The Autism Policy Reform Coalition organizes parents, caregivers, clinicians, and advocates to demand that federal and state policy match the urgency of rising caseloads, lifelong support needs, and unanswered questions about biology, environment, and care.
EIN 42-4830108. Contributions to APRC are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions.
Prevalence estimates have climbed for two decades. Families still wait years for home- and community-based services. Adults age out of school systems into thin supports. Research dollars have expanded without a matching commitment to track whether they improve lives.
Federal autism programs should publish clear priorities, measure outcomes, and fund work on co-occurring medical conditions, environmental contributors, and interventions that reduce suffering—not only studies that describe the problem.
Policy cannot stop at early childhood. We press for Medicaid waiver capacity, a stable direct-support workforce, housing options, and crisis care for children and adults with high support needs.
People who live with profound autism and their caregivers are too often missing from federal advisory bodies and legislative drafting. Representation is not optional if policy is going to work.
Charitable education is not enough when the bottleneck is law and appropriations. APRC exists to influence legislation, agency rules, and political attention.
On September 1 APRC sent House and Senate Appropriations a letter urging the FY 2027 Continuing Resolution to hold harmless FY 2026 Autism CARES programs and add $103 million in start-up anomalies ($75 million NIH research, $20 million NAPTI, $8 million Autism.gov). Organizations can sign on. Anyone can click yes in support.
Autism CARES should not be a blank renewal. We support continued funding paired with reporting requirements, independent evaluation, and a research mix that includes biology, environment, and services research.
State Medicaid home- and community-based service waitlists leave families without care for years. We support federal incentives that reward states for shrinking those lists and paying a living wage to support staff.