One in Forty

An article published in the December 2018 issue of the journal Pediatrics indicates that the current rate of autism in the United States is 1 in 40 children. “The Prevalence of Parent-Reported Autism Spectrum Disorder Among U.S. Children” details research led by Michael D. Kogan, Ph.D. and his colleagues at the Office of Epidemiology and Research at the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. [To read this article, please click here.] Their study analyzed parent survey data from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health and included 43,283 children 3-17 years old.

For this survey, parents were asked if a doctor and/or another health care provider had ever told them that their child had autism. The parents were also asked if their children currently had autism. Of the parents surveyed, 2.5% responded that their children had received an autism diagnosis from a medical professional and still had autism. This translates into approximately 1.5 million children in the United States with autism. In addition, the data showed that boys are 3.5 times more likely than girls to have autism.

In comparing this survey to other similar surveys regarding autism prevalence, the researchers noted that the National Health Interview Survey yielded similar statistics. The results of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), which were reported in April of this year, showed a lower rate of autism: 1.7% of children with autism, or 1 in 59 children. Dr. Kogan’s team notes that the ADDM survey focused only on eight-year-old children in eleven communities in 2014, whereas their research covers a wider range of ages across the country in a more recent survey.

In addition to citing the increase in the rate of autism in the United States, the researchers emphasize that children with autism have greater health needs than typical children. Specifically, 83% of children with autism have at least one health condition, such as asthma, eczema, gastrointestinal issues, or seizures, accompanying autism. Furthermore, they found that children with autism are more likely than other children with behavioral, developmental, or emotional disorders to have seen a specialist and to have received mental health counseling, early intervention, and special education services.

However, finding proper care for children with autism proves difficult, the researchers discovered. The survey indicated that parents were 44% more likely to have difficulty getting mental health treatment for their children with autism. Moreover, children with autism are 46% less likely to receive needed mental health care. The researchers also found that 64% of the children with autism had received behavioral therapy in the past twelve months. In addition, 27% of the children with autism took medications for symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and hyperactivity.

Aside from a lack of mental health care availability, the researchers also noted problems finding a “medical home” for each child with autism. They defined medical home as having five criteria, all of which must be met for the patient: a personal doctor or nurse, a usual place for sick care, no problems getting referrals, family-centered care, and effective care coordination. Their survey indicated that children with autism were 23% less likely to have a medical home, and 24% were less likely to have their care coordinated. Clearly, having professionals work together to improve the child’s physical and mental health is crucial in autism, but more coordination of services must be done.

As the researchers state, autism rates have been increasing over the past thirty to forty years. Other studies have demonstrated the significant rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism. Specifically, the rate of autism in the United States has gone from 1 in 5000 in 1975 to 1 in 2500 in 1985 to 1 in 500 in 1995 to 1 in 250 in 2001 to 1 in 166 in 2004 to 1 in 110 in 2009 to 1 in 88 in 2012. This new research now makes another leap to 1 in 40 in 2016. The researchers speculate that the increase is due to better and earlier diagnosis, broader diagnostic criteria for autism, greater parental awareness, and some increased risk factors, such as older parents.

The sudden increase in numbers of children with autism poses a financial hardship as well as difficulties noted in finding proper physical and mental health care. The researchers indicated that the cost of providing proper health care and non-health care for a child with autism is $17,081 greater per year than for a typical child. Moreover, the researchers cited data from 2011 indicating that the total societal cost of caring for children with autism in the United States was estimated to be $11.5 billion per year. Considering the number of children in the U.S. has doubled or tripled since then, the cost of caring for them would also significantly rise.

The researchers conclude their article as follows: “Because ASD [autism spectrum disorder] is a lifelong condition for most children, an important area of future research would be to study life course development and understand what factors influence health and well-being in young adulthood and beyond for these children.” Well, the good news is that they will probably have a lot of people with autism available to study, especially if the rates keep increasing dramatically. The bad news is that they will get no closer to finding the cause of autism if they continue to stick with the better diagnosis/greater awareness/increased diagnostic criteria reasoning. At what point will the medical profession declare we have a health care crisis as more and more children are diagnosed with autism, a lifelong condition?

