Many people over the past year have asked me how I became so involved in military advocacy for our military dependent children with autism. Well as you all know I have four children - two with autism - our children weren't receiving services and I stumbled on an opportunity one day last year to possibly make a difference HERE. It was quite simple what I did, I wrote, which is what I do. I was quite ticked that my kids weren't able to receive services! But on that particular day I did something I've never done before; I included my email publicly in this comment. Within a few days Karen Driscoll contacted me.
Since Karen initially contacted me just over a year ago, very few days have gone by during which we did not speak once if not mulitple times. Karen has worked her butt off for our children. She has literally "pounded the pavement" of the Pentagon. I remember one day when we were on the phone during a really heavy workload time for both of us, and she actually discovered she had several blisters on her feet. That's "pounding the pavement"!
It has been an honor to work with Karen this past year and I look forward to what will come about next year. We have quite a team of military parents who are working together, and I must say that I am damn proud to be a military spouse and the mother of two children with autism.
Air Force Core Values:
Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence In All We Do.
Marine Corps:
Semper Fidelis - translation: Always Faithful
I am proud of US News & World Report for reporting the truth about the military and lack of treatment for our children with autism. I thank you, and thousands of military families will thank you as well. US News & World Report has demonstrated the values of the Marine Corps and Air Force fully, in this article. You are the first national publication to tell the world fully about the plight of our military dependent children with autism.
I pray that US News & World Report will stay tuned and continue to report on the autism epidemic, for both the military and civilian children and adults who have autism and suffer from a grave lack treatment accessability.
Intro paragraph from US News & World Report:
"Karen Driscoll might seem the unlikeliest of lobbyists to cruise the halls of Congress. Indeed, the Marine Corps wife and mother with three young children, one of whom has autism, didn't envision herself hustling down the marbled corridors in a power suit. Yet, on a recent fall day, Driscoll is maneuvering her way like a K Street pro, eager for any opportunity to make her case that the Pentagon's healthcare system is failing active-duty military families with autistic children, families like her own."
Please read the entire US News & World Report on autism in the military HERE.
Karen... YOU ROCK!!!!! Semper Fi
Sidenote: I would like to point out that Major General Elder Granger explains autism as a neurobiological disorder... Tabers 19th Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary... forgive my incorrect citation :) When looking up neurobiology it defers to the biology of the nervous system. Ahhh... "One of the regulatory systems, made up of millions of neurons in precise pathways to transmit electron-chemicals impulses, and of neuroglial cells that have several functions, including formation of myelin sheaths of neurons". It also goes on to include information about the spinal cord and that of the peripheral nervous system... Sensory Integration Disorder? Does this sound familiar to anyone? And MG Granger knows it??? He called autism a neurobiological disorder last year, yet refuses to fully treat autism as such. My personal opinion is that my children's immune systems have been damaged to the extent that their Microglia cells are permanently damanged...
Grow up Elder. You better figure out a way to take care of our Wounded Warriors and you better figure out, upon the advice of parents, how to treat our military dependent children with autism.
Where's your coin?
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2 comments:
Once again...You are a brave and powerful *Woman*. Your work will help not only the children of those who serve America, but all children of America. Thank you.
Thank you for this post. My daughter was diagnosed in 2005 and it took us THREE YEARS to get into the Exceptional Family Member Program! THREE YEARS!!! She is now almost SIX and has had only what the public schools offer her; she needs SO MUCH MORE therapy then what she gets but we cannot afford to pay for in-home ABA. Now we can finally arrange for it through ECHO.
I sincerely pray that we are not too late in starting in-home ABA, that it can still make a difference even though she is no longer in the toddler category. She is nonverbal and still not potty-trained and I have four other children. We are doing biomedical treatments and seeing some major improvements in her overall health but she still badly needs extra behavioral therapy.
I started a blog a short while back where I talk a lot about my daughter and our life with autism and being military. You can click on my profile to go to it. I will add you to my blogroll soon; I am glad to see another military autism mommy.
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