Unarmed Behavior Therapist Shot While Working With Autistic Client

This is one more in my series of be afraid, be very afraid. Imagine your autistic son on a walk with this behaviorist, someone calls 911 because they think the autistic mans toy truck in a gun and when the police arrive despite the therapist calmly explaining the situation (while laying on the ground with his hands up) the police shoot the therapist.  They explain they were actually aiming for his client! What the heck! All I can say is the therapist handled it perfectly, and if you work with behaviorist you might want to see what training they have in the event of police engagement.  Random or not, this shows what is possible and we are better of if we prepare those around us.

Governor Brown Stifles Bill That Would Provide Essential Funding Increase for Development Services

Seems our fight is NOT over. The future is not looking bright for our children as schools, states, politicians and insurance agencies realize the long term expense of caring for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. They are fighting to pass the expense on to someone else and stall efforts due to bipartisan inaction. This is a human issue and I'm sure Democrat, Republican, Tea Party and Independent party families are united when it comes to getting care for their loved ones. Sadly, any party being right won't be enough when it comes to budget. Families can't afford care on our own, so our only option to is be LOUD and let politicians know that Autism and developmental disabilities are not just an in topic to mention in speeches to get the attention of our families, but a real issue, and we demand their support!  

Write a letter, make a call or watch and see where the chips fall. I promise if we are not heard it will not be good. 

Donna

Bill would yield needed funding increase for developmental services

By The Editorial Board, LA Daily News

In August, when the Legislature’s special session on health care and developmental services was in still in session, we criticized Democratic leaders for not bringing forward good bills by their Republican colleagues.

Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, talks with Senate President Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, in this file photo. Hernandez is co-chair of the Legislature's special session conference committee on health and developmental services.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli 

Now, with more than two months of hindsight under our belts, that obviously partisan inaction looks even worse.

If Senate Bill X2-4, by Republicans Jim Nielsen and Jeff Stone, had passed and been signed into law, it would be well on the way to producing the desperately needed 10 percent increase in funding for developmental services that the Lanterman Coalitionsought in the 2015-16 budget.

Instead, Gov. Jerry Brown stiffed the developmental community in the regular budget process and punted to a special session, which has produced nothing.

But it’s not too late. The special session is still officially “on,” with a Senate-Assembly conference committee formed to address the problem. Unfortunately, that committee has not held a single meeting.

If they continue to ignore the one bill that provides hope for additional developmental funding this fiscal year, Democratic leaders would doom nearly 300,000 of their most vulnerable constituents to another year of shrinking services. After seeing their resources from the state shrivel for two decades, that’s not what the developmental community deserves.

Quite the opposite. Californians with developmental disabilities and their loves ones and those who care for them deserve the immediate 10 percent funding hike along with a stable revenue scheme that will bring the system back to the minimum level of services promised in the 1969 Lanterman Act.

SBX2-4 would sweep unanticipated revenues — tax money above and beyond that budgeted for last fiscal year and this one — into funding for developmental services and Medi-Cal. It mandates that the director of the state Department of Finance, by Jan. 10, 2016, and again by May 14, determine excess revenue, subtract the amount that must go to schools under Proposition 98 and to the state’s rainy-day fund under Prop. 2, and direct the rest to developmental services until that 10 percent increase is funded, retroactive to July 1, 2015; any money left over after that would go to Medi-Cal providers.

The 2014-15 fiscal year ended with $732 million in unanticipated revenue, according to the state Department of Finance’s July finance bulletin. In the first three months of the fiscal year, the department reports, “Year-to-date revenues are $744 million above the expected $22.855 billion.”

That’s easily enough “extra” cash to give developmental services the 10 percent funding increase, which would cost about $350 million.

So what’s the problem?

The Legislature should simply get off the dime and pass SBX2-4.

Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, failed to bring SBX2-4 forward to be heard as chairman of the special session’s Senate committee. Now we urge him and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, co-chairs of the conference committee on health and developmental services, to convene their committee and to hear and debate SBX2-4 while the money is rolling in to state coffers.

How to Dance In Ohio - 3 Young Women Ready for the Prom

So excited to see a film about autism that focuses on girls! Since 80% of those diagnosed with autism are boys, the girls are left out of the conversation way too often.

 

Watch: Exclusive Trailer for HBO Doc 'How to Dance in Ohio' Will Move You

By Karen Brill | IndiewireSeptember 25, 2015 at 11:40AM

"How to Dance in Ohio" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

"How to Dance in Ohio" asks the question, how do you prepare for the social event of the season when socializing itself can be paralyzing?

