawson's home as she left for work.

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The video begins with "Lady Gold," played by Gold, who recently pleaded guilty to one of five criminal counts filed against her in connection with her participation in the January 6 insurrection and making a speech in the Capitol building.

...

In her statement, Lawson did not mention Gold or Rake by name, but she said leaders of America's Frontline Doctors "have been discredited for many reasons," including their anti-vaccine and anti-mask propaganda; promotion of unproven medical treatments for COVID-19; participation in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol; and a "wide variety of other headline-grabbing stunts."

Grimpact and the Continued Virality of the Wakefield Article

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.  The ur-antivaxxer of our time is the disgraced Andrew Wakefield.

 Jacqueline Leta, Kizi Araujo & Stephanie Treiber  have an article at Scientometrics titled Citing documents of Wakefield’s retracted article: the domino effect of authors and journals."  The abstract: 

The present study aims to find out the origin of authors and the main sources in which citing documents of Wakefield’s 1998 retracted article are published in order to understand whether they act as promoters of a negative domino effect, there is, keeping alive a retracted article due to fraudulent data and analysis on the relationship between MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine and autism. The metadata of the 1577 citing documents of Wakefield’s article were downloaded from Scopus in three files according to the year of publication: 1998–2004 (partial retraction), 2005–2010 (in between partial and full retraction) and 2011–2020 (post full retraction). The number of citing documents in each period is 329, 411 and 837, respectively. A comparison between first and last periods indicates an impressive growth of language, authors, countries as well as journals from broader field coverage. Also, recent citing articles are highly cited and, even in a negative context, they contribute to the diffusion of a fraudulent article in the science context. The findings reinforce the urgency to create internal strategies in the scientific communication process, mainly inside the editorial flow, in order to reduce the dissemination of a retracted article that, in this case, is still harmful to society. At the end, the creation of an automatic mechanism to detect retracted articles included in the reference list of accepted articles is suggested.

From the article:

 Despite the initial retraction made by most of the authors in 2004 and the full retraction made by The Lancet in 2010, which indicate ethical violations and deliberate scientific misconduct, the article signed Wakefield and collaborators in 1998 has impacted negatively different social segments, which still continue supporting and sharing the idea of vaccines causing autism. In fact, a quick look at the platform PlumX Metrics, owned by Elsevier, revealed that up to January 2021 there were more than 9200 shares, likes or comments of Wakefield’s retracted article on Facebook and almost 2000 on Twitter. Similarly, in Google Scholar, an academic search engine, there were more than 3600 documents citing it, whereas one third of these documents were published in 2015 or later.

The continuing citations in scientific literature as well the continuing shares in social media of Wakefield’s fraudulent article turns on the warning lights if we consider that measures of impact or visibility based in traditional indicators as well as in social media play a central role in science evaluation processes. This concern is the basis of the discussion conducted by Derrick et al. (2018), where the concept Grimpact is introduced. According to the authors, Wakefield’s retracted article is an example of a Grimpact, that is, a scientific work with a strong impact in society but under grim foundations, including scientific fraud and other misconduct. Derrick et al. (2018) also affirm that Grimpact may change public assessment of research and scientists. In Wakefield's case, for instance, its impact in society has led to a reduction in the vaccination rates as well as an increase in science distrust and the resurgence and strengthening of the global anti-vaccine movement (Thomas et al., 1998).

Medicaid Oral Health Coverage for Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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

Last month, the National Council on Disability issued a report titled "Medicaid Oral Health Coverage for Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities – A Fiscal Analysis."

FULL REPORT (PDF)
FULL REPORT (DOC)

SCOPE AND PURPOSE: In its preliminary research into how to improve the oral health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), NCD examined:

• The relationship between states’ Medicaid dental benefits and the receipt of basic dental care among adults with I/DD;
• The relationship between state waiver programs and receipt of dental care;
• The estimated cost and potential savings of implementing basic dental Medicaid benefits in states that do not currently offer it;
• The role of coordination between developmental disability (DD) agencies and Medicaid agencies for improving access to dental care; and
• Promising Medicaid-funded state and private strategies for expanding dental care for adults with I/DD.

NCD's ongoing policy focus on health equity led NCD to pursue an examination of the dental care experiences specific to individuals with I/DD under Medicaid. This initial report is part of ongoing related research into how to incentivize oral health providers to participate in Medicaid. A future study will examine why providers choose not to participate in Medicaid programs and waivers that facilitate the treatment of patients with I/DD and the potential incentives that could rectify that problem.

KEY FINDINGS: Of the nearly 7.3 million adults with I/DD in America, nearly 4.5 million rely on Medicaid for health coverage. NCD found that Medicaid does not uniformly provide adults with I/DD dental coverage and twelve states do not provide basic dental benefits aside from limited waiver programs in seven of them. This often times results in adults with I/DD in those states foregoing preventative and routine dental care and seeking emergency dental care at much higher cost, and/or developing chronic health conditions. Existing research shows dental health is the predicate for general health and general health is the predicate for positive employment, education, and community living outcome, yet adults with I/DD ages eighteen years and older experience poorer oral health and significant barriers to obtaining oral health care, relative to adults without I/DD. Poor oral health not only often leads to chronic disease, it also increases the likelihood of experiencing poor physical health.

