{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399922", "<span class=\"kicker\">Smith requested report details challenges for aging out generation</span>GAO Report: More Must be Done for Transitioning Youth with Autism", "2016-11-17", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released the first in a series of reports examining actions that can be taken to address the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they transition to adulthood. Smith along with leaders from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, commissioned the reports to supplement requirements in Smith\u2019s law, the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act (Public Law 113-157).\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEvery year, 50,000 young people on the autism spectrum transition into adulthood and many lose access to vital educational, therapeutic and other services which enable them to live full, independent and successful lives,\u201d said Smith, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Autism Research and Education Coalition and author of three major laws to provide funding for autism supports and research. \u201cIndividuals with autism in this transitional stage find themselves entering into a system unprepared to meet their needs, and as a result face shrinking opportunities\u2014and in many cases even regression due to loss of resources and supports.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe purpose of this report is to help identify areas that need to be addressed to empower individuals with ASD as they make the transition from a school-based support system to adulthood. We hope to use insights and information from the GAO reports to develop better services and legislation that responds more effectively to these needs of adults with autism and encourages independent living, equal opportunity, full participation and economic self-sufficiency,\u201d Smith added.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The report, entitled \u201cYouth with Autism: Roundtable Views of Services Needed During the Transition into Adulthood,\u201d is based on roundtable discussions that GAO meticulously facilitated among experts such as educators, self-advocates, medical professionals, representatives from the business community and non-profits, service providers and other members of the advocacy community, to examine the needs of transitioning youth. During the roundtable discussion and in the report, the GAO explored what services transitioning youth need in order to achieve success in five key areas of adulthood: postsecondary education, employment, maximizing independent living, health and safety and maximizing community integration.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As the report notes, the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, found that in 2009 only \u201c36 percent of young adults with ASD had attended some type of postsecondary education.\u201d Additionally, only 58 percent had ever held a job outside of their home and \u201c19 percent of autistic adults in their early 20\u2019s had lived independently at some point, either with or without supports.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe are in the midst of a huge yet largely invisible crisis that begs for serious focus and remedies. Young adults with autism deserve better and we must work to provide the resources and supports to bridge this gap,\u201d Smith continued.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the report, GAO identified 14 services that support the five goals for successful transition into adulthood. Among those are behavioral services, case management, family education and supports, medical, including mental health care, residential, vocational and transportation supports.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This first in a series of reports is available here.\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The GAO\u2019s next report will take measure of the services currently provided and their accessibility.\u00a0 It is expected by April 2017.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399922"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0925782844424248, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}