Community Corner

Spotlight Essay: A Vision for New Jersey's Autism Community

New Jersey has made an excellent start in meeting the needs of people with autism, but it's still only a beginning

As the summer winds down, it is a good time to reflect on the Garden State's accomplishments in addressing the needs of its citizens with autism and outline my back to school wish list. New Jersey has found itself in a leadership position in serving residents affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), by establishing some of the best private and public schools serving students with autism. (Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders.)

Current, forward-thinking policies have New Jersey on track to secure our legacy due to several other factors: the passage and enactment of autism insurance reform legislation in 2009 for evidence-based interventions, continuation and support for a Governor’s Council on Autism Research, establishment of an Office of Autism, passage of First Responder’s Training, and an adult service initiative on housing that will be a catalyst for affordable and appropriate housing options for adults with developmental disabilities. In addition to the formal mechanisms that help to improve our human services infrastructure, there has also been a thoughtful and concentrated effort to embrace the autism community’s challenges by Gov. Chris Christie, the First Lady and other administrative officials.

Notwithstanding all of these important efforts, are they enough to really support the impending needs of people with autism as they transition into adulthood? Today, it is estimated that there are approximately 1.5 million Americans with living with ASD throughout the country, with about 80 percent under the age of 21. According to the Centers for Disease Control, New Jersey’s one-in-94 autism prevalence rate is one of the highest in the nation. Using simple math, we have at least 25,000 fellow New Jersey residents, most of them children, living on the autism spectrum.

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Creating a New World

Some people have described the wave of children with autism that will need adult services in the coming years as an impending "tsunami" of required services. But using the tsunami metaphor implies a disaster, and I believe we have the opportunity to create a different world -- a world in which adults with autism will be fixing our software, making our keys at Home Depot, carefully tending their gardens at their homes, volunteering at local fundraisers and making New Jersey a great place to live as important contributors to our society and taxpayers. Far too many adults with autism and other developmental disabilities are unemployed, sitting at home and isolated from their peers when they age out of their educational entitlement.

So my back to school wish is to review our intent and our mandate to prepare this group of children for the rest of their lives. Congress, through the transition services mandate of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,) wanted students with special education needs to transition smoothly to meaningful adult outcomes. The act defines transition services as "a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that is designed to be a results-oriented process… to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living or community participation…"

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Certainly, this is a powerful piece of legislation that directly establishes the broader competencies for passage from adolescence to adulthood. But once the educational entitlement of IDEA ends (at the end of the academic year in which the student turns 21 in New Jersey), there is an even greater need for individuals and families to be educated on the supports afforded to adults with developmental disabilities. Most families are disheartened to know that there are no guarantees for adult services. There is a dearth of programs for adults with specific needs and the current system is beyond capacity.

Read the full essay at NJSpotlight.com

Peter Bell is executive vice president for programs and services at Autism Speaks. He oversees the foundation's government relations and family services activities and also serves as an advisor to the science division. Peter and his wife, Liz, reside in Pennington, New Jersey with their three children. Their eldest son, Tyler, has autism.


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