Different Country, Same Issues (Sort Of)

This quote (source),

"For too long people with autism have been misunderstood and discriminated against by a counter-productive system that often lets people reach crisis point before they get the help that they need."

May have come from someone in the UK (Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society, to be exact), but it could have been said by someone in the US without any loss of relevance. Here too, in the US too, "For too long people with autism have been misunderstood and discriminated against by a counter-productive system that often lets people reach crisis point before they get the help that they need."

The big difference however is that the quote is being made in the context of a government audit that found that providing non-crisis services for individuals on the spectrum could save the country millions. The quote continues,

"There is a huge shortfall in social care funding which urgently needs to be addressed and it's absolutely crucial that reform is not at the expense of those who may need a lifetime of support. People with lifelong conditions, such as autism, may be less able to save and pay for their social care.

"If the Government are serious about giving people with autism the same rights and opportunities as everyone else we must have a system that is both fair and affordable for all."

As autism policy in the US continues to fixate primarily around a narrow range of interventions for small children, separate itself from larger disability issues (including lessons already learned), and ignore the concept of long term supports and services in the national agenda, the future for most of us in the states is not seeming so shiny. What is needed to shift priorities into the bigger picture?