Autism Project Funding Support

Copy To : Missouri General Assembly Members


We, the undersigned residents of the Great State of Missouri do hereby request that you reconsider your decision to not continue the Autism Project funding in the upcoming Fiscal 2006 Budget

In your budget summary under the Department of Mental Health, you recommend that the department needed to provide child-oriented, family-focused mental health services. This can only be possible if the Autism Project funding is continued.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the incidence of autism within the general population is now approaching one in every 166 children. This has been reported to be a 500\% increase in the last ten years. This will most assuredly mean that the school systems have been and will continue to be inundated with an entire population of children with a disorder the schools are ill-equipped to handle. Early diagnosis and intensive early intervention can make the difference between having an individual that will be dependent on services from the state for life or becoming a self-sufficient adult needing occasional assistance.

Evidence indicates that a childs early experiences can significantly enhance learning and development. It is also critical that any developmental issues be identified early as possible Your words from the Budget and Legislative Agenda, Making Public Education a Priority. This statement holds exceptional truth for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The First Step program is excellent for working with the children up to age three. Most children with ASD are diagnosed after the age of three when the child would not be eligible for First Steps. If funding for the Autism Project is eliminated or reduced this would mean that during the formative years when the child is preparing for school, the intensive therapy and appropriate interventions would not be available. This will force the schools to attempt to deal with the consequences when the child reaches the earlier grades.

ASD is a lifelong developmental disability (MO 9 CSR 45-3.060) and as such requires that those programs and resources most effective in dealing with this disorder is not just for the school age population. Many studies have proven that given the proper services, adults with ASD can become productive citizens. Eliminating the Autism Funding will eliminate services for a growing segment of the ASD society that has past the age of school attendance and would not be served by any other agency.

The Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall establish programs and services for persons with autism. The programs and services shall be established in conjunction with families of persons with autism and shall be designed to enhance the families abilities to meet needs they identify. This last statement is a direct quote from the Missouri Code of State Regulations (9 CSR 45-3.060 Paragraph 2) issued by the Secretary of State on August 31, 2002 and bearing your signature. As your proposed budget is requesting cuts for the entire Department of Mental Health, that will mean that funding for autism services will be grossly inadequate.

We, the undersigned, request you restore the Autism Project funding to at least the Fiscal Year 2005 level of $3.2 Million for the Fiscal 2006 budget.