Over the past several days, it has been interesting to be involved with an organization that serves children, adults, and their families dealing with intellectual/developmental disabilities and autism.
I have received multiple calls and questions asking for my opinion related to the information and opinions shared by federal government leadership dealing with the news that according to the CDC, data indicates that one in thirty-one (1 in 31) children are being diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum.
While the prevalence of diagnosis is significant, the comment based upon the belief that the cause of autism is more likely caused by environmental factors stirred some. A statement was made with the generalization that kids with autism will “…never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They will never go on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted” was probably the set of comments together that created an emotional reaction from many, including me.
In looking at the statement, for those individuals whose needs are significant, could what was said be a possibility? I would never say it is not a possibility, but from what we see it is more of an extreme than the likelihood. So many things are being done to help children on the Autism Spectrum and our experience and outcomes for those we serve don’t support the generalized position shared by federal leadership.
The extreme position taken and shared as a commentary “flies in the face” of the good work done by so many organizations and for that matter families who are committed to helping their children.
The data recently released by the CDC certainly gets everyone’s attention. The impact of a diagnosis on a child and family is no doubt life changing related to the introduction of therapies and support to provide assistance and address whatever their unique individual needs may be.
As a service provider who works with hundreds of children and adults on the Autism Spectrum, we’ve experienced children who have come to us nonverbal and left our therapeutic day school not only communicating but fully capable of advocating for themselves in a manner that will help them achieve greater levels of independence. It is not without hard work to make something like this happen. But it does occur, which makes the use of the word “never” inappropriate from my vantage point.
We have helped individuals on the Autism Spectrum secure and maintain employment that includes making a living wage and paying taxes. We have established programs and resources to help make this happen. We have programs that connect individuals and know that relationships have blossomed from these interactions. Dates are not only something that happens but a part of their lives as well.
In saying this, I guess my point and position is that stating the extreme as the common situation misleads the public about Autism and its impact on individuals and families. We see firsthand the engagement of the entire family with therapies that help their child learn and grow, and know of the commitment needed to make this work. My observation is that parents do whatever is necessary to help their child accomplish tasks that maybe otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to achieve on their own.
I guess my last point related to the comments made about Autism is that there is no doubt the increase in prevalence is concerning. There are so many different thoughts as to what is driving this and the data uncovered so far does not indicate that it is solely caused by environmental factors. I will let the scientists who are far more knowledgeable on the subject opine as to what the causes may be.
What needs to be remembered in these discussions is that while the challenge is real, organizations with family support make incredible progress and help those on the Spectrum achieve some amazing things. While not without work, the word “never” should be omitted from the explanation and discussion. From my vantage point, challenging better explains the work for most, and when challenges are overcome it implies that things can be made better. This is something we and others know from our data that can happen!
