The fact remains that for most children with autism, services are limited at best. Worse, children with autism who are nearing 21 are facing nonexistent services. Adults with autism who are able to work still struggle for understanding in the workplace. And while many of our children do succeed via splinter skills and talents, there is little attention in the news to the thousands of children who are severely affected, who cannot speak for themselves.

Aside from finding a cure for autism, there are issues within the autism community that need attention and action now. This April, people should be asking, "What is one thing I can do this month that will make a real difference in the life of a person with autism?" I am aware, so what else can I do?

Autism Services, Medical Assistance & Insurance Mandates
When a child is first diagnosed, parents are often left with no idea where to even start to look for services or how to pay for them. Once parents decide on a therapy or doctor, they often find out that their child's medical condition, autism, is not covered by insurance. Insurers have essentially been allowed to discriminate against children with autism by denying coverage for developmental disabilities.

The fight has been slow, but state by state, legislators have been enacting laws to mandate insurers to cover autism services. However, what is troubling is that even with new mandates, insurers are still finding loopholes that allow the discrimination to continue. For example, in Pennsylvania, we have Act 62, which requires insurers to pay up to $36,000 per year in autism healthcare services. However, many children with autism are still not covered by their insurance. Why? Because the law that was passed, allows "out of state" insurance companies and "self insured plans" to be exempt.

As a result of no insurance coverage, many parents seek out Medical Assistance (MA) to pay for autism related services. But as many people know, legislators at both the federal and state levels are cutting MA to children and adults with disabilities without a blink of an eye. Sure, these same legislators will tell parents they "care" about kids with autism during election season. Who is actually going to say they don't care about kids with autism? But when push comes to shove, they don't care enough to fund programs like MA or vote for mandates that do not allow exemptions.

Now is the time to write those same legislators and let them know what autism really means to you. Insurance companies are busy making money hand over fist while kids and adults with autism are being discriminated against. It is time for this practice to end. If we really want to cut MA services to kids with autism, parents need assurance that their private insurers will cover autism.

Education Cuts
It is no secret that certain state and federal legislators embrace cutting education funds. While I agree that throwing money at education will not solve major issues, cuts on the other hand, will have a devastating effect on many children. Technically, children with disabilities have the right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). However, without sufficient funding, it is likely both typical children and children with disabilities will end up with poor quality programming, larger class sizes and less chances for social interaction, which is especially important for kids on the spectrum. So again, legislators need to not just be "aware" about autism. They need to understand that cuts to special education will adversely affect kids with autism.

In all honesty, I think certain legislators really do understand that cuts to special education directly hurt kids with autism but they simply don't care. There is a frightening lack of compassion in today's political environment which is pervasive among certain legislators and the constituents who support them. If they are not capable of compassion, they should, at the very least, consider the long term consequences of their short sighted decisions. These kids will not simply go away. They will grow up and become adults with autism. If you don't provide them with an appropriate education today, our kids will grow into adults who may become a burden to society in the long run instead of becoming independent and productive citizens.

Quality Autism Programs in Education

Instead of focusing on big ticket items such as placement decisions, many times special education administrators nit pick small, no cost disagreements which force parents into mediation or due process. Even when individual education plans/programs (IEPs) are agreed upon in a team decision, parents often have difficulty getting schools to adhere to the IEP. As a result, parents and districts often find themselves in costly disputes that taxpayers end up paying for in the long run. It is time to stop with the nonsense, respect parent input as members of the IEP team, use best practices and focus on the priority of educating kids with autism. In addition, the Department of Education should start identifying schools which do implement best practice autism programs so that districts have examples of what best practice schools actually look like.

With 1 in 110 kids being diagnosed with autism, parents are looking for quality, often inclusive programs that provide FAPE for their children because we are looking at the end game not just a class or a grade. Will the child be able to function independently when they are 21? Or will they be living with us for the rest of their lives and relying on public assistance? For some kids with autism, independence can be an attainable goal if FAPE is met. For a school to merely be "aware" of autism or say they teach kids with autism is simply not enough anymore.