In the HBO documentary, three young women, each living with autism, ready themselves for a teenage rite of passage: The spring formal. Their preparation includes rituals both familiar (dress shopping, dance lessons) and uniquely challenging (therapy). Directed by Alexandra Shiva, the moving film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

"How to Dance in Ohio" premieres on HBO on October 26. Watch the exclusive trailer above.

READ MORE: Sundance Women Directors: Meet Alexandra Shiva - 'How to Dance in Ohio'

Why Do We Send Teens With Autism To School?

Before you read this I am going to ask a favor, stay calm. You might even want to put your hand under your chin to catch it when it drops, in the event these comments shock you. 

I just heard this "Your son is never going to be independent, so why are you so concerned about him working? He's never going to be able to hold down a job. I mean he can't get seem to get by without one to one support. Are you sure it isn't a waste of time and you're not just pushing to have him learn things he will never really use, and maybe doesn't even care about?. I mean I understand your wanting the best for him, and that's great, but how do you know you're just not wasting both of your time chasing a life he will never live?" 

I was frozen for what seemed like forever, and I fought to push away the tremendous greif I felt hearing her words. I didn't feel angry because I really did hear this persons compassion, albeit misguided and uninformed. 

Finally I said, because he deserves as much opportunity to live his best life as anyone else!!. Then I just starting rambling and it went something like this. From the day our kids are born we start thinking about school. Why do we send our kids to school? To learn, and why do we want them to learn? So they can get a job. And, why do we want them to get a job or have a career? We want them to be able to survive, care for themselves, make friends, take pride in accomplishment and have purpose, both of which society tells us will bring happiness. We want the best for our kids. I want the same for my son and he deserves the same. There are many people who are not living quote "Successful" lives in this world who no one questioned their right to have access to learning all they could, and exposure to opportunities. Nick is a unique person, with skills and talents and he deserves the opportunity to build the most independent life he can. So that's what I am fighting for. And if he is never able to do it alone, so be it. At the same time everything he learns to do, everything that makes him more independent, gives him an opportunity to contribute to society and reduces how much financial support he will need from me and state and federal resources. 

In a nutshell, Nick being given the opportunity to be his best is the right thing to do on a human level, and it's the right thing to do on a financial level. 

Man Ripped Teeth From Autistic Boy 4 Year Old Boy

If only all dangerous people, or strangers had a "Look".  I have no idea how I will successfully teach my son about strangers, how to recognize dangerous people much less explain they can do things like this!  Heck this guys looks like Matthew McConaughey!!! Seems a nearly impossible task. 

A Pennsylvania man was charged with assault this month after his girlfriend’s 4-year-old autistic son was found with three of his teeth ripped out.

Following a three-month investigation, NicFOX29 reported. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/28/cops-man-ripped-teeth-from-autistic-boy-4/?intcmp=obinsite

holas Kernechel, 27, was arrested on Sept. 17 on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child,

“The teeth were recovered, they were intact from the root to the edge of the tooth,” Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman told CBS Philly. “They were bloodied. And they have striations on them that would indicate that a tool of some sort was used to remove them from the child’s mouth.”

"[The teeth] have striations on them that would indicate that a tool of some sort was used to remove them from the child’s mouth”

- Risa Ferman, Montgomery County DA

Kernechel is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 1. Neither the boy nor his mother is being identified.

Kernechel was allegedly asked to look after the boy for a few hours in July while the child’s mother was away at work. Kernechel left the boy “in his bed, bleeding and crying and failed to tell his mother about the injuries until she returned to the apartment in the early-morning hours,” police told FOX 29.

The mother went to police, holding the boy’s teeth in a sandwich bag, according to the Morning Call. When police responded to the apartment, they found blood splatter on the wall next to the bed, on the sheets, pillowcase and floor.

The boy told cops Kernechel “hit and take [the teeth] out,” according to the Morning Call. He allegedly told detectives about other, earlier injuries, too, including bite marks and bruises to his arms.

Having experienced this first hand, this report comes as no surprise to me.  Once again, if we don't monitor the resources we fight so hard to get they can easily be an expensive waste. Sad, but not surprising. 

Study Questions Effectiveness Of One-To-Ones In Special Ed

By SHAUN HEASLEY  DIsability Scoop 

September 25, 2015

One-to-one assistants spend far less time engaged with students as compared to teachers and classroom assistants, a new study suggests. (Nabil K. Mark/Centre Daily Times/TNS)

Many students receiving special education services are supported by one-to-ones, but new research suggests these assistants may not be pulling their weight.

