Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011
You can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing about the negotiations – or lack of negotiations- in Congress regarding the looming budget crisis. We are all concerned about whether our elected representatives in Washington can come to a compromise that will help the country out of the current debt crisis. Of great concern to those of us who work with families who have family members with special needs is whether, and how, the few programs left to support these families will be affected.
Assuming Congress gets through these negotiations and gets back to work on other important issues, Congress has the opportunity to address a significant issue that the United States faces today. That issue is that the number of persons diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum is increasing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans are currently on the Autism spectrum. That number is expected to increase by 10-17% annually.
A growing concern is that the number of autistic children entering adulthood is also increasing rapidly. By 2023, the number of autistic children entering adulthood is estimated to be 380,000. The cost of care for these adults is said to be around $27 million, or about the budget of the state of Tennessee.
On August 3, 2011, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is scheduled to meet for hearings on the Reauthorization of the Combating Autism Act, originally passed in 2006. The Combating Autism Act allocated $950 million dollars over the five-year period for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other governmental agencies to conduct research on the autism spectrum. The Act required the Director of NIH to develop and implement a strategic plan for autism research. If the Act is not reauthorized by September 30, 2011, the federal commitment will disappear.
The current bill, named the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act (CARA), would allocate the federal funding of $1billion and create a National Institute of Spectrum Disorders Research within the NIH.
If CARA is not passed, research on the spectrum will likely be thrown into disorder. We cannot afford to let this bill die. Research into the reasons for the disorders on the spectrum, and especially research into treatment and therapies, is crucial.
If you would like to find out more about CARA, and how you might be able to help make sure this Act is passed, see http://www.autismvotes.org/site/c.frKNI3PCImE/b.6376831/k.ACFC/CARA.htm.