I’m doing a majority cross post on this one on both my Autism and my political blogs, with only difference being that on the political blog I’m talking about two issues whereas on the Autism blog it’s just the one – Hillary’s policy on Autism.

I finally got the link to the policy that I thought I’d lost. It was given to me by Cube Demon, and it’s also on Jonathan Mitchell’s blog but I forgot about it. It would of course been easier if Nick Walker had just given the link. I can safely say that his belief that Hillary is against Autism is 99 percent wrong, and that’s good enough for me. The Autistic community should vote for Hillary, and I’ll show her positives shortly.

But let’s put the other candidates in their box, and it naturally starts with Donald Trump. That idiot supports the bunked idea that vaccines cause Autism. Those of us with a brain know that it’s not true. He thinks that changing the vaccine structure will make a difference. It won’t – not one iota. Autism is genetic in origin and that is a fact that he ignores totally. He has nothing for us – at all.

Jill Stein, the Greens candidate, doesn’t have a specific platform on Autism it would appear. But she has used one word to describe it that makes her an enemy – “epidemic”. That’s the same as calling Autism as disease, which it’s not. So at present at least she is a threat to us. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, also doesn’t have a specific platform on Autism. Unlike Stein there’s nothing at all as a guide. It’s the same with Darrell Castle, from the Constitution Party. He though may have some understanding at least as a lawyer who has a policy within that structure on getting Autistics Social Security Disability Insurance. Mind you having said that he has Asperger Syndrome listed separately when it shouldn’t be because of the DSM-5.

So the only person with a detailed policy on Autism is Hillary Clinton. And it’s a winner.

• Screening and Awareness – Boost early screening rates with a nationwide outreach campaign; and Promote multi-sector awareness campaign.
• Autism Treatment and Insurance Coverage – Improve access to autism services in the ACA marketplace and through private health insurance; Increase state compliance with Medicaid coverage requirements for children with autism and other developmental disabilities and create an autism-service-access scorecard that makes state Medicaid compliance publicly accessible; and Work with the Department of Defense to ensure military families have full access to autism services through TRICARE, the health care program dedicated to service members, veterans, and their families.
• Safety and Services for Children and Youth – Enact the Keeping All Students Safe Act; and Protect children with autism from bullying in their classrooms.
• Community Supports and Services for Individuals Transitioning into Adulthood – Launch a new Autism Works Initiative consisting of a post-graduation transition plan for every student with autism aging out of school-based services and a public-private partnership with employers; The importance of a transition plan; The importance of public-private partnerships; Combine the Autism Works Initiative with new legislation to fund employment demonstration grants for individuals with autism and other disabilities; and Increase housing opportunities for autistic youth and adults.
• Caregiving – Encourage all states to enact ABLE legislation and ensure consumer protection for ABLE account beneficiaries; and Provide new support to caregivers.
• Research – Significantly increase funding so that the government can invest more in autism research; and Call for the first-ever adult autism prevalence and needs study.
• Enforcement – Ensure states meet their obligations under IDEA’s Child Find Program to identify, screen, and refer children with disabilities for services; Ensure access to assistive technologies; Enforce mental health parity protections; Continue vigorous enforcement of Olmstead; and Dedicate new funding to autism protection and advocacy.

This is all fantastic, but there is a single hole. In Safety and Services, the protection factor for children is limited to the classroom. It should include the Internet as well. Not only that, bullying is not limited to children on the Spectrum – there should be protection for adults as well.

Nick Walker claimed the Hillary Clinton called Autism a burden. The only mention of “burden” in the policy was the financial burden Autism places on families. And that burden is not caused by Autism itself. It is caused by societal and governmental neglect, and in the case of certainly the latter Hillary is covering that. In 2007 AEIOU valued that burden in Australia at an average of $5.8 billion AUD a year. Based in pure population that would put the US at $75.4 billion AUD or about $56 billion USD. Actual spending at present in both countries is well below that level, but in America at least Hillary seems to be committing to that. Any mention of the word “burden” in future by Hillary has to be taken in that context.

I also want to talk about the research. It does talk about genetic markers which can be dangerous, but as there is no mention of any particular target that’s not a problem. There is certainly no mention of pursuing a cure as a result of said research.

Bottom line – Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who is serious about Autism.