Instead of just counting the number of children with autism and admitting they need better access to care, researchers need to figure out the true causes of autism. For example, what roles do environmental toxins, such as heavy metals, play in autism? Furthermore, instead of denying that vaccines cause autism, perhaps an unbiased reexamination of their effects upon children should be taken. One only need to see that the dramatic increase in autism follows the dramatic increase in the number of vaccines recommended by the CDC for children between birth and five years of age. In 1962, only three shots were recommended, but in 1983, ten shots were advised. The 2018 CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule now includes 38 shots.

The researchers who proclaim the new rate of autism is 1 in 40 American children never address the possibility that environmental toxins or the increased rate of vaccines may be related to autism. Until doctors and researchers are willing to consider all possible causes of autism and seek ways to make our children with autism healthier, we can anticipate that the autism rates will likely go higher. We can only hope and pray that our merciful God will save us and our children from this calamity, for He can heal what humans cannot.

“From six calamities He will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you.” Job 5:19

Mental Health Concens and Autism

 

Last week, Stephen Grcevich, M.D. posted an important and insightful article online at the Key Ministry website entitled “The Mental Health Crisis Among Persons with Autism.” [To read this article, please click here.] Dr. Grcevich adeptly summarizes research published last month in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders regarding the link between mental health issues and autism. As if the challenges of autism were not enough, many people with autism often struggle with mental illness, as well.

The research Dr. Grcevich cites used government administrative health data and focused upon young adults 18-24 years old in Ontario, Canada. These young adults were divided into three groups: those with autism spectrum disorders, those with developmental disabilities, and those who were typical adults. Of those adults studied who were seeking medical help, 19% of the typical people had a psychiatric diagnosis, compared to 39% of those with developmental disabilities. In even greater contrast, over half of the adults with autism––52%–-had a psychiatric diagnosis.

This study also found that the young adults with autism were twelve times more likely than their typical peers to see a psychiatrist. In addition, the young adults with autism were nearly five times more likely to obtain psychiatric services through an emergency room and more than ten times likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric conditions than their typical counterparts. Clearly, young adults with autism face psychiatric crises much more than other people their age do. As the abstract of the research article wisely concludes: “Planning for the mental health care of transitional age adults with ASD is an important priority for health policy.”

While this study examines mental health issues in young adults, another study Dr. Grcevich cites indicates that adolescents with autism also suffer from mental health disorders. This research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry studied children with autism who were between 10 and 14 years old. This study found that 70% of these children with autism had at least one mental health condition, such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression. Moreover, 41% had at least two mental health disorders in addition to having autism. Consequently, the psychiatric issues seen in young adults in the Canadian study likely began years earlier in adolescence.

If mental health issues in children and adults with autism are not addressed or resolved, tragedy can result. In another article entitled “The suicide epidemic among high-functioning persons with autism,” Dr. Grcevich cites research regarding links between suicide, mental health disorders, and autism. [To read this article, please click here.] Specifically, he refers to a statistic from the British Journal of Psychiatry indicating that adults with autism of average or above average intelligence are nine times more likely to commit suicide than their typical peers.

In another study Dr. Grcevich references from Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, children with autism were found to be twenty-eight times more likely to experience suicide ideation than their typical peers. Because of this startling finding, the researchers of this study concluded, “All children with autism should be screened for suicide ideation or attempts because ideation and attempts are significantly higher than the norm and are present across the [autism] spectrum.”

Speculating on reasons why people with autism can be suicidal, Dr. Grcevich offers potential reasons. He notes that people with autism are more likely to be isolated socially and lack social supports; moreover, they are often victims of bullying. In addition, people with autism may experience problems with executive functioning of the brain. This may cause them to act impulsively, have difficulty in solving problems, and impair their ability to self-regulate their emotions. Furthermore, people with autism often fixate on specific thoughts and ideas, which may be the case in suicide ideation.

From our experience of raising a child who was diagnosed with autism at age four, obsessive-compulsive disorder at age eleven, and generalized anxiety disorder at age nineteen, I believe additional factors play a part in mental health issues reaching a critical stage in children and adults with autism. First, we had a great deal of trouble finding professionals who knew how to deal with autism. In addition, we discovered that few facilities know how to address autism and mental health issues. To add to the problem, insurance companies limit mental health care treatment, refusing to pay for a reasonable amount of time needed to stabilize a person in a mental health crisis. Furthermore, the unfair stigma of mental illness may prevent some parents from seeking help for their children with autism.

