But last week we heard a national media blitz that a recent study showed that number is now 1:50.

I am often asked, “Is autism better diagnosed or are there really more cases of autism in our children?”  The answer is simply “Yes.”

Autism has been on the rise.  When The Homestead was in our infancy only 20 years ago frequency rate was 1:1,000 and just increased to 1:500.  And yes, in about 20 years we face a tsunami of children challenged by autism at a pace of 1:88. 

But it is too early to start using 1:50 as an accurate number.

This number was determined following phone surveys asking parents of 6 to 17 year olds.  Only 23% of the parents responded.  Who is likely to stay on the line is likely to be families personally touched by this challenge.  And plenty will question the accuracy of families offering self reports without requesting professional diagnosis confirmation or better, observation of children.  These conditions don’t lend themselves to solid research.

We may be updating the frequency numbers in the future but let’s not use this as the new standard.  Doing so would unfairly represent needs and erode trust with the public.

There are plenty of challenges facing these children, their families and our communities. There is no need to run too quickly into this latest projection until it can be better vetted.

The post 1:50? Not so fast. appeared first on The Homestead.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The founding families of The Homestead of Pleasant Hill had a dream.  A rural, agricultural lifestyle that would be an option for adults with autism in Iowa.

Today The Homestead includes a wide range of services for children and adults with autism, including community-based services, residential and employment opportunities, and training and consultation services. But our earliest services can be traced back to a living-and-learning agricultural model on 75 acres which is home to men and women with autism.

Iowa, centered in the heartland, was literally built on farming. Many of our residents choose to live in rural settings. And many of these elect to farm either as a career, as part-time work, or as a hobby.

When we began, there were many who objected to the concept. These critics voiced concern that the model would not provide individuals with opportunities for integration. Yet our families quickly learned that just as the neuro-typical population living in rural Iowa can be in and of a community, so can adults with autism. The people we serve are actively engaged in community activities and access community resources.

One important way they connect with the community is through our products. Our early intent was to grow fruits and vegetables and sell them via roadside stands and farmers’ markets.

We found neither worked. Roadside stands placed us dangerously close to traffic.  Farmers’ markets were often frustrating given the number of social demands. In both cases, our sales were miserably insufficient.

When we were introduced to the concept of “community supported agriculture,” we found it offered solutions to many of our struggles.

Community Supported Agriculture or CSA sells shares to members for a season. As the harvest is collected, each member receives a portion of that harvest. We will grow 40 or more products, and for 20 weeks members either pick up their basket at our farm or one of our drop-off points conveniently located in Central Iowa. The members share the bounty when our crops succeed. When the weather, insects or other variables impede our harvest, our members also share in the downside. We are a community.

Each week members receive an email update from the farm with what to expect in our distribution. The email includes a recipe or two or three to transform their fresh food into something fitting for their family dining table. When a bumper crop has been harvested but a few leftovers remain in the field, some customers take us up on our offer to help clean up the field. They come to the farm and pick up those last few tomatoes or peppers that didn’t make it into a delivery basket–just right for canning some salsa. 

For those members who want to save a few dollars while earning their way, we offer a work exchange agreement. We will charge a lesser membership fee if the member puts in hours in the field. There is always plenty of work to go around. 

We don’t understand what causes autism. Our best guess is a combination of genetic factors with some environmental influence. While I don’t propose food is to blame, there remains little question that what we put into our bodies is substantially different than 50 or 100 years ago. There is also general consensus that autism numbers have exploded in the past 20 years. 

So providing a chemically free line of produce is a great reminder to our community to treat our bodies with respect. We are what we eat.

Growing food locally also decreases the size of our carbon footprint. Sure, we may not supply you with a strawberry in January, but consider how much it costs in fuel and greenhouse gases to get food to you from Central America. And while the grocery store may sell you a more symmetrical and uniformly red apple, it raises the question whether that image is worth the pesticide and genetic modification required for appearance.  