A study looking at how one-to-ones spent their time in nearly four-dozen autism support classrooms finds that paraprofessionals are engaged in instruction or support just 57 percent of the time.

By contrast, teachers were engaged in such activities 98 percent of the time while classroom assistants were involved 91 percent of the time.

“The low rate of one-to-one assistants’ engagement suggests an inefficient use of an important resource,” wrote researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington and the University of California, Riverside in their findings published online this month in the journal Teacher Education and Special Education.

The findings are significant, researchers said, because one-to-ones are the fastest growing group of special education staffers.

For the study, researchers looked at 46 autism support classrooms serving students in kindergarten through second grade in a large, urban school district. All of the classes included a lead teacher and a classroom assistant, but the number of one-to-ones varied from none to 16. Engagement among the professionals in each classroom was assessed through monthly observations over the course of a school year.

Overall, one-to-ones were engaged slightly over half of the time. When they weren’t busy, however, about a third of one-to-ones “spent their time sitting without students or material involvement,” the study found.

Significantly, the findings suggest that one-to-ones perform better if they work alongside a highly-engaged classroom assistant.

Researchers said the relatively low level of involvement among one-to-ones could be a sign that they are poorly trained on how to work with students or that classroom teachers are ill-prepared to supervise such staff. What’s more, the researchers said that one-to-one engagement may be the result of a fragmented service system in which it’s often unclear who is responsible for training, supervising and evaluating these employees.

“In an era of increasing utilization of one-to-one assistants, there is an underlying assumption that expanding their use is necessary and desirable. The lack of engagement observed in our study raises concerns about the effectiveness of current models and may be symptomatic of broader challenges related to the delivery of special education services,” the researchers wrote in their findings.

Being Invisible is Deadly; 19 Year Old with Autism Left on School Bus Dies.

“I feel like, we are nothing," she said. “They killed my son. Technically, they killed my son.”  Eun Ha Lee

It’s taken me days to respond to this horrifying event, because every time I think about it, I hear his mother’s words “I feel like, we are nothing," “They killed my son. Technically, they killed my son.”

The reminder of how vulnerable our kids are, and how easy it is to neglect them and how fatal the consequences can be, was just too much for me to take in.  When Lee’s mom through her tears said "We live in a tomb now." I felt her grief and all I could think was by the grace of God go I.  

Reading he was probably just following directions drilled into him over the years "Wait until someone comes to get you" hit too close to home because my son has been "trained" in the same way. Training that is good and often all we can offer, yet in this case may have been a factor in this young man losing his life, left me feeling vunerable in a way I never had before.

Again, families I say” be afraid, be very afraid”. Not because we want to live paranoid, but because the fact is our children face all the dangers any child faces in the world nd more. Dangers from all angles. Last week Nick started eating raw bacon! Raw Bacon and his aid didn't notice. Until that moment I didn't realize the degree of Nick's lack of food safety, which could have dire consequences. 

Our schools, systems of care and communities alike are all working to include the growing autism population and the truth is the process is not perfect, it is flawed and full of gaps, and who knows how long it will take to build infrastructures that support this population, if ever. 

As parents and caregivers we know the dangers don’t stop as our children mature, but persist keeping them are risk throughout their lives. So it’s on us to make this a safer world for our kids. I’m thinking the more I do know the better it will be when I am not here to watch over him. Don’t get me wrong, I know there is no way we can ever be sure our children are safe, typical or special needs. We can’t guarantee anyone’s safety, that’s in the hands of a higher power and it is a concern all families and caregivers share. The only thing we can do is take every precaution to keep them safe. We can learn from the tragic death of Hun-Joon Lee and double check all our personal protocols and the protocols of the people who serve and support our children. This way if any of us are met with a tragedy of this magnitude, and the fact is some of us will be, we will know we did the best we could and we will not add the weight of regret to our already burdened shoulders.

My prayers go out to this family. 

Donna 

Special Needs Student Found Dead on School Bus May ...

www.nbclosangeles.com/.../Special-Needs-Student-Found-Dead-o...

Execution by Mental Illness, Part 3 Response from Seth's Family. He Wasn't Invisable.