As parents who had to search and struggle to get our son the help he clearly needed, we know how important dealing with mental health issues in autism is. After discovering that our son’s aggressive outbursts that made him a danger to himself and others were triggered by severe anxiety, we knew that proper medication was necessary. Although we were heartbroken to have to hospitalize him in a psychiatric ward for weeks, we know that time of treatment was absolutely crucial to his well-being and are thankful that we found professionals who were able to help us through the crisis. While we would rather forget those turbulent times, we know that we must share our story in hopes that other parents would seek help for their children and know that they are not alone.

In concluding his article, Dr. Grcevich emphasizes the need for churches to support families whose children have autism, and I completely agree with him. However, in the absence of a church family who offers support, parents must remember that God will always support them through the trials of autism and mental illness and offer them hope for a future of healing and happiness. Though we carry scars from our battles, I know God has brought us through those struggles better and stronger and filled with faith and hope that Alex will continue to get better as a testimony to God’s goodness.

“From six calamities He will rescue you; in seven no harm will touch you.” Job 5:19

Protecting Our Children

 

Protecting our children proves one of the most important and difficult challenges all parents face. When those children remain childlike even into adulthood, as many children with autism do, that obligation continues and often becomes even more difficult. Three recent news stories sadly reveal how vigilant autism parents must be in protecting their older children who cannot safely navigate society on their own.

This week, in a town near where I live, a sixteen-year-old boy and a twenty-year-old man were taken into custody for attacking a seventeen-year-old boy with autism, hitting him in the face and back of the head. Apparently someone videotaped this incident, and police were able to view this video. The victim told police that he didn’t understand why the two young men hit him, and his parents reported that he is autistic and non-confrontational. According to the twenty-year-old attacker, they were “just playing” and “didn’t hit [the victim] hard.” [To read this news report, please click here.]The flimsy excuses and lack of remorse offered by these bullies who preyed upon a disabled teenager is disturbing. Moreover, parents of older children with autism need to be aware of potential dangers, including cruel people who would victimize our children for fun, because our children can be oblivious to situations where they could be harmed.

In a similar recent incident, a fifteen-year-old boy with autism was the victim of a so-called prank orchestrated by his peers in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. Telling him that he was participating in the widely known ALS ice-bucket challenge, they instead dumped a bucket of urine and tobacco on his head and posted a video of this disgusting act online. After his parents saw this video, they contacted police, who investigated the matter, which gained national attention and outrage. Notably, comedian Drew Carey offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identification of those involved in perpetrating this cruel trick. After detectives investigated the case, they identified five teenagers, aged 14-17, who were involved. Prosecutors are currently reviewing the case to determine what charges may be filed. [To read an account of this incident, please click here.] Claiming that this was just a joke, these teenagers also seem to lack an understanding of how wrong it is to victimize a teenager with autism and then post the incident online for others to see. Again, parents of teenagers with autism must know who their children’s "friends" are and protect them from those who would humiliate and harm them.

Besides protecting our children from peers who would harm teens and young adults with autism for their own cruel entertainment, autism parents must also be vigilant against a surprising source of potential danger to our children. This week in Flemington, New Jersey, twenty-two-year-old Tyler Loftus, who has autism, bipolar disorder, and the mental capacity of a five-year-old, was arraigned in court for making “terroristic threats” and  for “unlawful possession of a weapon,” a three-inch pocket knife. Instead of teenagers who would get pleasure at the expense of a person with autism, Tyler Loftus is the victim of a failed system that should be protecting him.

After spending seven years at Woods School in Pennsylvania, where his developmental disability and mental health needs were addressed successfully, the Return Home New Jersey program forced him to obtain services in New Jersey, placing him in a group home, where his severe needs were not met, despite his mother strongly advocating for him. According to her, the past year and a half, he has had difficulties with the clients and staff at the group home because his mental health needs have been ignored, which leads to nearly daily 911 calls and trips to the local emergency room for assessment. Since the hospital cannot treat him appropriately, they return him to the group home. After allegedly threatening his roommate, he was arrested and placed in jail; this week he was arraigned and faces a court date next month regarding the criminal charges, which he clearly does not understand. [To read an account of this situation, please click here.] Incarcerating this young man with autism who clearly needs psychiatric care strikes me as not only heartbreaking but also as cruel and unusual punishment, and I pray that he gets the help he truly needs.

