Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Holds First Meeting
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) met on November 30 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC for the first time since being reconstituted as part of the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (CAA), P.L. 109-416.
The CAA specifies that an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee be established “to coordinate all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder.”
Among the attendees from HHS were Secretary Michael Leavitt and National Institutes of Health Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D. Thomas Insel, M.D, Director, National Institute of Mental Health is serving as Chairman of the IACC.
Alison Singer, Executive Vice-President, Autism Speaks was appointed by Secretary Leavitt as a Public Member of the IACC. In her remarks to the committee, Singer highlighted the importance of the committee gaining a fundamental understanding of what comprises the baseline funding assumptions when developing a strategic plan that will include proposed budgetary requirements, as tasked by the Combating Autism Act. This information will inform committee members of where actual funding shortfalls may exist as they deliberate the strategic plan. She also expressed the importance of stakeholder input throughout the process of developing the strategic plan.
Additionally, Gary Goldstein, M.D., Clinical Science Advisor, Autism Speaks and President, Kennedy Krieger Institute presented to the committee on non-government funding for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research.
The committee overwhelmingly approved a process plan for developing the strategic plan for ASD research. The process plan includes intervals of public stakeholder feedback before the IACC would approve the Strategic Plan in May 2008. It also called for expedited consideration of the plan through IACC workgroups, workshops and an additional IACC meeting in March 2008. Lee Grossman, President and CEO, Autism Society of America, was the only member of the 18-member committee to vote against the process plan.
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee is next scheduled to meet on March 14, 2008.
Note/Warning:
Autistic people have fought the inclusion of ABA in therapy for us since before Autism Speaks, and other non-Autistic-led autism organizations, started lobbying legislation to get it covered by insurances and Medicaid.
ABA is a myth originally sold to parents that it would keep their Autistic child out of an institution. Today, parents are told that with early intervention therapy their child will either be less Autistic or no longer Autistic by elementary school, and can be mainstreamed in typical education classes. ABA is very expensive to pay out of pocket. Essentially, Autism Speaks has justified the big price tag up front will offset the overall burden on resources for an Autistic’s lifetime. The recommendation for this therapy is 40 hours a week for children and toddlers.
The original study that showed the success rate of ABA to be at 50% has never been replicated. In fact, the study of ABA by United States Department of Defense was denounced as a failure. Not just once, but multiple times. Simply stated: ABA doesn’t work. In study after repeated study: ABA (conversion therapy) doesn’t work.
What more recent studies do show: Autistics who experienced ABA therapy are at high risk to develop PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions. Historically, the autism organizations promoting ABA as a cure or solution have silenced Autistic advocates’ opposition. ABA is also known as gay conversion therapy.
The ‘cure’ for Autistics not born yet is the prevention of birth.
The ‘cure’ is a choice to terminate a pregnancy based on ‘autism risk.’ The cure is abortion. This is the same ‘cure’ society has for Down Syndrome.
This is eugenics 2021. Instead of killing Autistics and disabled children in gas chambers or ‘mercy killings’ like in Aktion T4, it’ll happen at the doctor’s office, quietly, one Autistic baby at a time. Different approaches yes, but still eugenics and the extinction of an entire minority group of people.
Fact: You can’t cure Autistics from being Autistic.
Fact: You can’t recover an Autistic from being Autistic.
Fact: You can groom an Autistic to mask and hide their traits. Somewhat. … however, this comes at the expense of the Autistic child, promotes Autistic Burnout (this should not be confused with typical burnout, Autistic Burnout can kill Autistics), and places the Autistic child at high risk for PTSD and other lifelong trauma-related conditions.
[Note: Autism is NOT a disease, but a neurodevelopmental difference and disability.]
Fact: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism.
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