Will Autism Be Cured by Hillary?

Come on people! Politicans say anything to get a vote. I'd trust the devil before trusting the rhetoric coming out of politicians' mouths.

That's a good idea, Midori. I would be willing to pay more to get help for others, but such things are never going to happen without a HUGE change in our culture: doing away with "Me first" consumerism, etc. Even if the Feds did give funding, would Autistics have ANY say on how to spend it? I think not. Do you realize that Autism Speaks hasn't spent a DIME to actually HELP autistic people? Not a single Autistic adult is allowed to speak at their events, or sits on their board of directors. Money is nothing without knowing exactly how and where it will be spent, and a very close watch must be put in place to ensure that it will not be misused.
We already KNOW the Feds can't be trusted to do this, look at Katrina! Look at the 9-11 "fund", look at health care for Veterans! I advise all of you to check these sites and learn more about what's REALLY going on with Autism. www.aspergersquare8.blogspot.com
www.taaproject.com Hear what WE have to say before swallowing the hype.

My god. there are so many issues that need to be addressed and have additional funding. I think we need to have more federal money spent on all of them. I know this is heresy, but can someone please say they'll raise taxes and support more causes??

I feel quite strongly about this issue, as it concerns more than just children, but society as well.
I am an autistic adult, and life has been hard enough before very Tom Dick and Harry was encouraged to label everything different as a disease. There is no known cause for Autism, nor can it be 'Cured", as it is a difference in neurological formation. I have lived with this difference my whole life, and it has not made me a failure, or an idiot. The main problems have come from OTHERS who do not care to make any effort to understand me, who would rather write me off as "Broken" and see me drugged and kept locked away from "Normal, healthy folks." THIS is the real issue at stake, the quality of life for Autistics and others who are differently abled. It should never be about what we cannot do, but what we are capapble of offering to the world, on our own terms, not some arbitrary standard, set by people with no idea what it's like for us.

On my church's annual women's retreat this past spring, I enjoyed a mountain weekend with twenty-two other women, mostly mothers. On the second day we were surprised to realize that of the twenty-three, five of the women were mothers of children diagnosed within the Autism Spectrum; one of the five mothers had three children, one with autism and two with Asperger Syndrome. Twenty-three women represented seven children. Something must be done. Autism is epidemic and, as one of the five mothers represented on that retreat, I applaud Hillary for her stance and pray she sticks to it.

The sheer number of children who now are being diagnosed with autism is terrifying. I hope that whoever becomes president will work to help these families cope with autism and also to fund initiatives to figure out what's causing it.

My impression is that she is serious about this issue. They all get behind one cause or another. The fact that she is even bringing up funding is a huge step. None of the other candidates have even mentioned it, perhaps because these particular men have done very little child raising themselves. Just my impression...

I think the biggest thing any presidential candidate can do to help prevent and successfully treat diseases is to support universal health insurance. I don't think Hilary is looking to "cure" autism--not even the scientists know how to do that--but at least by providing insurance people can seek care when they need it.

I say go beyond NIH research, and include the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control, and the EPA to name a few. So much research is pointing to thermosol and environmental mercury poisoning as linked to increased rates in autism and other neurological disorders. The issue is larger than health and health insurance--it's an environmental one. We must look at the bigger picture. I hope very much that whoever the new president is will make major strides toward this endeavor. Sure, candidates always make more promises than they're able to actually deliver, but getting things in motion is a place to start.