ROBERTS RESPONSE TO RISING AUTISM RATES BECOMES LAW

Key Elements from Sweeping Package of Bills Will Improve Detection, Treatment, Public Awareness of Autism in New Jersey

(WEST WINDSOR) - A series of legislative measures that Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. steered through the Legislature in an effort to improve the detection, treatment and awareness of autism in New Jersey was signed into law today by Governor Jon S. Corzine.

"These new laws will help address some of the challenges that the state is experiencing with increasing numbers of children diagnosed with autism and a surge of young autistic adults aging out of the state's special education system," said Roberts (D-Camden).  "Autism has become a significant challenge for everyone; it is now the country's fastest growing developmental disability - more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined."

Roberts began crafting his autism legislative package last year following a six-day series published by The Record of Hackensack called "In Autism's Grip."  The series took an in-depth look at the state's high autism incidence rates and the plight of families that have autistic loved ones. 
The package gained added significance after Roberts unveiled it in February on the heels of a groundbreaking study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found New Jersey to have the nation's highest reported rate of autism - one of out of every 94 children.  The national rate is one out of 150 children.

"These initiatives collectively address autism from early childhood through adulthood and will ensure that our state maintains its status as a national leader in services and programs for individuals with autism," said Roberts.

Six of the seven measures in Roberts' original legislative package were signed by the Governor during a ceremony at the Eden Institute, a non-profit autism service agency in Mercer County.  The event was attended by individual legislative sponsors, families with loved ones who have autism, and representatives of autism advocacy organizations in New Jersey.

"For families whose loved ones are locked in the grasp of this disorder, today's action demonstrates New Jersey's continuing resolve to help them cope until science finally finds a cure for this confounding neurological disorder," Roberts said.

The measures signed into law and their respective lead sponsors are:

· A-2306 - establishes a centralized statewide autism registry and appropriates $500,000 - Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D-Essex), Speaker Roberts, Assemblyman Nelson Albano (D-Cumberland), and Assemblywoman Joan Voss (D-Bergen);

· A-4055 - trains teachers in autism awareness - Assemblyman Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), Voss and Roberts;

· A-4056 - improves New Jersey's system for detecting symptoms of autism in young children - Assemblymen Herb Conaway, M.D. (D-Burlington) Michael Panter (D-Monmouth), Roberts, Vainieri Huttle, and Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-Camden);

· A-4057 - creates a new expert panel to study the needs of autistic adults - Roberts, Voss, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), and McKeon;

· A-4059 - extends funding for autism medical research and treatment - Roberts, Assemblyman David Mayer (D-Camden), Voss, Whelan, and Greenwald; and

· S-698/A-4054 - restructures the Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism - Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), Senator Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex), and Voss.

In addition to these bills, the Governor also signed legislation Voss sponsored with Assemblyman Robert Gordon (D-Bergen) to create an Asperger's Syndrome Pilot Initiative aimed at providing services statewide to individuals suffering from this unique autism spectrum disorder.

While enthused by the signing of the bills, Roberts said he intends to continuously find other potential legislative avenues to help families in New Jersey's expanding autism community.

"Autism is a lifelong condition that requires lifelong services and care," said Roberts. "We have a responsibility to help autistic New Jerseyans and their families in every way we possibly can."

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.

"Autism impacts entire communities," Roberts said.  "It's a challenge that demands greater public awareness and greater attention by all sectors of society."

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