From our own frustrating and upsetting experience of trying to get help for Alex nearly three years ago, I know how limited resources are when it comes to helping adults with autism. Certainly, young men with autism cannot be allowed to be threats to society, but jail is not the answer to this serious problem. The lack of facilities that know how to treat behavioral and mental health issues related to adult autism is appalling and must be addressed. In the case of Tyler Loftus, he was receiving the proper care he needed, but the state of New Jersey took that support away from him because it was not being provided within their state. As parents of adults with autism, we must make others aware of the injustice our children can face and continue to protect them from those who will do them harm, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Our precious children deserve much better.

“The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.’” Psalm 91:14

Alternative Medicine

Parents sometimes comment that life would be easier if their children came with instruction manuals. Since children with autism often exhibit puzzling behaviors, a definitive guide would come in especially handy for dealing with them. Even with the myriad of books I’ve read about autism and how to address behaviors, I’ve discovered the most useful research to be found in the medical field, especially that which focuses upon alternative medicine, such as diet and nutrition. This week, I ran across some interesting medical stories in the media that piqued my curiosity as I considered how new research may help children with autism.

The first report, “Anxiety in Your Head Could Come from Your Gut,” [To read this news account, click here.] caught my eye because both Alex and I deal with panic attacks. While he takes Zoloft to address his anxiety, I use cognitive therapy techniques I learned several years ago in a stress management workshop to help me calm my nerves. Alex has also benefitted from cognitive therapy calming approaches his behavioral therapist has taught him, learning to take control of his anxiety through breathing techniques and distracting himself from the obsessive thoughts that upset him. I found this article especially intriguing because it profiled children with ADHD, anxiety, and/or OCD whose symptoms improved once they were treated for digestive issues using probiotics. As the article notes, “In one 2010 study at McMaster University in Canada, published in the journal Communicative and Integrative Biology, scientists found a link between intestinal microbiota and anxiety-like behavior.” The article goes on to state: “And now, scientists think there may be a link between what's in your gut and what's in your head, suggesting that bacteria may play a role in disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia and autism.” Since Alex has often struggled with candida, or yeast overgrowth in his digestive system, his doctor has recommended treating him with probiotics, or good bacteria, to fight the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in his system. When he has yeast flares, his behavior declines, making him obsessive, agitated, and even aggressive. However, by treating his gut with antifungals and probiotics, we see significant improvement in his behavior, likely because his digestive system also improves with this intervention. According to this article, the encouraging news for those whose digestive issues impact their behavior negatively is that the National Institute of Mental Health “is encouraging studies to address the mechanisms of gut bacteria and their association with mental health functions.” Perhaps if more children with autism were treated with probiotics, their behavior might improve, as well.

A second article I found quite interesting explained the use of nutritional supplements to treat traumatic brain injuries, such as those found in automobile accidents. [To read this article, click here.] Dr. Leslie Matthews, a trauma surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital in Georgia, treats patients with the following combination of supplements:  vitamin D and omega three fatty acids, two powerful natural anti-inflammatories to reduce brain swelling, along with the hormone progesterone and the amino acid glutamine to protect damaged nerve cells. Because of the amazing success they have found with this natural intervention, the article notes, “Every brain trauma patient at Grady receives the same supplements.” As Dr. Matthews explains, "So basically you're giving the body what it needs to heal itself. The body, the way God designed the body, is to heal itself if you give it the right nutrients." Not only was I impressed with Dr. Matthews’ use of alternative treatment for life-threatening injuries, but I also loved that he gave God credit for the marvelous design of the human body. Moreover, his approach is similar to that which Alex’s doctor is using to heal his nervous system and to reduce inflammation by having him take high doses of vitamin D, the omega six supplement (because Alex does not respond well to omega three supplements) evening primrose oil, and progesterone cream. While we have not tried the amino acid glutamine, I will be asking Alex’s doctor for his opinion about adding that to his supplement regimen when we see him next week. Like Dr. Matthews, I believe that God designed the body to heal itself with proper nutrition. I’m just thankful for doctors like her and Alex’s doctor who support an alternative and natural approach to healing.

