What do you think about the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act?

by Kristina Chew · 2009-04-03 14:06:00 UTC
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Acceleration image from http://www.schrankmonster.de/content/binary/IMG_2112_thumb.jpg
Yesterday saw the introduction of a bill to establish a national comprehensive autism strategy for the entire US, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009 (ATAA).

The ATAA requires insurance companies to cover diagnosis and also treatments including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and assistive technology; to create a demonstration project to develop Autism Care Center; to create another demonstration project that would "provide a full array of services to adults with autism to improve their quality of life and enable them to live as independently as possible"; to establishe an Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee to coordinate various government activities concerning autism, and to consist of representatives from relevant governmental agencies, researchers and the public; to establish a voluntary population-based autism case registry and also a national training initiative about autism, as well as a national media campaign.

The bill was introduced by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Robert Menendez (D- NJ), who had been asked by President Obama to do so. More information about the ATAA and its 12 sections can be found on Autism Votes.

Ok, those are the basics: But what do you think about the act? What parts would you like to see changed or revised, or what also should be added?

I'm very glad for the mention of the demonstration project for adults and would like to see more recognition of the needs of older children and adults----as an article in yesterday's US News & World Report makes clear, we need to start now to provide employment, training for jobs, services, housing, for those who are children today, and for those who are teenagers and adults right now. And I'd like to see a clear emphasis on autism as a lifelong disability, so that treatment can center around education and teaching and training, throughout the lives of individuals on the spectrum---an accelerated focus on these issues would be deeply welcomed, and definitely needed.

A database of autism legislation can be found here.

Kristina Chew
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