From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   The US Is On The Verge Of An 'Autism Tsunami'    
      
      
      
    U.S. News & World Report    
   AMIR KHAN, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT    
   JAN. 12, 2015, 3:09 PM 8,638 19    
   Autistic boy peeks out from behind a curtain.    
   Ali Jarekji / Reuters    
   A boy with autism peeks out from behind a curtain.    
      
   Autism is on the rise: More than 1.5 million people have the condition in the   
   United States alone. But because the majority of these people are younger than   
   22, the country is on the verge of an "autism tsunami" that could leave   
   thousands without the    
   support they need as they become adults, according to Autism Speaks, an autism   
   advocacy organization.    
      
   "The current system we have right now is woefully inadequate," says Angela   
   Lello, director of housing and community living at Autism Speaks. "There are   
   lots of long waiting lists. In some states, it can take as long as 10 years to   
   gain access to [these    
   support] services."      
      
   Defined as a developmental disorder that can impair social, communication and   
   behavioral skills, autism is a spectrum disorder that can range in severity   
   from person to person. Some individuals with autism are considered   
   high-functioning and can live    
   independently requiring  minimal, if any, help. Others, however, may need   
   partial or full supervision and assistance to navigate even the most basic   
   tasks of everyday life. "A person who is nonverbal or who has significant   
   intellectual disability will    
   require substantial support in adulthood, and fully independent living will   
   not be possible," says Thomas Challman, medical director and neu   
   odevelopmental pediatrician with the Geisinger Health System Autism &   
   Developmental Medicine Institute in    
   Pennsylvania.    
      
   Every state offers Medicaid-funded programs for people with autism, which can   
   be accessed through each state's Developmental Disability Agency. These   
   services can include home health aides to help with daily functions such as   
   dressing and bathing, as    
   well as job placement and housing assistance, Lello says. Yet, since more than   
   50,000 individuals with autism transition into adulthood every year, the   
   support services are already being outpaced by their demand, she adds.    
      
   To help fill this gap, President Barack Obama recently signed into law the   
   Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act of   
   2014. Also known as the Autism CARES Act, it will give $1.3 billion over five   
   years to fund autism    
   research and detect gaps in support for children and adults with autism who   
   are aging out of childhood programs and transitioning into those designed for   
   adults.    
      
   "We need to do a better job of preparing children with [autism spectrum   
   disorder] for adulthood and provide the help and services they need to reach   
   their full potential," said the bill's co-sponsor Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., on   
   the House floor in June. "   
   The Autism CARES Act tasks multiple federal agencies to study and report back   
   to Congress on the special needs of autistic young adults and transitioning   
   youth. In light of the severity of the aging-out crisis, we must do more - and   
   fast - and ensure we    
   are providing a comprehensive and thorough review of available services, and   
   those we need to create."    
      
   But as parents wait for more services to become available, there are options   
   available now to help children with autism thrive, says Challman, starting   
   with early intervention therapy. " Parents of children with [autism] can   
   improve the likelihood of    
   independent living by accessing, early and consistently, the types of   
   therapies that help improve their child's communication and social skills," he   
   says - areas that have significant impact on a child's ability to succeed in   
   work and social settings.    
      
   Early intervention programs are available in every state for any child under   
   age 3 who demonstrates a developmental delay, regardless of whether parents   
   have health insurance, thanks to a federal mandate, which requires states to   
   cover the costs of these    
   programs if parents cannot afford them. What programs states are required to   
   cover can vary, but no matter the technique, early intervention therapies all   
   seek to help combat symptoms while the brain is still taking shape.    
      
   "The brain is not fully connected at birth," says Susan Hyman, an autism   
   expert in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical   
   Center in New York. "As the brain continues to mature, it makes new neural   
   connections and gets rid of    
   unused ones over the first several years of life."    
   autism    
   Shannon Stapleton/Reuters    
      
   Red flags for autism include a lack of joyful expressions by 6 months of age,   
   no babbling by 12 months and no words by 16 months. While autism cannot be   
   cured, early intervention therapy is the best tool available to help treat   
   children with the    
   condition, offering an opportunity to help overcome brain abnormalities, Hyman   
   says." When early red flags for autism are identified, what therapy can do is   
   help children come up with workarounds and provide them with experiences that   
   will help them move    
   forward developmentally," she explains. Workarounds can include helping   
   children learn sign language or to point at pictures to convey what they want.    
      
   As children with autism get older, therapy should continue, Challman says, to   
   deal with any issues that may arise or hinder their ability to function in   
   everyday life. Some people may continue to need speech therapy or help with   
   social skills, while    
   others may require psychological counseling to combat the anxiety and   
   depression that often accompany autism.    
      
   "Mental health services can and should be accessed to help manage common   
   issues such as anxiety and depression," Challman says. Because social skills   
   are "extremely important" in the workplace, it's imperative to continue   
   cultivating them, too, he adds.    
      
   Andrew Duff, 24, of New York City, says he benefited from both approaches.   
   Diagnosed with autism just before his third birthday, Duff's parents promptly   
   enrolled him in an early intervention program consisting of therapy designed   
   to help him learn to    
   walk, talk and interact with others. The early therapy worked, and by fifth   
   grade, Duff no longer needed assistance in school nor was he required to be in   
   a special education class.    
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)