Friendships are created as we establish relationships with our customers throughout the season or even year to year. Over time people get to know Tom or Mike, or others who receive vocational skill training at The Homestead, as they show up at their door with a delivery. Some customers elect to purchase our winter season produce or our supplemental products, such as poinsettias, wreaths or bedding plants.

The Homestead CSA is the right thing to do for so many reasons. 

- Meaningful paid employment for adults with autism offers important wage income and work experience. 

- New relationships are created improving lives for everyone in the community. 

- Healthy products grown locally support local business and are better for your family and the planet.

Explore more about The Homestead’s CSA by clicking on the “Produce” link under “Shopping” on our home page.

The post Autism, Fresh Produce, Employment and Community appeared first on The Homestead.

First, there is an autism mandate requiring those health insurance plans covered by state law to cover autism behavioral treatment. Second, a separate law establishes a state funded pool which health insurance companies can access for up to $15 million.  Anything over that amount can be added to fees charged residents the next year.

In a conference call with Iowa legislators, the bills’ champion, Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, said it was important both bills are separate.  If state funds dry up the mandate remains.

This option should quiet a lot of naysayers.  Iowa’s powerful insurance lobby will likely fight hard to object to an additional mandate.  But if the state invests the cash, where is the risk?  And most studies show actual costs of private health insurance health plans are running about $.15 to $.30 per person per month.  While the cost is a heavy investment, not every child needs or will request the benefit.

Iowa legislators have this issue correct.  An early investment in our children is critical to heading off or diminishing expensive, life-long services.  And intensive ABA remains the most substantiated research-based intervention available.

Let’s get this done.

The post Iowa Autism Legislation – Part 2 appeared first on The Homestead.

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http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/01/10/miss-montana-alexis-wineman-to-become-first-autistic-miss-america-contestant/

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So when a diagnosis appears in the news, it isn’t a surprise that the public is quick to grab hold and explain away this atrocity because the person had a label.

But what does this “label” tell us? I’m no expert on criminal behavior, but frankly I see little about autism in this tragedy.  Yes, some people with autism struggle to understand their world. Yes, sometimes this struggle leads them to act out toward themselves or others.  Yes, sometimes that means they may even hurt someone.  But these behaviors are rare and nothing like the alleged actions of the shooter in Newtown.

Using this tragedy to build a case for more autism services is unfair and opportunistic.  If the autism doesn’t explain the behavior, we shouldn’t attempt to draw a connection to more services – regardless of how much need exists for autism specific services.

What is required is a response from the autism community to explain exactly why these actions don’t fit the autism spectrum.  It is unlikely a person with autism would target strangers to gain notoriety or to declare a statement.  Autism Speaks, Autism Society and other advocacy groups have appropriately denounced any connection between this type of action and autism.

One of our team members shared in the days following this case that a quote from Morgan Freeman had been making the rounds on-line. The statement suggested that we not place into memory the names of those who commit these acts but instead to remember the name of at least one victim of that shooting.

It turned out that the quote wasn’t actually Morgan Freeman’s words.  Yet, it’s an admirable thought.

I’ll build on it. Let’s each try to learn the name of one person who has autism – or a form of autism called Asperger’s.

If you don’t know one, let me introduce you to the father of someone with autism. Jim Autry, who with his wife Sally Pederson played a key role in starting The Homestead. Jim is an accomplished author and poet who writes about business, love and his son’s autism. He appeared on Bill Moyer’s and Company recently – on December 14 – the very day of this horrific shooting.

During the video Jim shares a few reflections of life with Ronald and how the experience has had a profound effect on how Jim views the world today. Here is the link to the 20 minute video.
http://billmoyers.com/segment/poet-james-autry-on-issues-of-art-and-heart/

It didn’t take long before there were attempts to list this event in some comparative order to other mass shootings.  Was there a worse tragedy? Well, I’m sure to any parent ANY shooting is the worst tragedy.

