SafeMinds believes that the lack of appropriate medical treatment for individuals with autism is a violation of basic human rights. Together we can improve the lives of children with autism now, but we need your help.
The IACC (NIH’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee) added the existence of co-occurring conditions associated with autism in the strategic plan for autism research back in 2011, acknowledging the need to better understand the scope and cause of these conditions, and the need for multidisciplinary heath assessments and effective treatment guidelines. But to date, far too little progress has been made. In an effort to address this urgent unmet need the IACC has invited Dr. Perrin, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to attend the July 9th meeting to discuss what can be done to improve health care for children with autism. This is your chance to let them know what you think!
Those in the autism community understand that many of the behaviors present in children with autism, especially those that are self-injurious, are often related to physical pain and are treatable and preventable with appropriate medical interventions. Therefore, every effort must be made to increase the medical community’s knowledge and awareness of these co-existing medical conditions.
Please help SafeMinds educate the IACC and AAP regarding the unmet health care needs of children with autism by sending in your child’s medical history (including all diagnoses and co-occurring conditions), plus any suggestions for how to best address this issue, to the IACC via the IACC Public Inquiries inbox ([email protected]). Also, please send a copy of your submission to IACC Member Lyn Redwood ([email protected]) so that she can reference your submission, if needed. If you are able to travel or live in the Bethesda area, please consider attending the meeting and speaking at public comment. (Public comments need to be submitted days in advance.) For information regarding how to register for the meeting and public comment, go to: http://iacc.hhs.gov/public-comment/2010/index.shtml.
