STATEMENT BY ADMIRAL JOE SESTAK

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), affects millions of families across the United States. As a member of Congress, I fought hard to secure the first new federal funding for autism treatment and services in over twelve years. The vehicle was the annual defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2009 and the focus was increasing funds for families who have a loved one with ASD. At the time, I said this: “A new case of an autism disorder is diagnosed every 20 minutes, affecting one in every 150 American children as the fastest-growing serious developmental disease in the United States.” Sadly, in the decade since then the autism rate has risen to one in every 59 American children. Of course, it’s still quite unclear whether these numbers point to a steep increase in cases of ASD or merely in better public education about the condition and increased diagnoses, but in either case it is a serious concern demanding far more attention from policymakers.

Some doctors and researchers are concerned that because of the complex nature of Autism Spectrum Disorders — and the wide range of treatments that have been tested — there may never be a complete “cure.” But there have been many advancements, and research is still revealing new information about autism every day. Some believe that gene therapy may yet provide a cure. But most everyone believes that early diagnosis and intervention can improve quality of life for people with autism and their families. Due to the brain’s plasticity, especially when children are very young, early intervention with the latest behavioral therapy techniques is showing great promise. We must increase funding, as part of the transition to a universal healthcare system, for evidence-based, medically necessary therapies and services for people with autism. And we must also increase funding for expanded research into the efficacy of various therapies, because there still has not been nearly enough such research thus far.

Critically, we must also devote more resources to discovering the cause or causes of autism. While a “cure” still proves evasive, we must do everything we can to reduce the number of cases of ASD. We need to find out why the rate of autism is increasing faster among African American and Hispanic people, after having long been more prevalent among the white population, and how environmental factors and genetic factors come into play. Scientists are exploring many theories — from prenatal infection to hereditary genetics, chemical exposure to gastro-intestinal microbes, and combinations of multiple factors — but they lack the necessary resources to swiftly come to any conclusions. The federal government must step up and find the funding required to get the job done. We have no way of knowing how such research may improve the lives of people living with autism already, but we know it is our best chance at reducing the number of cases in the future.

I fought throughout my time in Congress to increase support for individuals and families living with autism, beginning with military families. As President, I will continue to do everything in my power to support all Americans with autism and their families.

If you'd like to know more about my positions on autism, on healthcare more generally, or on other issues, please visit my website at www.joesestak.com. You can also contact my press team for more information at [email protected] or (914) 272-5803.

Respectfully,
Joe Sestak

  Paid for by Joe Sestak for President.

Joe Sestak
P.O Box 17246
Alexandria, VA 22302
United States

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