We will hear pundits battle over gun rights vs. restrictions, security systems in schools and our ability to identify and respond to mental health needs. But when the time comes to study this label of autism in this case, let’s please recognize that each person who carries this diagnosis is as unique as the people who make up the category “American.”

Individuals with autism struggle to understand this world. Their frustrations can become known to us in words, screams, tears, actions and yes, sometimes violent behaviors that cause harm to self or others. This is the sad, cold reality.

But in the struggle is an attempt – an admirable attempt – to understand the “whys” and “hows” of living within our world.

And if we truly want to do something special in the wake of this tragedy, it could be as simple as finding one person with autism to invite into your life. Get to know a family who tries desperately to connect with their son or daughter – attempts to explain a little more about how the world works to their loved one.

My guess is that you will benefit greatly from the experience.  You will meet families who love their child and pursue to great lengths solutions that will help bridge the chasm between their child and the world.  You will learn about hidden talents.  You will learn a frankness and an honesty in communication.  And you will likely see a person who is thirsty to learn about this world and has so much to teach us about ourselves.

Who knows, you may even learn how to catch a butterfly.

The post Reflections on December 14 appeared first on The Homestead.

My first thought after reading this letter was of our close friend and one of our founding parents, Sally Pederson who laid the groundwork for The Homestead.  Sally worked tirelessly, recruiting friends to jump on board to help create this organization – many continue to introduce themselves as “FOS” or “Friends Of Sally”.  Sally introduced us to the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and the partnership has been fruitful to both organizations.

This type of connection was a central theme that Sally teaches us.  Collaborations between good people can make even greater things happen.

Join me in thanking our friends at Mid-Iowa Health Foundation and their commitment to improving the lives of children and their families!  And watch for an opening in January, 2013.

The post Mid-Iowa Health Comes Through Big Time! appeared first on The Homestead.

The superheroes are back and in full force.

Summer is the season for blockbuster movies and this year has seen its share of men in tights.  The Avengers, another Batman and a re-boot of the Spiderman series have movie goers parting with their hard earned cash.

I’ve grown tired of computer generated fight scenes but I haven’t grown tired of heroes.

Autism has its share of heroes. Minus a cape flowing in the wind and a utility belt full of magical devices, there have been people that have changed the world for those with autism. These real heroes work valiantly and tirelessly, without recognition they deserve.

One of those heroes in the autism community is Ruth Sullivan.  Ruth partnered with Bernie Rimland in the 1960’s to create what would become the Autism Society of America.  This was the first national organization that would stand up for the needs of individuals and families facing this diagnosis.  She helped many recognize this disability was not a parenting issue but an educational matter.

Ruth also realized that a child with autism required direct services created the Autism Services Center that would reach throughout the state of West Virginia and provide a model for other agencies across the country.

Not finished yet, Ruth called upon friends that led similar organizations – and a few that wanted to start and she formed a national association devoted to address the complex needs of adults with autism, the National Association of Residential Providers for Adults with Autism.

And like so many of the comic book heroes who are more than happy to go about their daily lives in an unassuming role, disguised as everyday folk, Ruth is the last person ever asking for any recognition of her efforts.

Its important we recognize Ruth and the others that lifted us all up to be in a position where we stand tall today.

That’s the kind of superhero worth celebrating.

The post Superheroes appeared first on The Homestead.

The Homestead is the first organization in the state of Iowa to receive CARF accreditation for the Supports for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Supports for Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder services.

This decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization by CARF and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a three-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.

“Obtaining CARF accreditation is the gold standard,” states Steve Muller, The Homestead’s Executive Director. “The Commission sets the bar high. Obtaining a three-year accreditation at our first attempt is an honor.”

In addition to earning a three-year accreditation, The Homestead also earned a commendation, even more rare for first-time agencies.

The Homestead is a nonprofit organization with offices at 1625 Adventureland Drive in Altoona, Iowa. It has been providing services for children and adults with autism in the Des Moines area since 1994.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.

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Autism internet sites

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