Gabrielle Russon
The Senate cleared a bill with bipartisan support Wednesday to give more services to children with autism.
“What we’re doing today is we’re sending a message to those parents,” said Senate President Ben Albritton Wednesday after he called the initiative a priority when the Legislative Session started this month. “We hear you, and we see you and we’re running to your fight.”
The legislation could provide new resources to more than 20,000 Florida preschoolers diagnosed with autism and 66,000 school-age children, lawmakers said as SB 112 passed 38-0.
“We look at the services that we are providing for them. Is it adequate? Is it enough? Are we really doing what the state of Florida needs to do to diagnose, treat and provide services to individuals with autism,” said Sen. Gayle Harrell on the Senate floor Wednesday before the vote. “This bill is the next step.”
The bill proposes sweeping changes, including applying for federal funding to expand the Early Steps intervention program to care for up to 4-year-olds. The age limit is currently 3-years-old.
A Florida Department of Health grant program would also be expanded to offer free autism screenings and referrals.
“The earlier you have a child diagnosed with autism, the better the outcome, the more they are able to adapt, the more they are able to communicate,” Harrell said.
To advance research and provide information to parents, the bill establishes the University of Florida Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment as the statewide hub coordinating with state and local agencies. UF would develop a free online “mico-credential,” and the state would pay providers a stipend if they complete it to get additional training caring for young people with autism. The UF hub would oversee startup grants for autism charter schools and summer camps for young people with autism.
Harrell, a Republican from Stuart, called the issue personal since she has two nephews on the autism spectrum.
“This is step one,” she told her colleagues. “Who is going to join me?”
