Senator Susan Collins (ME) is 'proud' of reauthorizing the Autism CARES Act--WHY?

After two decades, why bother?

Senator Susan Collins

Autism, the developmental disorder that officially affects one in every 36 U.S. children, one in every 22 boys and is expected to get even worse, has no known cause, prevention or cure.

Relatively unknown until the end of the 20th century, autism has become a household word. We have a whole month every April where we joyfully light up famous monuments around the world in blue lights in celebration of autism. By now, we all pretty much assume autism will remain a perpetual puzzle.

The autism puzzle

Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta dutifully give us updates on the autism rate every couple of years, usually coinciding with the festivities of Autism Acceptance Month in April.

NO ONE at the CDC has ever admitted a true increase in the autism rate. It is always due to greater awareness, better diagnosing by doctors.

NO ONE at the CDC can speculate on when exactly doctors will finally figure out the true autism numbers. (HINT: Since the rate in California is one in 22 and in Florida, it’s almost one in 20, it’s easy to see where this is going.)

NO ONE at the CDC is ever worried about autism. Since I’ve been following everything they put out for the past 20 years, I can say conclusively that no one there has used the word “crisis” when talking about autism. “Serious public health concern” is the strongest language I’ve ever seen when it comes to autism.

NO ONE at the CDC has ever been able to show us a comparable rate of autism among adults, but they’re satisfied that they’re out there.

THE LATEST AUTISM NEWS

The Autism [No One] CARES Act

Just now President Biden signed the reauthorization of the Autism CARES Act.

The bill was sponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.)

Senator Collins had this to say about the Autism CARES Act on her website:

“This bill will continue the successful programming across HHS that helps us better understand the causes and the symptoms of the Autism Spectrum Disorder and improve the lives of families affected by it,” said Senator Collins.

Successful?

There are several stories out about the Autism CARES Act of 2024, and they make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME, especially when it comes to Susan Collins.

From the reports, you’d think that we were making great strides in learning about and addressing autism and that Senator Collins really had something to smile about.

This law has been around for almost 20 years, and I seriously doubt that anyone in Congress really wants to know what’s behind the explosion in autism.

Dec 31, 2024, Mariposa CA Sierra Sun Times: U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ Autism CARES Act Signed into Law

The bill will renew and expand federal support for research, services, and training related to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Autism CARES is the main source of federal funding for autism research, services, training, and monitoring.

“This bill will continue the successful programming across HHS that helps us better understand the causes and the symptoms of the Autism Spectrum Disorder and improve the lives of families affected by it,” said Senator Collins. “I am proud that we have reauthorized this important law, which is critical to expanding research at the NIH, supporting the CDC's effort to increase public awareness and early detection of autism spectrum disorder, and strengthening and expanding the Health Research and Services Administration's workforce training to identify and support children and youth with autism as well as their families.”

Senator Lujan: “Not only does the Autism CARES Act of 2024 renew federal support for autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities, but it also expands critical research and training programs that benefit people with autism and their families. I’m proud to see this bill pass the Senate, and now I am calling on the House for swift passage to continue to drive research and support individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities for years to come.”

“The reauthorization of Autism CARES brings us one step closer to ensuring stronger, more meaningful inclusion for the entirety of the spectrum in research, supports, and services.

They’re proud? Of what?

Both senators declared that they’re ‘PROUD’ of the Autism CARES Act, but their glowing words really have no relationship to the real world.

IN TRUTH, this is nothing more than autism busywork that creates the façade that people are doing something about autism.

Actually, no one in charge will ever address what autism is really about.

The Autism CARES Act includes $2 billion for more dead-end research similar to the bogus studies we’ve paid for since 2006 when the official autism rate was one in 166 children, one in 102 boys.

The federal government will happily fund ANYTHING that lays the blame for autism on the parents.

BESIDES THE SEARCH FOR THE ELUSIVE AUTISM GENE, the government has funded studies linking autism to:

Fat moms, drinking moms, smoking moms, old moms, moms who marry old dads, moms who have preemies, moms who have babies too close together, moms who live too close to freeways, moms with low levels of D3, moms who carry Neanderthal DNA, moms with specific fatty acids in cord blood, moms on antidepressants, and moms who expose babies to BPA during pregnancy. (It worked so well blaming the “refrigerator mom” of the 1950s and 60s.)

On December 30^th a story in the Portland Press Herald had the headline, U.S. to expand autism research under new law co-sponsored by Maine Sen. Susan Collins

This article dismissed any real increase in autism.

Scientists have concluded that doctors and families are getting better at recognizing when children are showing signs of autism — such as difficulties communicating and disrupted social development — and are therefore better at diagnosing autism compared to decades ago. Whether there's been a true increase in the prevalence of autism is still being researched.

So who’s doing the research to determine “whether there’s been a true increase in the prevalence of autism”?

Members of Congress, along with everyone in our health care agencies have passively watched the explosion in the autism rate and deliberately tried to make it all go away.

The media has been used to further the cover-up. The one thing that none of these people will address honestly is the claim of a direct link between this increase in the vaccine schedule and the explosion in the autism rate.

A simple study of fully vaccinated and never vaccinated children to compare the rate of autism would settle the controversy in an instance. With so many parents now too scared or too well-informed to vaccinate, the study group is out there.

All those people so eager to address autism should use some of that $2 billion to fund an independent study exactly like this. All of those convinced that THERE IS NO LINK, should demand this research. However, they are the most vehemently opposed to doing it.

WHY? I can only conclude that it’s because they already know what such a study would show, and no one wants to even consider what such findings would do to the American people.

Here is something that should be of interest to Senator Collins. On December 30th this was in the Harpswell Anchor: School officials respond to ‘ballooning’ special education enrollment./

Nearly one in four students in this district have special needs.

Across Maine School Administrative District 75, nearly 25% of students were enrolled in special education services during the 2023-24 school year, up from 21% five years earlier. MSAD 75 covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.

Not a real increase, just like autism

Maine and the nation have seen a similar rise in special education enrollment, with experts attributing much of the long-term trend to improved identification practices and increased awareness of developmental and learning disabilities. . . .

A 2023 study published by the National Institutes of Health found that excessive screen time — defined as more than two hours per day for young children — was associated with “behavioral and conduct problems, developmental delay, speech disorders, learning disability, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”

Actually this is typical for Maine.

Mar 3, 2020, Lewiston, ME: 21 percent of students are sped.

In 2019 Rumford, ME announced that they had over 25 percent of students with special needs.

Mar 29, 2018, Rockland, ME 21 percent of students with special needs.

Apparently the increases in special education numbers AND the autism rate can continue indefinitely and Collins, Lujan and everyone else on Capitol Hill can be expected to keep reauthorizing the Autism CARES Act, since they all care so much.

I wonder what the rate will be the next time they vote on this.

YOUR THOUGHT?