These remarks come from our UAC President, Mirella Petersen. This morning, the CDC released the new national rate for Autism in the USA. It is now 1 in 88, which is higher than the old rate of 1 in 110. They also released the new rate for the state of Utah. It used to be 1 in 77, the new rate is now 1 in 47. Mirella had this to say at the press conference:
"Good morning. My name is Mirella Petersen. I am the President of the
Utah Autism Coalition. I am an aunt, a cousin and a friend to hundreds
of children affected by autism. I am the mother of 3 boys, one of which
was diagnosed with autism in January of 2011 at the age of 4. I am
humbled today to represent parents throughout the state of Utah who have
children living with autism. These parents are truly some of the finest
warriors I have ever encountered. As a parent, it is devastating to
hear that your child has an autism spectrum disorder. Even more
devastating, is to learn that there is a serious lack of access to
evidence-based treatments that have been shown to dramatically improve
the symptoms of autism – especially for those treated in childhood. But
there is so much hope. The message I want to share today is one of hope
and urgency.
I have had the great privilege of working
with parents of children with autism from Apple Valley to Lewiston.
From Tooele to Heber, and everywhere in between. They are in every
county, every city and every neighborhood. We have been fighting to
raise awareness and build hope for families affected by autism
throughout the state of Utah. When I think of heroes, I picture a single
mother in Huntsville raising a child with autism that suffers from such
severe sensory issues that he has to be fed through a tube. With great
effort, she brought him to multiple meetings with her local legislators
to share with them the struggles she gladly endures and the help she so
desperately needs. I think of the father in Paragonah, struggling with a
teenaged son living with autism, taking time off of work to raise
awareness about the need for qualified adult services for his son. I
think of the grandparents in Sandy who spent their afternoon making
valentines cards for their local representatives to show their support
for their grandchildren affected by autism. I picture the family who had
sold their car to pay for medical services for their child with autism,
but without complaint spent a significant part of their family budget
to take a bus across the Salt Lake Valley to meet with their legislators
and share their story. These families, their efforts, their unwavering
battle to help their children is nothing short of heroic.
What
these parents know, what they live each day is hope. They know that
autism is a treatable disorder. With access to the right services, every
child with autism can improve and many will live joyful, fulfilling and
independent lives. While they are ragged with over-exertion and
over-extended physically, emotionally and financially they continue to
cling to hope and act with urgency because they know that time is of the
essence. They know that their child has talents and abilities that will
blow the neurotypical world away, if given the chance. Let’s do our
part to give them that chance.
As I ponder the results
of this study today, I am struck with the impression that this is a cry
out to all of us to take action now. This a call to action to parents
to watch for the signs of autism and have their children tested at the
earliest signs of concern. It is a call to action to pediatricians and
health care providers to initiate screenings earlier. It is a call to
action for our legislators to actively participate in creating tangible
solutions for the autism community. It is a call to action for insurance
carriers to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism. This is a call
to action to society to become more aware, to offer a helping hand, to
reserve judgment, to show a greater outpouring of compassion, empathy
and love toward those individuals affected by autism as well as their
siblings and parents. My plea today is for each of us to take action
now, in our own sphere of influence, for in that action there is so much
hope for the many families and individuals affected by autism. Thank
you."