Brandy HinrichsAugust 4, 2015 at 8:30 PM

I stumbled upon your page as I am combing the on-line articles on Seth, looking for clues. Yes, he was loved, dearly and deeply, and at the same time was profoundly mentally ill. I fell in love with this man when I was young, and had a beautiful daughter with him. Due to his mental illness, he was never truly capable of having a healthy relationship, despite my repeated tries. I saw him last in 2012, in LA, and he again pushed us out of his life. I AM coming, to bring flowers, for Seth. He was loved, he is missed.

-----Dear Brandy, 

I will take flowers too. 

Donna

Disney Hit With Another Autistic Kids Lawsuit...My Plea to Disney...can't we all just get along!

Disney Hit With Another Autistic Kids Lawsuit Over Theme Parks

Sad The Happiest Place on Earth Can't work this out. Nick at
Disneyland. in 2011

Before you read the news story below...I just want to say; it seems to me this is not a battle worth fighting, for anyone.  Families are unhappy,  advocacy rights groups outraged, children are disappointed and I can't see Disney's upside to it's current policies.  Please wake up Disney decision makers... this battle does nothing for your "Happiest Place on Earth Brand".  It flies in the face off all that the Disney name means to families, including mine. No matter how "Right" your position is, or you believe your position to be, children with disabilities are the underdog, if not the victim here.   

It beg's the question.."What's more harmful to Disney having your brand constantly in the news with these negative stories - which is like watching Disney's positive image being nibbled to death by ducks - or finding a solution that makes families and disability organizations happy and bumps up your image in the process"?  

I also wonder if a solution would have been cheaper than the legal fees Disney must have racked up by now, and the battle is not over.  That said, here's my plea to Disney.  Please work it out! Let's free up our courts and bring the world's attention back to all things amazing about the Disney Brand and it's parks!!!!

Please! 

Thanks...another mom

_______________________________________________________

Disney Hit With Another Autistic Kids Lawsuit

DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD 

With legal action already underway in Florida for violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, today saw Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sued in Los Angeles Superior Court by more than a dozen families with autistic children. Like the lawsuits on the other side of the country, Tuesday’s filing in Disneyland’s home state has to do with the program the House of Mouse introduced at its theme parks a year and a half ago for individuals with disabilities and cognitive conditions like autism. A re-filing of sorts of California-specific claims dismissed by a judge last year in the Sunshine State, the 140-claim, jury trial-demanding lawsuit (read it here) seeks wide-ranging but unspecified damages of “no less than $4,000” on multiple occasions and relief for violations of the Golden State’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and common law. It also leaves what is now a growing legal stain on highly image-sensitive Disney.

Related

Disney Discriminated Against Autistic Kids, Says Florida Civil Rights Division

“The systems, policies and procedures associated with the Disability Access Service which Disney rolled out in October of 2013 were certain to create discrimination against Plaintiffs, and it was obvious that the community of persons with cognitive impairments would be harmed by the DAS,” says the 425-page filing, citing allegations that the company axed the long-standing Guest Assistance Card program because it cut into their tour guide revenue stream not because of potential abuse of the system. “Overtly discriminating against Plaintiffs and others like them until persons with autism and other developmental disorders simply no longer visit Disney’s theme parks will likely end any potential disruption of the ‘magical’ Disney experience enjoyed by Disney’s non-disabled guests,” it adds.

“A.S.T. is incapable of understanding the concept of time, and thus cannot comprehend visiting an attraction in... Today’s extensive complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief and damages brings the number of families in court across America against Disney over the DAS to 58. “The DAS remains a horrible device through which Disney creates the appearance of offering an accommodation to autism families, but through which it really offers, at most, nothing,” said Andy Dogali, the attorney for both today’s plaintiffs and those in Florida. In many ways a consequence of the breakup last fall of the sprawling initial complaint filed back in April 2014, a number of the families in today’s complaint detail the same “meltdown” experiences their children have had at Disney theme parks since the new system went into effect in late 2013.

“A.S.T. is incapable of understanding the concept of time, and thus cannot comprehend visiting an attraction in the present only to be told it cannot be experienced until sometime in the future,” says Tuesday’s filing of one such teen with autism. “As such, the new DAS creates avoidable stressors for A.S.T., constantly escalating his stimming patterns toward meltdowns. Since Disney’s implementation of the new DAS, A.S.T. has experienced many meltdowns at the Disney Parks.” Those self-described meltdowns have been met by indifference or outright hostility by formerly helpful Disney employees, the complaint notes. The behavior commonly has led to the families having to leave the park and hence cut very short what was expected to be a rare but pleasurable experience for their younger members.

