ASO ACTION ALERT - Early Screening Bill SB 98 introduced in the Senate

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASO:

The Autism Society of Ohio has been hard a work with a dedicated committee to create an early screening initiative for autism and other developmental disabilities in Ohio. We are pleased to share that legislation this initiative HAS been introduced in the Ohio Senate as SB 98 and we need your help!

The legislation will provide an appropriation to the Department of Health to conduct a pilot program for early screening for autism and other developmental disabilities. For additional information on what this legislation includes, please read the write up following my signature. For the full text of the bill visit: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm and enter SB 98 or http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_98.

Senator J. Kirk Schuring, representing the 29th Ohio Senate district (Akron/Canton area, covering most of Stark County) and a strong supporter of children's issues, is the sponsor of this legislation. NOW THAT THE BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please contact your State Senators and encourage them to support and vote for this important legislation. If your Senator is already signed on as a sponsor, please thank them for their support. The following Senators are co-sponsoring with Sen. Schuring - Senators Boccieri, Clancy, Coughlin, Gardner, Goodman, Kearney, , D., , R., Padgett, Schaffer, and Spada.

Not sure how to do this? To find your Ohio Senator and contact information, visit www.senate.state.oh.us, click on “Your Senators†and enter your zipcode+4 or your Senator's name. All the contact information for your senator will be displayed. Not sure what your zip+4 is? Go to www.usps.com and click on “Find a Zipcodeâ€.

How to contact your Senator? You can always email - but many Senators are bombarded with email - so be sure to put "PLEASE SUPPORT EARLY SCREENING INITIATIVE - SB 98" in the subject line. A letter sent via "snail" mail or fax is a very effective to communicate with legislators. You can also call their office!

What should you say? Please share with your Senator the following information:

"Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability, and its ramifications to children and their families are great. The latest information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that as many as 1 in 150 children born may be diagnosed with autism.

Many physicians are unfamiliar with how to screen for autism or the screening tools recommended. Furthermore, many professionals are not sufficiently aware of the developmental warning signs and the range of symptoms that may indicate autism. As a result, the diagnosis of autism is often delayed. If earlier identification can be achieved, we can improve early intervention efforts, which ultimately will lead to more favorable outcomes for these children.

This was also one of the recommendations of the legislatively created 2004 Ohio Autism Task Force - to “develop, implement, and maintain the First Signs or equivalent public awareness and training model to screen children for autism.

Ohio Senate Bill 98 is supported by the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians, The Autism Society of Ohio and many other disability groups.

Please support this important legislation!"

You can also include a personal story of how legislation like this would have helped you and your family.

We at ASO will keep you posted as to the progress of this legislation - and any companion legislation that would be introduced in the Ohio House of Representative.

Please feel free to share this email with anyone you think would help us in our efforts! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AND HELP US IN THIS IMPORTANT ENDEAVOR!

Sincerely,Barbara C. YavorcikPresidentAutism Society of Ohio701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org -------------------------------

The Pilot Program created under this bill will strive to:

Promote appropriate standards for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in children, including screening tools and treatment planning for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders; Encourage physicians and other health care professionals with expertise in screening, diagnosing, and treating autism spectrum disorders to share that information with other health care professionals in this state; Encourage the regional coordination of services to facilitate the effective, timely treatment of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders; Educate health care professionals, teachers and other educational personnel, child care providers, parents, early intervention and developmental disabilities providers, and other community-based services providers in this state regarding the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, including the range of symptoms that may indicate autism spectrum disorders and screening tools.

The bill will also provide funding for the Pilot Program as well as direct the Ohio Department of Health to report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the progress of the Program.

It is important to note that this legislation does not mandate that physicians utilize a specific test or screening tool. AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.