Reflections on the Newtown Shooting: Why The MN Government Needs to Provide Autism Support

Amidst the holiday festivity and cheer, I can’t help but think about the families in Newtown who are still mourning the loss of loved ones. As a sister of a child around the age of many of the victims, I have been extremely moved by the CT shooting. Not a day goes by when I don’t look into my sister’s eyes and feel overwhelmingly thankful that she is in my life. It breaks my heart to think of the children who do not get to experience the magic of the holidays this year—or any year. In 2013, the Newtown community needs our continued support, and the government on the federal and state levels needs to address some critical issues.

Beyond the obvious topics of gun control and mental-health care, our country needs to discuss autism*. In light of detrimental generalizations and false associations between autism and planned violence, the shooting has revealed how little the general public really knows about autism. The neurological disorder has been declared an epidemic by the Center for Disease Control. One in 88 children is diagnosed with autism—a figure larger than that of children with juvenile diabetes, AIDS, and cancer combined. Despite these staggering figures, autism awareness is still relatively low, and parents face serious barriers to getting the support their children need.

Though my sister was safe from physical threat on December 14th, I worry about her future in a society not adequately educated on autism. My sister was diagnosed with autism at age two. Thanks to early intervention, she has exceeded all expectations for her capabilities. She’s not only functioning at a high level, but also showing interest in making friends and engaging in pretend play—overcoming a devastating prediction by doctors who said she would never have an imagination. I couldn’t be prouder of how far she’s come. Her progress illustrates the power of early diagnosis and intervention. However, many others have not had access to important therapies from a young age. The high prevalence of autism threatens to affect the future workforce and the social stability of society. Increased awareness would enable more parents to identify symptoms of autism in their children early on, more early childhood professionals to meet the needs of children with autism, and society to better accommodate autistic individuals.

My Recommendation

Many debate the role the Minnesota state government should play in autism awareness and support. I believe that the Minnesota Legislature should adopt three policy recommendations made by the Minnesota Autism Task Force:

The Minnesota Autism Task Force recommends that the Minnesota state government “fully fund special education programs and services” and prevent health insurance providers from “excluding coverage for evidence or expert consensus based services provided to individuals with autism” (MN Autism Task Force, p. 8, 10). Determining a cut-off for services would be difficult, but that should not thwart efforts to increase accessibility of important therapies. Not only do therapies need to be more accessible, but they also need to be administered by more educated professionals.

The task force also recommends improving education of early childhood professionals and paraprofessionals. Questioned parents expressed a perceived weakness in paraprofessional ASD training despite the fact that “paraprofessionals [are] being utilized a significant amount of time providing services for children with ASD.” It is concerning that “currently special education teachers can graduate from Minnesota colleges/universities with very little information about ASD.” Though much information has been acquired about autism in recent years, it is not being taught to many prospective teachers. Teachers and society as a whole need to become more aware of autism and better educated to accommodate autistic individuals.

A third recommendation of the task force is the implementation of a state government-sponsored awareness campaign. It is crucial that community members learn the signs of autism to identify the disorder in children as soon as possible so that early intervention can have its greatest effect. Lowering the age of universal screening for autism could also help detect autism earlier in more children. Resources may be scarce, but increasing awareness and starting anticipatory socialization at a young age would make a huge difference in the functioning of the future workforce and would open up future resources for other causes.

The social and economic benefits outweigh the costs of state support for autism. Some states have already made insurance reform, education of early childhood professionals about autism, and autism awareness the responsibilities of the state instead of the responsibilities of parents and private institutions, so it would be very possible for Minnesota to adopt these three most important recommendations of the Minnesota Autism Task Force. The sooner the Minnesota state legislature pays the short-term costs of autism public policy, the sooner it will reap the long-term benefits of the public good.

Final Thoughts: We Need to Discuss Autism

Whether or not you agree with my stance on the state’s role in autism support, a discussion about autism needs to be part of the reaction to the Newtown shooting. A study from the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University proved that “the likelihood of getting an autism diagnosis is clearly associated with person-to-person transmission of information.” A child who lives close to a child who has been diagnosed with autism is more likely to receive a diagnosis, because the parents have been exposed to the disorder—they have gained awareness. Simply taking the time to read this article and sharing it with your friends and family makes a difference. I urge you to check out the links below for further information and to consider writing to your legislator about autism support. We must never forget the Newtown shooting. Now is the time to address the important questions it raises about our future, including the impact of autism.

More Information

*Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): a neurological disorder characterized by varying degrees of "difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors." (As defined by Autism Speaks)

For more on autism: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

Write to your legislator: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/hmem.asp

Autism and misconceptions about the Newtown shooting: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/dont-blame-autism-for-newtown.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1&