NJ Autism Bills Advance to Senate: Be sure to drive safely

The New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Services Committee approved a package of three autism bills today. Back in early March, a package of nine autism bills was voted on by the State Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee ; seven of the bills were voted on and passed on March 15th. As reported in the May 21st NJPols.com, the three bills that passed are:

1. S-2559, sponsored by Senators Loretta Weinberg and Ellen Karcher, which would establish the New Jersey Adults with Autism Task Force in the Department of Human Services.
2. S-2568, also sponsored by Senators Weinberg and Karcher, which would require the Early Intervention Program in the Department of Health and Senior Services to address the specific needs of children with autism and their families, as well as to begin collecting statewide information regarding autism incidence in New Jersey.
3. S-2569, sponsored by Senators Weinberg and Coniglio, which would extend funding for autism medical research and treatment: There will be a $1 surcharge on every motor vehicle moving violation; this will be deposited into the “Autism Medical Research and Treatment Fund.”

A fourth bill—-S-2574, sponsored by Senators Weinberg and Coniglio, which would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to establish an autism awareness training course for emergency responders—-was held due to concerns among firefighters and EMTs that “the training requirement would interfere with local emergency response.”

I am glad to live in a state where a whole lot about autism is going on—the prevalence rate for autism being 1 in 94 according to the CDC study released in February—and hope that public understanding about autism can be widespread. One applauds the work of the senators and their calls for services and programs for both the very young in the form of Early Intervention and among adults, while also noting that autism is referred to as a sort of dread illness that, in a reference to a military metaphor, “strikes” and “afflicts,” and that needs to be “controlled” and even “cured.” Notes Senator Coniglio, D-Bergen:

“Autism is a disease which strikes one in 95 children in New Jersey……It’s not a disease limited to a handful of kids, but afflicts our families, our friends, and our neighbors. We need to provide the support to research efforts while helping individuals with autism meet their highest potential.”

On the one hand autism is referred to as a dread disease like polio that no New Jersayan today ought not to know about. On the other hand, as the Senator notes, much can be done—-especially in the form of teaching—to help those “with autism [to] meet their highest potential.” New Jersey does have a number of very good autism schools (and some not so good, too) and numerous autism professionals—-Charlie gets his eyes checked by an optometrist who specializes in helping special needs children, Charlie takes piano from a young man whose full-time job is teaching piano to special needs children—who, indeed, has had to turn away students). With so much autism everywhere, why not put the biggest emphasis for funding on services and programs—after-school care, weekend assistance, etc.—to help autistic children today who will become autistic adults, even as we continue to assess what their future needs might be?

In the meantime—in view of S-2569, which is to provide additional funding for autism medical research and treatment through motor vehicle moving violations—it can be noted that it is the mistakes of motorists that wil be funding future autism research. (And this is a state in which our own governor was not so good about wearing his seatbelt as Charlie is: Buckling up is the first thing Charlie does after he slides into the backseat.) That is, potential speeding tickets and even the occasional fender-bender may be behind funding for treatments and causes of autism—-a rather ironic source, in view of the references to autistic persons as a “toxic train wreck” or to the notion that giving a child a vaccine is tantamount to throwing a child into oncoming traffic.” If every New Jerseyan were to obey every rule and dictate from the driver’s manual, there might well be no red lights run or other moving violations written up, and perhaps there would be no funding for this sort of autism research……..

Drive safe, there are a lot of children and adults with autism out there, and a lot we and they have still to do.