While the first two articles gave me hope that doctors are beginning to have innovative ways to heal conditions associated with the nervous system, such as autism, a third article disappointed me in the medical approach used for a teenager with autism. In “Surgery Reduces Autism-related Screaming,” a reporter detailed the case of a teenager with autism who “screamed louder than a lawn mower more than 1000 times a day.” [To read this article, click here.] To address this problem, doctors performed surgery on his vocal cords to limit his volume. While I can certainly understand how stressful having a child who screams all day could be, like many who commented on this article, I have issues with performing this surgery, which some described as “mutilation.” I have to think that these parents were driven to their breaking point to consider such an extreme solution to the problem, and I wish someone had thought to find out why this poor child was screaming constantly. Was he in pain, and screaming was the only way to communicate his suffering? Perhaps if his doctors had treated him with probiotics, they might have addressed gut issues, or if they had given him vitamin D to decrease inflammation or progesterone to heal his damaged nerves, they may have healed his body so that he didn’t need the surgery on his vocal cords. While I don’t know the cause of his constant screaming, I just feel bad that he may now be suffering in silence and pray that he is not.

Yesterday, on a rare eighty-degree day in late September here in Northwest Indiana, Ed, Alex, and I went to the Indiana Dunes State Park, enjoying the late afternoon sun reflect on Lake Michigan as we sat on a bench in the sand. In that peaceful setting, I thanked God for the healing we have seen in Alex over the past several months that allowed us to enjoy that moment as a family. In that beautiful setting, I watched Alex smile and wondered what he was thinking, but I was filled with joy that he was happy. As I glanced at the sun dipping lower in the sky, I began to hear Alex saying something softly, and I leaned my head closer toward him so that I could hear him better. In a barely audible voice, he was singing, which he rarely does, a Kenny Chesney country song that is one of his favorites: “When the sun goes down, we’ll be groovin’. When the sun goes down, we’ll be feelin’ all right. When the sun sinks down over the water, everything gets hotter when the sun goes down.” It doesn’t get much better than that.

“But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” Malachi 4:2

The Tragedy of Sandy Hook

Since the December 14^th senseless tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, where twenty young children and six staff members were killed, people have been trying to come to terms with why and how something this terrible could happen.  Debates over the need for stricter gun control laws, along with plans for increased security measures in schools, as well as discussions of how to address mental illness have filled the media. However, rational minds simply cannot grasp the irrationality of such a horrific act.

In trying to explain the motive behind the actions of killer Adam Lanza, someone who knew his family explained that he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. This information immediately sent the autism community scrambling to distance autism from the dangerous and deadly behavior exhibited by Adam Lanza. Major autism organizations issued statements to declare that autism would not drive a person to commit such heinous crimes. Specifically, the National Autism Association posted on its website: “There is no link between planned violence and Autism Spectrum Disorders.” Similarly, the Autism Society of America addressed concerns, stating, “No evidence exists to link autism and premeditated violence. Many of individuals with Asperger’s syndrome who have committed crimes had co-existing psychiatric disorders. Individuals with autism who act aggressively typically do so because they are reacting to a situation.” 

If, indeed, Adam Lanza had Asperger’s syndrome, he likely also had another psychiatric disorder, as suggested by the statement from the Autism Society of America. Common comorbid conditions associated with autism include obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and general anxiety disorder.  In fact, one study reported that nearly 84 percent of individuals with autism spectrum disorder also met the criteria for diagnosis with an anxiety disorder. While autism alone presents many obstacles, the additional conditions create more problems that require intervention. Unfortunately, help is not always readily available.

Last week, a friend sent me a link to the online article “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother” [To read this article, click here.] and wanted to know my opinion regarding this controversial essay.  In telling about her 13-year-old son and his extremely challenging and frankly frightening behaviors, Liza Long candidly declares that her son has the potential to be as dangerous as Adam Lanza. In the essay, she admits, “I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.” Despite all her best efforts, she has struggled mightily to get him the help he needs, but she has found few and limited mental health resources available.  

