Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on Saturday unveiled a plan that would drastically increase funding and boost support services for families with an autistic loved one, according to a press release.
“Driven by their love and devotion to their children, mothers and fathers across the country have raised awareness, demanded funding, and opened our eyes to the needs of so many of our children living with autism,” Clinton said.
“It’s time we had a government and a president that recognized the seriousness of autism and addressed it head-on. It’s up to us to reclaim the future for our children, and ensure that every child can live up to his or her God-given potential.”
The plan:
Clinton will provide approximately $700 million a year to address autism through the following initiatives:
- Expanding research to identify causes of autism and monitoring its impact across the country
- Creating an Autism Task Force charged with investigating evidence-based treatments, interventions, and services
- Providing planning and demonstration grants for services for adults
- Improving access to post-diagnosis care
- Providing teacher training
- Creating a National Technical Assistance Center
- Guaranteeing quality, affordable health care
