UW Autism Center plays a pivotal role in legislative initiatives

In response to the growing prevalence of autism in the state of Washington, Governor Gregoire signed into law Senate Bill 5311. This bill created the Caring for Washington Individuals with Autism Task Force. The governor appointed task force was mandated to study and make recommendations to the legislature regarding the growing prevalence of autism and ways to improve the delivery and coordination of autism services in the state.  The Autism Center, together with state legislators, family and community agency representatives, developed a set of recommendations to be presented to the Governor in December, 2006. As members of the task force, Drs. Dawson and Orlich provided leadership and played an integral role in the crafting of recommendations to encompass changes to infrastructure, funding and delivery of Autism services in our state. Adoption and implementation of these recommendations could potentially have far reaching implications for access to timely services and support for families across Washington State. For those interested in reading the Task Force’s recommendations in full, please visit http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/mch/Autism/Autism.htm.

The Federation of Behavioral, Psychological, and Cognitive Science sponsors a briefing on Capitol Hill by Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. “Autism: Nature, Diagnosis, and Treatment”
March 22, 2002

Photos below taken in the United States Senate at a Public Health Subcommittee Hearing , September 1999 Dr. Geraldine Dawson and Senator Frist, Chairman of the US Senate Subcommittee of Public Health Dr. Geraldine Dawson and Joan Zaro, President of the Autism Society of America Dr. Geraldine Dawson and Senator Patty Murray, Washington State US Senator Dr. Geraldine Dawson and former Senator Slade Gordon, Washington State US Senator Dr. Geraldine Dawson and Jon Shestack, Founder, Cure Autism Now

On March 22nd, The Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences held a US Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill with Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. called “Autism: Nature, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. This event was funded and co-sponsored by the National Alliance for Autism Research and the NLM Family Foundation, with help from the of Representative Connie Morella and the Coalition for Autism Research and Education. Dawson presented information on state-of-the-art autism research. The level of questions from the briefing attendees was rather high and many stayed afterwards to speak with her individually.

After presenting basic data on autism, she turned to a theme involving the importance of early detection and early intervention. While the majority of autism cases are diagnosed between ages three and four, Dawson and her colleagues have developed criteria allowing them to diagnose by the child’s first birthday. This early diagnosis permits behavioral intervention strategies to be implemented at a very young age, which can make all the difference in whether a child later goes on to assume “normal” societal roles. She further noted that doctors and health professional do not tend to look for autistic symptoms, being more geared towards screening for physical abnormalities.

Although the proper behavioral interventions can make the difference between a functioning autistic and one needing to be institutionalized, insurance companies do not traditionally pay for this life-altering and money-saving treatment. Through the efforts of Dr. Dawson and others, Aetna at Microsoft recently agreed to cover the costs of early autism intervention. She is working towards getting more insurance companies on board with this by providing a method of certification.

In the fall of 1999, Dr. Geraldine Dawson provided written and spoken testimony to the U.S. Senate regarding legislation introduced in Congress that would dramatically increase the amount of funding available for autism research at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This legislation would more than double the funds available for advancing biomedical research in autism and autism epidemiology studies.

The first, the Advancement in Pediatric Autism Research Act (HR 997), calls for expenditures of $39,000,000 annually to establish five autism research centers of excellence across the country that would combine clinical and basic research in autism, attract the nations top scientists and create a network for the rapid dissemination and replication of research findings. The second, the Autism Statistics, Surveillance, Research and Epidemiology Act (HR 274), calls for the creation of five centers for autism epidemiology research, at a cost of $7,500,000 annually, that would assess the prevalence of autism in this country for the first time and seek to epidemiology research, at a cost of $7,500,000 annually, that would assess the prevalence of autism in this country for the first time and seek to find patterns of causation. These two bills have been combined into a single bill, S 512, in the Senate.

Read the written testimony to the Public Health Subcommittee United States Senate, September 16, 1999.