Franklin County lacks some services to better serve autistic children and their families, officials say.
Moreover, a taxpayer-funded agency charged with helping people with disabilities such as autism is not even aware of all the people in Franklin County who have the condition.
Nobody knew we were going to have this kind of growth in autism, said Dr. Ron Kruse, executive director of Developmental Services of Franklin County. Thats what were still struggling with is how can we expand these services.
Autism is more complicated than some of the other disabilities, Kruse said.
Developmental Services of Franklin County is aware of 120 children in the county who have autism, but it is estimated that there are at least 300 in the county on the autism spectrum. That means there are at least 180 children with autism in Franklin County that developmental services doesnt really know anything about, Kruse said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in 68 children has autism.
If the other 180 or more children in the county with autism sought treatment, developmental services would definitely be falling short of meeting those needs, Kruse said. More behavior analysts would have to be hired.
The schools are undoubtably helping those children in some way, he said. But school is not enough to help those children, Kruse said.
A Different Process
Kruse pointed out that autistic children have needs that must be addressed after school hours. For instance, developmental services offers a behavior support program that goes into homes to teach parents how to interact with the child.
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Services For Autism Are Lacking