Political Committee Awareness Campaign
During the school year, you can find us every other week on Cox Bridge for Wonderful Wednesday. We love meeting students and discussing issues we see in autism diagnosis and access across Georgia and hearing stories about your home states.
While we are on summer break amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we have moved our platform online. Please feel free to engage in conversation and join our mission of raising awareness and empathy to make an impact on our community.
If you are looking to get involved or speak with us, please email our VP of Political and Media Management @Julian.McCarthy@emory.edu or President @Holly.Dai.Shan@emory.edu
Higher economic status is found to be correlated with higher rates of autism diagnosis. This could be due to the ascertainment bias (how we collect the data) and show us how it is imperative that we increase healthcare access to more families.
Young adults with autism have lower employment rates as well as higher rates of complete social isolation. Service sector job shifts may be a reason for this. Paige talks to us about the implications of this and why need our politicians to take notice. She writes about this as well on our Autism Rights Issues page.
Members of the ASD community have alarmingly higher rates of unemployment and lack of higher education. Education and employment is the root of success in our country and it is imperative that we encourage the education and employment of those who are living with autism spectrum disorder in order to allow them to reach their full potential.
We are delving deeper in the relationship between politics and autism by looking at policy conflicts within autism. Children with disabilities are 2 times more likely to get sexual assaulted by t
Amanda tells us how to see the signs of autism. Violence is a huge issue in this population. Children with autism are 2.5 times more likely to be reported to a child abuse center before the age of 8.
Bullying occurs in children with ASD at an alarmingly high rate with seemingly no support or programs to aid them, specifically. Such a huge portion of an individual’s social confidence and aptitude is developed during their middle and high school experiences, so if we, as a community, can find a way to support them more effectively, it would have long-lasting effects.
Today, Julie tells us about sexual abuse in those with autism. It is saddening to hear girls and boys with autism under 18 years old are 2 times more likely to experience sexual assault. Most of these children know their abuser.
Joyce points out the disparities in healthcare for those with autism. Physicians, nurses, and even mental health experts lack the training needed to communicate with individuals with autism. Simple procedures such as PAP smears or getting a prescription medication is much harder for those on the spectrum.
Amanda shares a story from her home town of Chicago where a black man with autism was shot while going to the convenient store. Stories like this are not rare. 1/5 teens with autism are questioned by police before age 21. 1/20 have experienced police brutality.
Paige found out that suicide in those with autism are 9 times higher than the general population. Delayed diagnosis, poor resources, and isolation are one of the few explanations of this.