Although Alex’s behavior was never as extreme as Liza Long’s son, I could sympathize with her frustration and fears.  As I have explained in previous blog entries, when Alex was fifteen years old, he began exhibiting aggressive behaviors that were completely out of character for our docile, gentle son. After having to wait six weeks to get an appointment with a child psychiatrist, who offered no real help and admitted that I knew more about autism than he did, we realized how little help is available. Thankfully, Alex’s doctor gave us a prescription for the sedative Ativan, which we could give him when he was having meltdowns to help calm his anxiety and curb his aggression so that Ed and I could physically manage him. Once he outgrew that phase, which was likely tied to hormonal changes of adolescence, we thought we would no longer have to worry about medicating him to keep everyone safe. We were wrong.

About a year ago, we again began seeing aggressive behaviors linked to anxiety in Alex (as I have also detailed in previous blog entries). Not only were these outbursts more intense than they were five years earlier, but the increase in Alex’s size and strength as a six-foot-tall young man made these meltdowns dangerous. As we desperately sought help for him, we kept running into dead ends. The waiting list to see a psychiatrist was nearly two months, and two trips to the local ER showed that they could only sedate him and send us home with more Ativan.  We had to make three calls over a three-month period to the police to help us safely control him when his aggression became so intense we could not restrain him ourselves. When we finally pushed for our local mental health facility to admit him as an inpatient, they told us that they would only admit him if he were homicidal, suicidal, or psychotic. Eventually, after asking many questions, we discovered that they would not admit him at all because he has autism, which they consider a developmental disorder instead of a mental disorder. No one seemed to know how to help Alex, and fortunately, my intensive Internet research led us to St. Anthony Memorial Hospital in Michigan City, whose Behavioral Medicine Department admitted him as an inpatient and provided him with the care he desperately needed.

While Alex was being treated in the hospital, we kept questioning the staff as to whether he had some co-morbid condition that was causing the behaviors that were so different from his typical self. The psychiatric nurse practitioner who has overseen his medication since he was hospitalized and who has considerable experience treating adults with autism explained to us that aggression is quite common in young men with autism. She diagnosed him as having autism with aggression and impulse control issues and felt certain that he did not have bipolar disorder or another coexisting condition. After weeks of trying various medications in various combinations and dosages, she finally found a therapeutic mix that keeps Alex calm so that we can manage him at home without fear. As we have been working to find services for Alex, some of the caseworkers who have read through Alex’s list of medications have commented about how many psychiatric medications he is taking, almost in a critical way. Although we wish that Alex didn’t have to be on any medications, until his potential for aggressive behavior subsides, we must keep him on this regimen so that he does not become a danger to himself or others. This is an unfortunate reality of our situation, but we are thankful that medications make him able to function, especially since Ed and I are responsible for his complete care. In thinking about Liza Long’s situation and wondering about what Adam Lanza’s mother faced with her son, I feel frustrated that finding help for children and adults with severe behavioral issues is so difficult for parents. Perhaps if interventions were more readily available, tragedies like Sandy Hook could be prevented.

In reading the profiles of the Sandy Hook Elementary students who lost their lives, I was saddened and surprised to find that two of the twenty children killed had autism. Through statements provided by their parents, Josephine “Joey” Gay was described as having nonverbal autism, and Dylan Hockley, who died in the arms of his teacher Anne Marie Murphy, also had autism. The vulnerability of these two children is heartbreaking, and the prevalence of autism, as evidenced that two of the twenty children were victims of this condition as well as victims of the action by a killer who perhaps had autism himself with coexisting mental illness, is also deeply concerning.

Certainly, Adam Lanza’s mother should not have kept guns in her home. Certainly, Adam Lanza needed help. Certainly, schools need to make security a priority. However, from our experience, the key issue that needs to be addressed is making help for children with autism and mental illness a priority so that parents can readily access resources instead of constantly seeking and fighting for them. Ignoring these problems will not make them go away, and the consequences for society could very well be—as we’ve unfortunately seen—terribly tragic.

“Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me.” Psalm 22:11