Senator McCain’s Statements on Autism

[Guest guest]

July 9, 2008

Dear Friends,

As I travel America on the campaign trail, I frequently hear from the

countless families whose

lives have been unexpectedly impacted by autism. The needs of individuals

with autism and their

families are reaching crisis proportions, and families are rightly demanding

that we do something about

it.

More than one in 150 children born today will be diagnosed with autism. It

now affects almost

1.5 million Americans, and costs the U.S. $ 90 billion each year. Autism has

a significant impact on

families -- bankruptcy and divorce rates of parents of children with autism

are well above the national

averages. Worse, there is no quantifiable way of determining how many future

doctors, lawyers,

teachers, or scientists autism has taken from society. Autism is a national

crisis and the federal

government must respond accordingly.

As you know, autism is a " spectrum disorder " that affects individuals

differently and to varying

degrees. Because of this, there is no single approach to resolving the many

challenges of individuals

with autism and their families. That is why I have supported a range of

activities to improve the

diagnosis, treatment, education, and lifespan needs of individuals with

autism.

The first issue is to ensure that children with autism are diagnosed early

-- when the condition is

most treatable. All research indicates that children who receive

comprehensive therapies can have

dramatically improved outcomes. Federal efforts must support research to

improve early diagnosis,

intervention and treatment. I cosponsored and worked to enact the Combating

Autism Act of 2006,

which is helping to increase public awareness and screening of autism

spectrum disorder, promotes the

use of evidence-based interventions and created autism Centers of Excellence

for Autism Spectrum

Disorder Research and Epidemiology. I strongly believe that diverse and

extensive research will help

us to determine the best ways to treat the disorder. Comprehensive research

will give us the tools to

protect children from autism in a way that is careful, thorough, and

long-lasting.

We must also strengthen our educational system, so that our schools can meet

the needs of

children with autism. Well-trained special education teachers are essential

to the health of the public

school system and speak volumes to our ability to ensure basic civil rights.

I have often stated that our

nation’s children deserve an equal opportunity to succeed. This opportunity

should not stop short of

children with autism, or any other developmental disability.

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July 9, 2008

But beyond the school system, we must ensure that individuals with autism

have the services

and supports they need throughout their lifespan. I’m sure that many of you

today are wondering what

will happen once the school bus stops coming. We must ensure that

individuals with autism have the

supports they need to find employment, housing, transportation, and other

services they need to be

productive, independent, and contributing members to their communities and

to our great country.

I applaud the work of the Autism Society of America, which has been a

leading voice on autism issues

for more than 40 years. ASA continues to improve the lives of all affected

by autism by increasing

public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the

spectrum, advocating for

appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the

latest information regarding

treatment, education, research and advocacy. ASA and its members have been a

driving force for

change in Washington and around the country, and I look forward to working

with you on these

important issues.

Sincerely,

McCain

" Ms. Michele "

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