Autism Advocacy Community Applauds U.S. Senators Santorum (R-PA) and Dodd (D-CT) for Introducing Combating Autism Act of 2005. This one hits close to home as my eldest is autistic. It's a growing epidemic and one that we igore at our peril. I say this not only for my son but for the thousands that will follow after him if we don't find a cure or a cause. One thing people don't realize (and certainly, I didn't.) is how much hidden cost is associated with disabled children. Special diets, very expensive medicine every 20 days on and on and on. The bill above seeks to alleviate some of these costs. It's probably going to sound driven by self interest but it's not. This is vitally important for those with autism. Early intervention and therapy is the only way these people are going to be self sufficient, functioning members of society. If we ignore them at the outset, we're going to be carrying a larger burden in terms of societal cost down the road when they require full time care. It's not only the compassionate thing to do, it's the practical solution as well.

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