At Left Brain/Right Brain, Matthew Carey has an open letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It notes that the title of the hearing gives the impression that autism is primarily a children's issue.
I write to you in regards to your upcoming autism hearing. Much has happened in the decade since the Committee last met on autism.
“1 in 88 Children: A Look Into the Federal Response to Rising Rates of Autism”
We need to shift from seeing autism as primarily a discussion of children to being focused on the entire population. We need to shift from being primarily focused on viewing autism as primarily an epidemiological topic to focusing on improving the lives of our citizens. There are over three million American autistics. Improving the lives of autistics should be a top priority.
Consider this simple paragraph, the description of the hearing:
“The hearing will address the federal response to the recent rise in Autism Spectrum Disorders diagnoses, as well as the allocation of government resources for ASD. The hearing will also review research and treatment options for those diagnosed with ASDs.”
Research and treatment options are after allocation of government resources for ASD, as though these are an afterthought.The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has an online petition urging the committee to invite witnesses from organizations run by autistic adults. On Facebook, ASAN is also urging supporters to go to the hearing.
Autism Speaks also mentions the hearing on Facebook.
The Age of Autism notes that TACA families visited Chairman Issa's personal office to thank him for holding the hearing.