NCD’s study estimates federal and state governments combined would realize a ROI of approximately $7.7 million beyond recovering the initial cost, annually, and the share of that ROI for those twelve states would total close to $3 million, annually. NCD estimates an overall modest return on investment for providing basic dental coverage for adults with I/DD in those states that provide emergency-only or no coverage ranging from an increased cost of $60,358 in Nevada to as much savings as $829,803 in Maryland – with costs likely offset by eliminating costly trips to the emergency room.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS:

• States should add dental benefits for adults with I/DD to their 1915(c) and 1915(i) waivers or 1115 demonstrations and refer to those states that currently extend dental coverage to adults with I/DD as a model. States should consider available data about and evaluations of these waiver programs to prioritize the types of dental services and target populations to include in their own waivers. States can use available data as guidance to maximize access to key, cost-effective dental services while balancing available funding.
• States should fund programs that address the additional barriers to obtaining oral health care through Medicaid, including incentivizing the dental workforce to attract providers with expertise in treating adults with I/DD through continuing education programs, implementing programs that improve daily oral care provided by caregivers, and improving education and support for good oral hygiene for adults with I/DD. Additionally, states should address transportation barriers and coordinate services between DD agencies and Medicaid providers.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Administration on Community Living, should conduct additional research to offer policy insights and recommendations that would reduce the need for the receipt of dental care in the OR and to improve access to the OR for people with I/DD.

Russia's War Hurts Autistic People

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss international perspectives.  In Ukraine, children with autism and other disabilities are suffering.

Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Impact of Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Madam President, last night, I returned from a trip to Moldova and Romania. I saw with my own eyes the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s unconscionable war. I spoke to refugees who indicated to me their desires to return to their home. And we’ve all seen the images on TV of the bombed-out buildings. But what we have not seen is that behind those destroyed buildings are destroyed lives and destroyed families. I met with women and children who had fled Ukraine, who stuffed their lives into backpacks and left the only home they had ever known. And these were sobering conversations.

One young woman I spoke to came with her six-year-old brother, who has autism and is struggling with cancer. Their single mother helped them escape to save their lives, but Russia’s war has interrupted the care her brother desperately needs.

Social Support and Older Autistic Adults

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

Many analyses of autism speak as if it were only a childhood ailment and assume that parents are the main stakeholders. But most children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, and they suffer uniquely high levels of social isolation. Almost 40 percent of youth with an autism spectrum disorder never get together with friends, and 50 percent of never receive phone calls from friends. These figures are higher than for peers with intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, or learning disability. When school ends, many adults with autism have grim prospects. Though evidence is sparse, it seems that most do not find full-time jobs. Compared with other people their age, they have higher rates of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and suicide attempts.

 Rebecca A Charlton, Goldie A McQuaid, Gregory L Wallace have an article at Autism titled "Social support and links to quality of life among middle-aged and older autistic adults"  The lay abstract:

Social support can take many forms, such as practical help, time spent socially with others, or the satisfaction with personal relationships. Social support is known to affect quality of life (QoL) in both non-autistic older and autistic young adults. QoL reflects how satisfied an individual is with their life either overall or in a certain area. We know little about middle-aged and older autistic adults’ experiences of social support or QoL. In this study, 388 adults aged 40–83 years old, completed online questionnaires asking about background such as age and sex, depression and anxiety symptoms, QoL (physical, psychological, social, environmental, and autism-specific), and different types of social support. Even after taking into account background, depression, and anxiety, social support was important for individuals’ QoL. To our knowledge this is the first paper to examine the relationship between social support and QoL in middle-aged and older autistic adults. Improving social support may have a significant impact on the QoL of older autistic adults. Future studies should examine whether age-related changes in social support (size, content, and arrangement of social networks) that are common in non-autistic aging, also occur among older autistic adults.

World Autism Awareness Day

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss efforts to raise the issue's profile.

California Assembly Member Suzette Valladares:

 From President Biden:

On World Autism Awareness Day, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the more than 5 million Americans who live with autism are able to make the most of their talents and participate fully in our society, and we celebrate the contributions autistic Americans have made to our families, our communities, our Nation, and the world.

We have made significant progress in improving access to opportunity for people with developmental disabilities in recent years.  However, many autistic individuals still experience gaps in employment and income.  The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these inequities, creating unique challenges and strains for people with autism and their families.

That is why my Administration is committed to addressing the systemic barriers people with autism face in their daily lives.  The pandemic upended school routines for children and students living with disabilities.  That is why the Department of Education is working tirelessly to accelerate pandemic recovery for special education programs.  In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are committed to ensuring individuals with disabilities have access to affordable housing as we come through this pandemic.

In order to improve quality of life for people with autism and their families in every community, my Administration is committed to funding cutting-edge research to help us better understand, diagnose, and treat autism, including funding research at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that seeks to better understand the underlying mechanisms of autism from childhood through early adulthood, improve methods of early identification and diagnosis, and develop innovations in the delivery of interventions and services.

