Fwd: NY: Take Action, New DSM5 Bills to Protect Your Child's Services, Insurance and Education

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I don't know how to make this happen where I live - in Texas..... However support this wholeheartedly....Carolyn WSent from my iPhoneBegin forwarded message:Date: May 3, 2012 1:28:09 PM CDTTo: "Carolyn Weisbard" Subject: NY: Take Action, New DSM5 Bills to Protect Your Child's Services, Insurance and EducationReply-To: "Autism Action Network (A-CHAMP)"

NY: Take Action, New DSM5 Bills to Protect Your Child's Services, Insurance and Education

Act Today to Stop DSM5 in New York Take Action!SUpport New Bills A9983/S7072 In response to the threat to people with autism and their families presented by the redefinition of “autism†proposed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM5), New York Assemblymember Tom Abinanti and State Senator Roy Mc have entered new identical bills, Assembly Bill A9983, and Senate Bill S7072, what

will define “autism†in the New York State Mental Health Code according to the current criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4 (DSM4). The goal is to start rewriting

New York law to prevent people from losing their autism diagnosis, and the health insurance coverage, educational placements and services that are dependent on that diagnosis. We need every parent of a person with autism, every person with autism, and every person who cares about someone with autism to do click on the Take Action link which will send emails to your State Senator and Assemblymember asking them to co-sponsor A9983/S7072. And please forward this email to friends and family and post to Facebook and other social networks.This new legislation is in addition to the bill (A9180/S6685) introduced last month that would modify the New York insurance code. Unfortunately, this insurance bill is more or less dead at this point do to Senate procedural

issues. The goal now is to pass A9180/S6685 and define “autism†in the New York Mental Health Code, and then use that definition to modify the rest of New York law,

including the insurance code. The Child Study Center at Yale published a recent study that showed that applying the new criteria reduced a known group of people with autism by 55%, including 70% of the higher functioning people and even 30% of the lower functioning people. N of the author’s on the Yale Study was Fred Volkmar, who headed up the APA autism committee that wrote the current DSM-4 criteria. If you support the work of the Autism Action network please consider making a donation at www.autismactionnetwork.org/donate.html

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