Not that the complaint doesn’t also see a lot of good in Disney — or at least its content and merchandise.

“Perhaps ironically, Disney’s Magic often plays a role in the development of young persons with autism,” says the new filing. Parents, special education teachers, speech pathologists and other professionals who interact with autistic children on a regular basis often use Disney’s adorable and highly recognizable characters, cartoons, stories, toys, and movies to assist in opening autistic children to the world around them. Disney becomes a driving force in the lives of these children, and can become the only part of their lives that generates visible signs of fun and exuberance.”

As with the previous cases, Dogali of Tampa, FL, and Hermosa Beach’s Eugene Feldman are representing the plaintiffs.

Technology and Speech, a Perfect Marriage!

This is amazing and so exciting to see. I love supporting great folks, doing great things. Maria Johnson a great speech path - who we loved working with - left Los Angeles to work with the University of Texas. She recently sent me this video of the Virtual Reality work they are doing for people on the Spectrum. So exciteing, had to share :)  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U87iTyLW90#action=share

Spread the Word! The research and results that we are showing are astounding!

view YouTube video Virtual Reality at the Center for BrainHealth

New Report: Regional Center System on the Brink of Collape

Dear Everyone,

Below is an email communication I received today. This topic will touch all of us, even those who don't have a family member with a developmental disability, like autism. I could go down the moral path, jump on my soapbox and go on about society being defined by how it cares for those who cannot care for themselves, but for now I'll stick to the financial implications. The lack of funding to the Regional Centers - where the immediate cost of care is less expensive than the long term  cost of neglect - will impact our society as a whole when the bill comes due.  Simply put, if we do not fund early intervention, help individuals to reach their potential to become tax payers & live independently, and support families to keep individuals living in their homes vs costly and ineffective institutions individuals with DD's will be forced to rely on social services with tax payers footing 100% of the bill. This is an important issue for all of us. We all need to weigh in and be heard. For me it's simple, do I want a person who is being paid below minimum wage to care for my son when I can't? Who will give up their ability to live, to care of my family? Do I want my son living in a State Developental Center, where a shower is being hosed down by a fire hose? No I don't.  If you think this scenario is impossible watch the video from the 70's and wake up, then take action. Make a call. Write a letter. 

"We're Here to Speak for Justice"   http://www.lanterman.org/uploads/videos/video_werehere.html.  Here’s the link…please give it another go!  (new link 8/1/2011)

ARCA has released its newest report, titled On The Brink Of Collapse, meant to provide policy-makers, advocates, and the citizens of California an understanding of the crisis engulfing our state’s developmental services system. Long-term underfunding of the service system has left both service providers and regional centers struggling to serve more people with fewer resources, which results in higher caseloads and less customization of service options. Today, service rates are lower despite the higher cost of living and working in California and caseload ratios are higher than in most other states. The result is a system that oftentimes is providing a servicerather than the right service, and is at risk of losing significant federal funding. California spends less on its developmental services system for each resident of the state than most other states in the nation. When taking into account the relative wealth of each state, California’s performance is even lower and continues to decline. In general, California’s rates for residential facilities, day and work services, and supported employment programs fall behind other large or western states. The impact of this difference is exacerbated by California’s high cost of living and other costs of doing business such as its highest-in-the-nation workers’ compensation premiums. In most metropolitan areas examined for this report, California’s service rates were lower, but the cost of living was significantly higher. ARCA hopes this report will increase your understanding of the fiscal challenges California’s developmental services system faces in fulfilling its promise to individuals and their families and the urgent need for both short and long-term Budget solutions, which ARCA and the other Lanterman Coalition members support, to stabilize and advance the system. If questions arise regarding the enclosed report, please feel free to email us via this contact form. The two prior reports, separately examining inadequate rates for service provision and underfunding of regional center operations, are also available.

Got this mailer from a friend? Click here to be sure you won't miss future mailings! Copyright © 2015 ARCA, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you signed up for ARCA's updates on the Renew Early Start campaign and similar issues, or via our petition on this. Our mailing address is: ARCA 915 L Street, Suite 1440 Sacramento, CA 95814 Add us to your address book

Autism and Alzheimer's - Medications that work for Nick

Nick has been taking Namenda for several years. It's a drug associated with Altzheimers treatment. Nick takes it and I am certain it helps him with focus.  Nick takes a combination of medications and supplements and has since he was first diagnosed.  Over the years I've made a habbit of reducing dose's of medications and supplements either on my own because proof that they work is anicdotial and/or under his Dr.'s direct supervision.  I do this to check in to see if  something is really working, still working or if it can be eliminated.  This week I experiemented with a mild reduction of Nick's Namenda. I do not tell anyone, not his sister or his aids. because I don't want them to change their behavior.  I saw the difference Nick was less focused, and his frustration was really low. The team also reported a bad week. Seems Namenda still works for him. 

