May 21, 2014

From The Hill:  Autism Law in Peril



By Elise Viebeck for The Hill


Advocates for people with autism are divided over whether Congress should make major changes to a landmark federal program that is set to expire at the end of September. 
 

The Combating Autism Act of 2006 was the first law passed by Congress that was unique to autism, and is credited by advocates with jumpstarting the national campaign - now symbolized by a puzzle piece - to treat and diagnose a condition that affects an estimated 1 in 68 children in the United States.

Autism Speaks, the largest autism advocacy group in the country, is backing legislation from House Republicans that would reauthorize the program and provide about $230 million in funding.

But an upstart group known as the Autism Policy Reform Coalition (APRC) is against the bill, arguing a drastic overhaul is needed in order for the money to be used effectively.

The reform coalition has found allies in Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), who plan to introduce a competing bill in the upper chamber that would pursue a different approach, partly by dictating where research dollars should be spent.

The group said the marked increase in autism cases is an epidemic that cannot be fully explained by better diagnoses, and say it's time that Congress took a more aggressive approach.

"[The rise in autism] is nothing short of astronomical, and I would say, cataclysmic," said Craig Snyder, a longtime autism lobbyist and chief spokesman for the APRC.

 

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