AAIDD F.Y.I.
March 2007, Vol.7, No.3
Visit www.aaidd.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter. Subscribe at http://www.responsetrack.net/aamr/sign_up.
Dear AAIDD Friends and Colleagues:
NEW DATA FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL REVEALS THAT AUTISM IS MORE COMMON THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT IN THE UNITED STATES, AFFECTING ONE IN 150 CHILDREN
On February 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the first and largest summary of prevalence data for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), reporting that one in 150 children in multiple U.S. communities had autism. These revised numbers dispel the currently held prevalence estimate of four to five per 10,000 children.
To read a press release from CDC on the discovery, visit http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2007/r070208.htm
To read a summary of findings on this new data, visit http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5601.pdf
To read a full report from CDC titled, Prevalence of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in Multiple Areas of the United States, 2000 and 2002, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/documents/AutismCommunityReport.pdf.
LEARN HOW THE DEFINITION SYSTEM OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RELATES TO IDEA AND OTHER INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, IN THE NEW USER’S GUIDE
The new User’s Guide, a publication of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, explains how the supports-based AAIDD definition system of intellectual disability is related to the Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA), and other contemporary practices. These include, educating students in least restrictive settings; using supplementary aides and services to support classroom learning; providing access to the general curriculum; and creating Individualized Education Plans for students.
The AAIDD definition and diagnostic system moves away from a historic reliance on deficits of an individual, to viewing an intellectual disability as a condition that can be enhanced by providing proper supports.
Click here to learn more about the User’s Guide—Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Supports.
The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is a partner in the SAFER campaign. Laura Abulafia, Director of the AAIDD Environmental Health Initiative explains, “Evidence exists that many chemicals in commerce either cause or exacerbate health problems of people living with disabilities. By taking on the issue of chemical policy reform, AAIDD is representing this important ‘at risk’ population in policy action.” To learn more, tune in to a free teleconference call on SAFER hosted by AAIDD on June 12, 2007 at 2-3 pm US Eastern Standard Time. Details coming soon on www.ehinitiative.org. Questions? Email books@aaidd.org.
MENTAL RETARDATION IS NO MORE. NEW NAME IS INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
One of the oldest journals in developmental disabilities has a new name—Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation). The journal's name change is a microcosm of society's ongoing efforts to find a socially acceptable way of addressing persons with an intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) reports on practical issues faced by professionals working with people who have cognitive disabilities.
Several significant studies published in IDD over the past five decades are highlighted in a press release issued on the journal’s name change by its publisher, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
MEDICAID IS NOT LIKELY TO BE A FINANCIAL BURDEN, AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN SUSTAIN MEDICAID FUNDING OVER THE NEXT 40 YEARS, A NEW INDEPENDENT STUDY SHOWS
As the U.S. Congress prepares to debate the President’s budget and address the growing federal deficit and the future sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) projects a less dire situation than suggested by conventional wisdom. Medicaid is the main, and sometimes only significant source of public funding for people with intellectual disabilities.
Click here to read, “Is Medicaid Sustainable? Spending Projections For The Program's Second Forty Years” by Richard Kronick and David Rousseau published in the journal Health Affairs.
To read a press release on the report issued by KCMU, visit http://www.kff.org/medicaid/kcmu022307nr.cfm.
CHILDREN WITH BORDERLINE INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING MAY BE AT RISK FOR POOR PARENTING; MOTHERS OF SUCH CHILDREN DISPLAYED LESS POSITIVE AND SENSITIVE BEHAVIOR DURING STUDY OF 217 FAMILIES
A study of 217 mothers and 5-year olds with borderline intellectual functioning revealed that this group of children is uniquely vulnerable to poor parenting. Parenting displayed by mothers of children with borderline intelligence and the general interaction in these families is marked by low maternal involvement rather than by hostility or overt mother–child conflict, according to the study. The study is published in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal on Mental Retardation (AJMR) and can be accessed at http://www.aaidd.org/Reading_Room/pdf/AJMR_parenting_March2007.pdf.
Click here to read the table of contents from the current issue of AJMR.
AAIDD F.Y.I. is compiled by Anna Prabhala, Editor and is published by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Formerly AAMR). Please submit comments, suggestions, tips, and news to annap@aaidd.org. For more information on becoming an AAIDD member, visit http://www.aaidd.org/Membership/index.shtml.
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