VOSS/WHELAN: NEW JERSEY'S HIGH AUTISM RATES COMMAND RESPONSE TO HELP CHILDREN & ADULTS

Assembly Poised to Vote Thursday on Autism Package

(TRENTON) - Citing New Jersey's high autism rate for children and an anticipated surge of young adults with autism who will soon be aging out of the state's education system, Assembly members Joan Voss and Jim Whelan today said the state needs to step up efforts in detection, treatment and public awareness of autism.

Voss (D-Bergen) and Whelan (D-Atlantic) are among the leading sponsors of a package of autism-related bills that are scheduled for Assembly floor votes on Thursday. The lawmakers said the bills would ensure that New Jersey maintains ahead of the vast majority of other states in providing services and care for individuals with autism disorders and their families.

"As commendable as New Jersey's autism response system is, there is more the state can do to help the thousands of families affected by this baffling disorder," said Voss, a retired educator.

"The state's high autism rates coupled with the fact that a surge of children classified with autism in the 1990s are now aging out the system underscore the need to take proactive steps to strengthen the state's network of autism services," said Whelan, a veteran teacher.

Both Voss and Whelan have joined with Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., (D-Camden) in sponsoring portions of a seven-bill package that would increase funding for autism research, improve autism awareness by physicians, educators and emergency personnel as well as provide lifetime care for residents with autism.

The seven-bill autism package consists of the following measures:
A-2306 - establishes a centralized statewide autism registry and appropriates $500,000 -- Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex) and Speaker Roberts;
A-4054 - restructures the Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism - Voss, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), Roberts, and McKeon;
A-4055 - train teachers in autism awareness -Whelan, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Voss and Roberts;
A-4056 - requires pediatricians to screen for symptoms of autism - Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-Monmouth), Roberts, and Vainieri Huttle;
A-4057 - creates a new expert panel to study the needs of autistic adults -Roberts, Voss, Schaer, and McKeon;
A-4058 - establishes autism awareness program for emergency medical technicians, police officers and firefighters - Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Essex), Roberts, Voss, and Whelan; and
A-4059 - Extends funding for autism medical research and treatment - Roberts, Assemblyman David Mayer (D-Camden), Voss, and Whelan.

The seven-bill package will be complemented by a resolution that would more closely examine sonograms and ultrasounds as a potential cause of autism:
ACR-247 - Urges the Department of Health and Senior Services to study the relationship between autism and ultrasounds as well as issue protocols for the use of ultrasounds - Assemblyman Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris).

The autism measures were introduced last month shortly after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled the findings of new study that listed New Jersey with the nation's highest reported rate of autism - one out of every 94 children. The national rate is one out of 150 children.

Work on the package, however, began last year after The Record of Hackensack published a series of articles chronicling the challenges faced by individuals and families confronting autism.

The cause of autism remains unknown. It is a disorder that impairs the central nervous system, compromising an individual's ability to listen, speak, and form social relationships. The condition often is marked with highly focused, repetitive behavior.

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