Autism Task Force meets in Mobile
Thursday, January 17, 2008
By GRETA SHARP
Correspondent

Autism is a growing problem in Alabama, state Rep. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, told about 100 parents, educators and state officials at the Little Tree Learning Center in west Mobile on Wednesday at a meeting of the Alabama Autism Task Force.

Ward, who has a young child with autism, is chairman of the task force which he and Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom formed last year to raise awareness and improve the treatment of autism in Alabama.

"It's a growing trend, and no one really knows why," said Ward. According to the American Medical Association, one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism. In December 2006, there were 2,297 diagnosed autistic children in Alabama public schools according to Alabama Kids Count Data.

"The state government doesn't have the financial resources to find a cure for autism," said Ward. "No state government does. But we have an obligation to find better services for those families with loved ones with autism."

Ward is proposing legislation that would enable the Autism Task Force to continue gathering information for one more year. A second bill, the Alabama Autism Support Act of 2008, would create a permanent state autism council to coordinate the efforts of state agencies regarding autism.

Ward said autism isn't a problem that's going to be solved overnight. "Awareness and money," he said. "They're both in short supply in Montgomery. We've got to figure out a way to make this a priority for our state."

Local officials at the meeting included state Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile, and state Reps. Jim Barton, R-Mobile, and Jamie Ison, R-Mobile. Also in attendance were Mabrey Whetstone, director of special education services with the Alabama Department of Education; Steve Shivers, commissioner the Department of Rehabilitation Services; and several members of the Mobile County school board.

At the meeting, several local organizations, service providers and support groups, including the Little Tree Learning Center, a pre-school for autistic and non-autistic children, made presentations on their services.

"People are calling this an epidemic. It's really a public health crisis," said Dana Handmacher, who has an autistic child at Little Tree and serves on the board of the Autism Society of Alabama.

Kelvin and Latonya Sumlin, who have an autistic daughter at the Little Tree Learning Center, said the programs are effective. Kelvin Sumlin said that after recently returning from a four-month deployment to Afghanistan, he was amazed at the progress their daughter made in her communication skills.

Karin Murphy said her mission is helping others understand autism and how to interact with her pre-school age daughter. "People need to understand," Murphy said. "It's not that she doesn't want to be your friend. She doesn't know how to be your friend. When she does to go kindergarten, I don't want kids on the playground to make fun of her."