My Administration remains committed to reducing barriers in access to early diagnoses, interventions, and services for people with autism — regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, culture, or geography — and to incorporating the lived experiences of individuals with autism into their research.  Last June, when I signed the Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, I promised to cultivate a Federal workforce that draws from the full diversity of the Nation.  One of the ways we are delivering on that promise is through a partnership between the Department of Labor and the Administration for Community Living, which is expanding access to competitive, integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including autism.

In addition, my Administration will continue to build on the work done by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, the National Autism Coordinator, and others to make certain that autistic Americans have access to the care, services, and support they need, so they can pursue their educational, career, and life interests without discrimination.

Today and every day, we honor autistic people and celebrate the meaningful and measureless ways they contribute to our Nation.  We applaud the millions of educators, advocates, family members, caregivers, and others who support them.  As we continue to build a better America, we reaffirm our promise to provide Americans with autism the support they need to live independently, fully participate in their communities, and lead fulfilling lives of dignity and respect.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2022, as World Autism Awareness Day.  I call upon all Americans to learn more about autism to improve early diagnosis, to learn more about the experiences of autistic people from autistic people, and to build more welcoming and inclusive communities to support people with autism.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-sixth.

Autism Acceptance/Awareness/Action Month

From the preface to The Politics of Autism.

A major theme of this book is that just about everything concerning autism is subject to argument. There is not even any consensus on what one should call people who have autism and other disabilities. “In the autism community, many self-advocates and their allies prefer terms such as `Autistic,’ `Autistic person,’ or `Autistic individual’ because we understand autism as an inherent part of an individual’s identity,” writes blogger Lydia Brown.[i] Other writers prefer “people-first” language (e.g., “persons with autism”) since it puts the persons ahead of the disability and describes what they have, not who they are.[ii] For the sake of stylistic variety, this book uses both kinds of language, even though this approach will satisfy neither side. I can only say that I mean no offense.

 From the Autism Society

This April, the Autism Society of America is inviting its partners, supporters and world-wide community to be the connection this Autism Acceptance Month. Autism Acceptance Month kicks off on April 1, and the Autism Society is recognizing the multitude of experiences within the Autism community to highlight the critical need for acceptance, inclusion and connections to support people with Autism across the lifespan.

Autism diagnoses are growing, both for children and adults. Last December, the CDC announced that one in 44 children are diagnosed with Autism. Over 7 million people in the United States are on the Autism spectrum. Furthermore, Autism affects people from all racial, ethnic and socio-economic standings. The increased Autism prevalence rate stresses the urgent need for equitable access to diagnostic evaluations, and early interventions that have a significant impact on lifelong outcomes. Read their stories on social media through the #CelebrateDifferences hashtag.

“Autism Acceptance Month is an opportunity to advocate and practice acceptance for the Autism community through inclusion, support and connection.” said Christopher Banks, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America. “No matter who you are, where you live, or your abilities, you should be able to have the connection to supports, services, community and resources needed to live fully.”

In an effort to increase inclusion and acceptance for Autistic individuals in public life, The Autism Society of America has nationwide initiatives and advocacy in key areas, including:
First Responder Training

• Approximately 1 in 5 young adults with Autism will interact with a police officer before the age of 21. Individuals with disabilities, including those with Autism, are five times more likely to be incarcerated than people without disabilities. Additionally, police interactions lead to more injuries and fatalities within this vulnerable population, largely due to lack of training and the improper use of excessive force.
• To adequately prepare all emergency personnel to engage with neurodivergent individuals for safer and more peaceful outcomes, the Autism Society is working to create a top-quality first responder and criminal justice curriculum and training program that can be utilized across the U.S.

COVID-19 Impacts and Response

• People with intellectual disabilities are almost six times more likely to die from COVID-19. Unvaccinated people are 10 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19, 17 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 20 times more likely to die. That is why the CDC recommends that everyone ages 12 and up get a booster vaccine.
• The Autism Society has launched a Vaccine Education Initiative (VEI) aimed at sharing critical vaccination information to best prevent the worst symptoms of this illness, particularly for those more likely to experience severe symptoms. Through the VEI, the Autism Society is committed to creating long-lasting partnerships that increase health access and promote health equity nationwide.

Employment Advocacy

• Up to 85% of Autistic adults with a college education are unemployed, and over 70% of adults with Autism are underemployed or unemployed. Given the current labor shortage, employers could benefit from expanding their pool of applicants through inclusive hiring practices. Autistic and neurodiverse individuals bring significant skills that can be harnessed when supported through inclusion and accommodations as needed.
• The Autism Society partners with businesses to offer learning opportunities, resources and connections to the wide network of Autistic individuals in the workforce to support inclusive workplace missions.

Acceptance and inclusion are critical to ensuring everyone in the Autism community can access what they need to live to their fullest extent possible. This is vital to improving opportunities in inclusive education, employment, housing, health care, and long-term services and supports for individuals with Autism, no matter where they are in life’s journey.