This article was published in The Autism Society of North Carolina’s summer 2011 issue of The Spectrum. Current and past issues of The Spectrum can be found under Publications on our website. Families, self-advocates and ASNC faced difficult challenges in advocating for better services and supports for people on the autism spectrum as we headed into the long…
Corporal Punishment – It’s the Law! Bill 498
Editor’s Note – The following article was written by Linda Griffin, Parent Advocate Director for the Autism Society of North Carolina. It’s the 21st Century, and we have made such incredible progress – from splitting the atom to landing on the moon. We believe that we are wise and enlightened. We have conducted research on…
The Gift
The following article is submitted by Autism Society of North Carolina Parent Advocate Tali Denton. As parents of kids with autism, we can get worn down not only from the physical demands of parenting a child on the spectrum but by the emotional demands as well. It seems that our teen son needs and has…
Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities: NC House Bill 344
[The Autism Society of North Carolina now has a comprehensive fact sheet on HB 344 Education Tax Credit for Children with Disabilities on its website here.] Thursday June 30th 2011 House Bill 344 Tax Credits for Children with Disabilities became law in North Carolina. Starting this year, families will be able to claim a…
Surviving Summer with Autism Spectrum Disorder
These surviving summer tips are brought to you by Nancy Popkin and Kim Tizzard, Autism Society of North Carolina Parent Advocates. Do you have any tips to share? Post them in the comments section below! Summer Challenges: Change in schedule / routine Sensory challenges Travel Extended family members who don’t understand autism Summer Survival Solutions …
This Week at the NC General Assembly
Governor’s Budget Veto On Sunday The Governor vetoed the state budget passed by the NC General Assembly. At this point, the NC Senate has enough majority votes to override a veto, and the NC House believes they also can override a veto if at least 4 of the 5 Democrats who voted for the budget…
State Budget and Managed Care Waiver Update
NC State Budget Last week the NC General Assembly passed a budget for the 2011-2013 budget years that was compromise bill negotiated between the NC House and NC Senate, prior to the Senate passing their own budget. In the final version, the General Assembly used the House version of the budget numbers for Health and…
Autism Insurance: Not Dead Yet!
Autism insurance bill sponsors have introduced very good bills this year that make sure that North Carolina health plans cover services for autism spectrum disorder so it’s disappointing that autism insurance legislation has not moved forward in the North Carolina General Assembly this session. We all know it’s the right thing to do, making sure…
Senate Budget Released: More Cuts to Autism!
On May 24, the North Carolina Senate released its version of the state budget, which cuts an additional 3% from Health and Human Services programs, including $30 million in cuts to state funded services (IPRS), $51 million more in cuts to Medicaid optional services for adults, $10 million in cuts to non-profits, and $25 million…