This is the kind of response we get.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-03272007-1320723.html

Don’t worry, New Jersey, it’s coming your way….

That being the case, yes, there is a very high cost for keeping us disabled and not all of it is so easily quantified.

That said — I work in what I would consider a middle-of-the-road school district. My program specialist is wonderful, but there are challenges, especially in the area of staffing (my class has not been fully staffed all year).

I would just like to say, with my “teacher” hat on, that those of you who are feeling unsupported by your school district please remember that there is very little a *teacher* can really do, especially about services such as OT, speech, etc. After spring break, I will be holding an IEP for a student whose OT AND speech therapist wish to decrease his services. I disagree vehemently (and suspect his mom will too), but ultimately, there isn’t anything *I* can do unless his mom refuses to sign the IEP.

With my “sister” hat on — I feel your pain. My brother needed OT from elementary school on and wasn’t assessed until we threatened due process in high school; he once went a whole school year without speech because the school didn’t have one. The cost for the make-up private speech therapy was enormous.

I agree with landonsmom. We should look at it is that for any money that’s invested in the education of a person with autism (or any other special need) will pay a rich dividend for that child as they reach adulthood. $10 of good education may negate $100 of make-up private speech therapy, to borrow my previous example.

AND TO UsaI, I hope that my son is able to accomplish what he needs to in order to take care of himself as you have done and the other person you spoke of as well….I think that, at least to my knowledge, you may be in a minority within the autism community.

I believe it would benefit parents like myself, who have young children on the spectrum, to have discussions with older children and adults of different ages on the spectrum to help give us a glimpse into the future of what our children’s lives can be like and how their needs may change over the course of their lifetime and what we can do as parents to help them reach their full potential.

When more children on the spectrum begin to get the help and services they need to be more successful in school, and social settings, then I think we would see that cost to society going down somewhat as they would be contributing more. I believe that having effective early intervention is a key in helping these children get a positive start in the right direction. I realize not every child will progress to the point of being self-sufficient or even semi-independent, but how many have NOT reached that goal because of inadequate services and supports and how much does that cost us in what they are NOT contributing to society?

http://www.ventura33.com/perspective

It is the rhetoric that I wish to point out; when one goes before school districts and speaks to lawyers, one of course has to talk about costs: It costs a lot to educate my son but there is nothing to be afraid of about this. A lot of money gets spent on Charlie but this does not make him a “burden”—-it is the best investment I could make.

What I think people are expressing concern over (which is different than complaining about) is how those numbers would then be used.

Would those numbers be used as justification for limiting educational interventions to autistics who appeared to be “low functioning” early on, as money spent on them would appear to be wasted? This, I think, is a valid concern. I don’t want someone passing judgement on kids who are 5 years old, and deciding whether they warrant spending money on, or whether they are “hopeless” and doomed to be institutionalized.

Even if some autistics are destined to be institutionalized, I think their level of functioning can be improved, and their lives enriched, by spending money on them.