Combating Autism Act Fails to Live Up to Name

Interesting opinion piece by Katie Wright, a contributing editor to the Age of Autism. What are your thoughts?

This is an open letter to all the parents, families, teachers, therapists and others who worked so hard getting the Combating Autism Act (CAA) bill passed. Thousands of you called, e-mailed and wrote to your representatives. Dozens of families traveled to DC to meet with their Congresspersons and Senators and personally explain why autism research and services desperately need more funding. Some of you picketed the offices of non-supporters, my parents traveled to DC a dozen times and used every connection they had to make our families heard. It required Herculean efforts to pass a “single disease” bill but our community was relentless and determined.
Today the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is responsible for disbursing the millions of dollars in CAA funds. Almost no one who worked for the passage of the CAA was appointed to the committee. IACC is packed with bureaucrats who seem to have a very limited understanding of autism as a disease and autism science.