Editorial: Intensify Efforts to Combat Autism

The rate for childhood autism in the U.S. has risen to a stunning one in 68, according to statistics released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New Jersey the rate is even higher — one in 45. And the rate is four times higher among boys than girls.

What’s going on here? Why has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) become a worldwide pandemic? Why is the incidence growing? In 1980, only three out of 10,000 children were diagnosed with the condition. While heightened awareness and earlier diagnosis may account for some of the rise in autism cases, experts agree that is only a part of the reason.

Couple Fights Attempt to Move Daughter

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. — Frances and Thomas Kauffman can’t understand why there seems to be a rush to relocate their daughter, Theresa, from the Woodbridge Developmental Center.
Theresa has lived there for 32 years, and the facility isn’t scheduled to close until the end the year. But the state says it’s ready to move her to the Vineland Developmental Center.
The Middlesex County couple have taken their fight to court. An application for permission to file a motion for appeal on an emergency basis was granted Wednesday, and papers by the couple and state must be filed by the end of the week.

Finding Jobs for Adults with Autism

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that one in every 68 U.S. children has autism. Paul Wehman, a teacher and researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University, argues that we must begin to plan for their futures as adults.

Sean was born at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Va., and spent many weeks of his young life in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. Today, 20 years later, he is a handsome young man with a brilliant smile, and he is back in the same pediatric intensive care unit. Now, however, he is serving a 10-week internship stocking nursing stations, sanitizing supplies and verifying patient information on charts.

Finding Services for Adults with Autism

An incredible amount of progress has been made in raising awareness for children with autism — but once these children grow up, it’s a whole other story.

According to parents, after high school graduation, options become scarce. While there are programs out there that help individuals lead productive and rewarding lives, there are too few available to meet the population’s need.

Making Sense of Diagnostic Tools

As anyone who has struggled to get clear answers for their child knows, there is no single medical test to detect autism. And because autism spectrum disorders are so complex and varied, they often require a team of physicians or psychiatrists to diagnose them -- a process that can extend months or years after a parent first spots red flags.Since 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for all children to be screened for autism at 18 and 24 months, using tools such as the Modified Checklist of Autism in Toddlers, or "M-CHAT" -- a simple questionnaire that asks parents about their children's playtime behavior, responses to social cues and motor skills. The test has been studied for well over a decade and has been shown to be very effective in signaling which children should have further observation and evaluation.But, as the Academy itself states outright, none of the screening tools currently available are perfect, and newer tools are under development so that children can be diagnosed more efficiently, and with greater accuracy. 

Nets' Williams Plans Autism-Friendly Game

NEW YORK  — D.J. Williams' biggest issue with NBA games is he'd rather be playing with dad than watching him.

"He wants me the whole game, so he just wants to get out on the court," said his father, Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams.For many more autistic children, there are other challenges at the arena.

Editorial: Troubling Statistics in NJ as Autism Awareness Month Begins

As Autism Awareness Month begins today, new information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitively show the issue merits much more attention. The rate has more than doubled since a 2002 CDC survey.

As Kathleen O’Brien reported last week in The Star-Ledger, one in 68 children is
now diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder nationally — with boys nearly five times more likely than girls to have autism.

In New Jersey, it’s estimated that one in 48 children — and one in 28 boys — has autism.