Thank you so much for posting this.
A good friend of mine is a phD behavior analyst, and has been working with children with autism spectrum disorders for over a decade.
This video solidifed many conversations I had with him about what he does, and the people he serves.
I work for an agency that serves people with developmental disabilities. In my state, only the most severe forms of autism qualify individuals for any type of program funding, whether state or state/federal combined. My agency provides services to 30,000 people with developmental disabilities of some kind or another, and there is a wait list of 20,000 people trying to receive services of any kind. The annual cost to provide services to 30,000 developmentally disabled peopleis $805,000,000.
Assuming that the level of need for the 20,000 people on the wait list is similar to the 30,000 people being served (which is logical as it is a similar case mix of people with the same developmental disabilities, those that qualify for funding that is) the budget necessary to serve all 50,000 people would be $1,333,333,333.
There is a HUGE need for people with developmental disabilities and their families to have access to home and community based services (HCBS) to assist them in living their lives, and to keep them out of institutions. Institutions are the HIGHEST COST LEVEL of CARE, so despite the apparent staggering costs of HCBS, they pale in comparison to institutional options, and also allow people living with developmental disabilities to live a life of dignity in their communities, and/or with their families.
-Halla