This week the Florida Senate has unanimously passed a measure aimed at improving the lives of children with autism and their families. The bill works to increase early detection and intervention, while filling in the gaps in educational opportunities. One part of the bill is directed at research to learn why autism is increasing.
According to Stuart Republican Senator Gayle Harrell, the bill sponsor, Florida has more than 20,000 pre-schoolers in Florida who are diagnosed with autism and more than 66,000 children in the school system who have autism.
“And we look at the services we are providing for them," she said. "Is it adequate? Is it enough? Are we really doing what the state of Florida needs to do to diagnose, treat and provide services to individuals with autism? And this bill is the next step -- an amazing, big step.”
Experts say the need for those services is growing all the time.
Amy Wetherby oversees the Autism Institute and the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Florida State University. She’s an expert on the prevalence of autism, and she says that before 1970, it was considered rare. That year, four in 2,500 individuals were considered to be autistic.
The prevalence continues to grow, but the biggest increase was between 1970 and 1975. That year, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act, known as I-D-E-A, was passed. Wetherby says it made a major difference in what we understand as the prevalence of autism.
“Before that time, principals of a school could literally send a child home and say to the parent, ‘Your child’s too difficult, we can’t educate your child, take him home,’" she said. "But starting in 1975, we have this law that says free and appropriate education for all, and so the U.S. Department of Education then not only oversaw regular education but special education.”
Today autism is considered to affect one in 36 individuals. Wetherby says that means autism is affecting more people all the time.
“You know, now that it’s 1 in 36 prevalence estimate, it’s going to be…more legislators are touched and more people are touched by autism," she said. "Most people have it in their family or know someone that has autism in their family or know someone with autism. It’s so common now, 1 in 36, but likely that’s an underestimate.”
It’s certainly true that Florida lawmakers have people with autism in their lives. Harrell has two nephews with autism, and House Speaker Daniel Perez has a brother with autism.
One goal of the Senate bill is to collaborate with other entities that provide autism research and services. That includes the Centers for Autism and Related Disorders, with seven locations statewide, the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System and FSU’s Autism Institute. It also includes state agencies: the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, and the Department of Children and Families.
