More presidential candidates than ever are acknowledging how many issues, from criminal justice to student debt, affect people with disabilities. And several of the candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are consulting with people with disabilities in crafting policies that affect them.
One-fourth of children under age eight with autism, most of them black or Hispanic, are not being diagnosed, according to a study published in the journal Autism Research. A co-author says screening toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children; employing more family navigators; and requiring insurance companies to cover early intervention services before a final diagnosis are ways to reduce the disparity.
President Trump signed into law a bill to fund the federal government which includes a $400 million increase in funding for special education and more modest increases for several other disability programs such as University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities – including CDS – and Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities.
The Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens, which supports programs for people with disabilities, recently donated funds to help Kent-Sussex Industries (KSI) upgrade its computer lab. KSI, a nonprofit offering vocational rehabilitation and other employment-related services, uses the lab to educate program participants on computer skills as well as enable job searches.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a report on autism summarizing 12 years of research and clinical activity. One of the most crucial takeaways, said the report’s coauthor, is that parents and clinicians should not wait for a confirmed diagnosis to seek treatment if they suspect a child has autism. Overwhelming evidence indicates that early treatment improves long-term health outcomes.
