Officilas hope N.J. autism registry will benefit families dealing with Autism
Posted Friday, October 09, 2009 from The Star-Ledger
Officials hope N.J. autism registry will benefit families dealing with autism
By Elise Young/Statehouse Bureau
October 08, 2009, 5:01PM
Inthis June 2009 file photo, Laurie Duddy gets a hug from one of hertwins, Tommy, as her other son, Alex, works on his writing. Both boys,who have autism, spend time with mom at home in Franklin Park.Officials hope that families like the Dudys can benefit from The NewJersey Autism Registry.TRENTON -- Families dealingwith autism soon may see the benefits of a database designed to trackcases and direct people with the disorder to health care and otherservices, officials said today.
The New Jersey Autism Registry,which went live Oct. 1, is open to neurologists, psychiatrists andothers who are required by law to report diagnoses of the neurologicaldisorder.
The database is confidential and restricted to medicalprofessionals. Staff members of more than 50 hospitals have receivedtraining to access the system.
The registry has several purposes: to identify possible geographical"hot spots;" to guide families to promising treatments; and to help thestate plot where to direct resources for future cases. It is similar tothe state’s longstanding Special Child Health Services registries forDown syndrome, craniofacial anomalies, cardiovascular disorders andother defects.
"The New Jersey Autism Registry is a great advancement in thestate’s ability to accurately identify the prevalence of autism, andthat will enable us to better serve those families in the future withthe most appropriate array of services," Health Commissioner HeatherHoward told parents at the Douglass Developmental Disability Center inNew Brunswick.
New Jersey has the country’s highest rate of autism, a mysteriousneurological disorder, with 1 in 94 children affected, according to thefederal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national rate had been 1 in 150, but this week the CDC revisedthe figure, to 1 in 100 individuals affected between the ages of 1 and17. Authorities said the statistics don’t necessarily indicate a risein incidence, and instead could be the result of more accuratediagnoses.
Autism has no known cause, although researchers believe it is linkedto environment and genes. Cases are plotted along a "spectrum," withsymptoms ranging from barely noticeable to profoundly debilitating.Advocates say that people with autism aren’t less intelligent, buttheir brains function differently.
Some people with autism can have trouble socializing orcommunicating; engage in compulsive behavior such as head-banging; andoverreact to unexpected sounds or flashing lights. Some have remarkabletalent in mathematics and the arts.
This year Gov. Jon Corzine signed legislation requiring insurers to cover up to $36,000 a year per individual for behavioral intervention treatments.
In 2007 he signed bills designed to address autism issues, withmillions of dollars for research and regional treatment centers;training for police, fire and other emergency workers; a panel toaddress issues for adults with autism; and a focus on job, educationand housing arrangements.Back to Articles
