Depending on when the person reads your articles, it would be most helpful if you specified which administration you’re speaking of, since the newest administration has decreed autism as one of their primary focuses in finding out more answers on the devastating rise in autism.
-From a grandparent of two deemed “completely different leveled” autistic children.
Hi Tamara! Thanks so much for reading my article and commenting, and for sharing about your grandkids. They're lucky to have you as their grandparent.
I'm talking about the current administration, unfortunately. I know that the Secretary of HHS has made statements about finding the cause of autism, but at the same this admin is proposing to eliminate autism programs and is making drastic cuts to research funding. So, the net effect is a reduction in autism funding and support.
The Secretary of HHS has also said that genetic research is a "dead end" for understanding autism and is prioritizing environmental research instead. That would be great if there were additional research funding for environmental research, but instead the overall funding is being cut.
From a Time article on this topic:
“Funding for autism research is actually disappearing at a time when we see the director of HHS talking a lot about autism as though they think it is important,” says Micheal Paige Sandbank, an autism researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Behind the scenes, they are taking a hammer to the whole apparatus for autism research.”
Related topic but one I didn't cover in my article above: to the extent autism does have environmental causes, the current admin is repealing protections against toxins and pollutants in our air and water. So even if the federal administration continues to fund environmental research for autism, at the same time they're subjecting more of us to harmful pollutants, including ones that provably harm children and contribute to autism.
I wish that there were more substance behind the current administration's statements about autism, but unfortunately I'm seeing setbacks, not advances. I think it's important to look at what people do, not just what they say.
Here are a few more links supporting what I've said, I would never ask you to just take my word for it.
Depending on when the person reads your articles, it would be most helpful if you specified which administration you’re speaking of, since the newest administration has decreed autism as one of their primary focuses in finding out more answers on the devastating rise in autism.
-From a grandparent of two deemed “completely different leveled” autistic children.
Hi Tamara! Thanks so much for reading my article and commenting, and for sharing about your grandkids. They're lucky to have you as their grandparent.
I'm talking about the current administration, unfortunately. I know that the Secretary of HHS has made statements about finding the cause of autism, but at the same this admin is proposing to eliminate autism programs and is making drastic cuts to research funding. So, the net effect is a reduction in autism funding and support.
The Secretary of HHS has also said that genetic research is a "dead end" for understanding autism and is prioritizing environmental research instead. That would be great if there were additional research funding for environmental research, but instead the overall funding is being cut.
From a Time article on this topic:
“Funding for autism research is actually disappearing at a time when we see the director of HHS talking a lot about autism as though they think it is important,” says Micheal Paige Sandbank, an autism researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Behind the scenes, they are taking a hammer to the whole apparatus for autism research.”
Link: https://time.com/7279068/trump-administration-autism-research-cuts/
Related topic but one I didn't cover in my article above: to the extent autism does have environmental causes, the current admin is repealing protections against toxins and pollutants in our air and water. So even if the federal administration continues to fund environmental research for autism, at the same time they're subjecting more of us to harmful pollutants, including ones that provably harm children and contribute to autism.
I wish that there were more substance behind the current administration's statements about autism, but unfortunately I'm seeing setbacks, not advances. I think it's important to look at what people do, not just what they say.
Here are a few more links supporting what I've said, I would never ask you to just take my word for it.
- https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/149/1/e2021053012/183720/Considering-Toxic-Chemicals-in-the-Etiology-of
- https://floodlightnews.org/as-epa-pulls-back-schoolchildren-could-face-the-steepest-risks/
- https://healthpolicy-watch.news/epa-plans-to-roll-back-dozens-of-regulations-threatening-americas-health-environmental-health-experts-warn/
- https://strangeclarity.substack.com/p/breaking-leaked-hhs-proposed-budget
Thanks again for reading and commenting.
Kindly,
Laura
Amazing work. Thank you for this!
Thanks so much Eric!