Black, Hispanic kids underrepresented in autism identification - We keep talking, but there's not real change. Sad

Black, Hispanic kids underrepresented in  autism identification - We keep talking, but there's not real change. Sad

The number of children diagnosed with autism has increased in recent years, but a new study co-authored by a University of Kansas professor shows that while the number of students with

autism increased in every state from 2000 to 2007, black and Hispanic children were

significantly underrepresented. Jason Travers, assistant professor of special

education, co-authored a study that analyzed administrative identification of autism in every

state under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the years 2000 and 2007. The

disparity in the odds of white students identified compared with minorities might reflect a similar

phenomenon associated with the widespread increase in students diagnosed with learning

disabilities in the late '70s and attention deficit hyper disorder in the '90s, the authors argue, and

also shows that minority students probably are not getting the same services as their peers.

Travers has studied autism and diagnosis rates previously and noticed discrepancies in

the number of students diagnosed. The Centers for Disease Control have estimated that one in 68

children have autism. "That's a pretty alarming number," Travers said of the CDC

figure. "I wanted to see if there were differences in these rates. Previous research had found that

African-Americans were over-identified. But the data I was looking at showed they were under-
identified. This was during an era when autism prevalence rates were increasing across the

board." Travers and colleagues Michael Krezmien of the University of Massachusetts-
Amherst, Candace Mulcahy of Binghamton University and Matthew Tincani of Temple

University examined autism identification rates from schools in all 50 states in 2000 and 2007

for the study, published in the Journal of Special Education. The study was started while Travers

was a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Administrative

identification reflects rates at which schools—not necessarily a clinician—identify a child as

having autism. Widely varying criteria from state to state are part of the problem, the authors

state, but not the full story. White students identified as autistic increased from 2000 to 2007 in

all states and the District of Columbia. The number of African-Americans identified increased in

all states except Alaska and Montana, and the number of Hispanics increased in all states except

Kentucky, Louisiana and the District of Columbia. While counts in all categories showed an

increase, black and Hispanic increased at much smaller rates, and all three increased at lower

numbers than predicted by the CDC. "Nearly every state that had proportional

representation of students in 2000 underidentified black and Hispanic students in 2007,"

the authors wrote. "Although there is no firm epidemiological evidence that race is predictive

of autism, we found substantial racial differences in the ways U.S. school identify students with

autism." The discrepancies indicate a number of problems, Travers said. Chief

among them, regardless of why white students are being identified with autism at higher rates,

the results may mean services are not equally accessible among the races. When more students

of one race are being identified, more services for autism will go to those students, and not to

students and schools that are underrepresented. Critics have claimed that white students are

being overidentified or that administrative diagnoses rates are not reliable. "These data

depict what's going on in schools," Travers said. "Whether or not they match with clinical

diagnoses, the numbers can be associated with a variety of costs. They tell us about the human

costs, financial resources dedicated to services, administrative costs, community costs and many

others." The disparities also suggest that white students are more likely to access

early intensive behavior intervention services, educational supports, occupational supports and

others designed for students with autism than their black and Hispanic peers.

Travers intends to address the disparities in future research and develop more accurate methods

to predict disparities in rates of autism. One possibility is to gather data from school districts,

counties and states across the country on the number of students with autism and analyze other

demographics such as neighborhood median income, teacher quality, number of students that

qualify for free and reduced lunches, staff turnover and numerous other factors. He would then

compare that data to U.S. Census information to develop advanced statistical models that could

more accurately predict indicators for autism numbers in schools. "I'm not convinced

we thoroughly understand this problem in special education right now," Travers said. "I think

what's needed is advanced statistical models that can more accurately identify predictors

associated with identification." In addition, schools and states need to identify

consistent methods of identifying autism. The longer they go without, and the more prevalence

numbers are used for political purposes, the greater the inequity will be for minority students, as

the data suggests. "Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, until this problem is

thoroughly understood and scientifically validated methods to prevent the problem are identified,

it seems that the majority of the un- or mis-identified students with autism will be children of

color," the authors wrote.