Autism Task Force

Combating Autism Advisory Council (CAAC) 173KB PDF)

11 Task Force Recommendations (72KB PDF)

Six National Performance Measure (77KB PDF)

Legislature Focuses on Autism

Due to the growing concern over the number of individuals being diagnosed with autism, the Caring for Washington Individuals with Autism Task Force was created in 2005 by Senate Bill 5311 (14KB PDF).

Appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire, this group of autism experts assembled to share knowledge, do research, and make recommendations to the legislature regarding the growing incidence of autism and ways to improve the delivery and coordination of autism services in the state. The Department of Health was the lead agency in providing staff for the work of the Task Force.

The first Report and Recommendations (1.6MB PDF) on how to best prevent, identify, treat, and accommodate the needs of individuals with autism and their families was completed in December of 2006 and submitted to the Governor and the 2007 Washington State Legislature.

With work clearly still needing to be done, the final budget from the 2007 Washington State Legislature included funding to continue the Autism Task Force through June 30, 2008 so that they could:

Prioritize recommendations from the 2006 report
Develop implementation plans and cost estimates for the highest priorities
Monitor federal legislation and funding opportunities
Create the Autism Guidebook for Washington State.

Recommendations

Following three years of expert testimony, stakeholder input, current scientific research, evidence based standards and many hours of deliberation, the Task Force's Final Report and Recommendations (3MB PDF) were completed in December of 2007 and presented to the 2008 Washington State Legislature.

The Task Force held their final meeting on June 23, 2008. Their ground work sets the stage for recommended changes in state agencies and systems, striving to ensure that throughout their lifespan, individuals with autism spectrum disorder can:

Stay in their communities.
Receive widespread health care services.
Obtain on-going suitable treatments.
Receive timely, individualized, evidence-based multi-disciplinary interventions.
Receive culturally effective, family-centered supports.
Receive legally required services.

Task Force Members

Sofia Aragon, JD, RN‑ Department of Health
Lauri Berreman, MEd‑Local School District Representative
Lou Colwell, EdD‑Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Geraldine Dawson, PhD‑University of Washington Autism Center
Monica Meyer‑Education Services District
Felice Orlich, PhD‑ University of Washington Autism Center
Marilyn Rasmussen‑State Senator
Pam Roach‑State Senator
Linda Rolfe, MSW‑Department of Social and Health Services-Division of Developmental Disabilities
Ilene Schwartz, PhD‑University of Washington
Dawn Sidell, RN, BSN‑ Northwest Autism Center
Diana Stadden‑Arc of Washington
Carolyn Taylor, MS‑ Autism Outreach Project
Maureen Walsh‑State Representative
Brendan Williams‑State Representative

Unless otherwise noted, all materials and forms on this page are in PDF format.

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