Oct

3

Politicians and Autism

Posted by Little Miss Know it All

October 3, 2007 |

Yesterday was my son’s biannual checkup with his Behavioral Pediatrician. I spent the morning discussing autistic behaviors, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. I spent the afternoon researching anti-anxiety medications for children and possible nutritional supplements. Yesterday was a day filled with autism.

So today when I read in the local paper that questions are being solicited for tonights gubernatorial debate, my mind ran to politics and autism.

Here’s the question I posed for our candidates for Governor:

As the parent of a child on the spectrum, I have first hand knowledge of what properly trained teachers and aides can do to improve the skills of an autistic child. Unfortunately, I also know what untrained teachers can do to their chances of succeeding. Knowing that 1 in 150 children are diagnosed as autistic, this is an issue too many Kentucky families face. Schools are woefully underfunded and teachers are untrained to handle the onslaught of these bright kids who do not fit into a traditional social or teaching mold. In this rapidly changing landscape of schools, what will you do to help schools and families so these children can succeed academically and become productive members of society?

I think this is a fair question for any politician that has the power to influence school funding, training and public policy. I am blessed to live in Kentucky, one of only a handful of states that mandates that insurance companies must cover therapies and treatments for autistic children. Parents in other states spend an average of $10,000 a year or more for basic therapies. Yet schools are still underfunded to handle the influx of these special needs children. These are not children who belong in a special education classroom–these children are very bright, often remarkably more than the other children in the class, but have learning disabilities or social needs that overshadow their abilities.

Just last week our region had a hearty discussion on autistic children in the classroom. I won’t go into the story, you can read it here at WCPO, but I will say that you can only imagine what the response was. I was both enlightened and horrified at the responses I saw on boards like Cincymoms.com. It only proves that a lot more education needs to happen on the topic of autism. What it is, and what it isn’t.


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Batocchio on October 4, 2007 12:25 pm

    That Nathan Darnell story is disturbing.

    I’m imagine that teacher thinks that PTSD and poverty are due to a lack of character, too. Sad.

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