We're just going to highlight a few points that we think are important from our position paper.
CASDA came about as a result of the “Pay Now or Pay Later” report. In 2007 there were challenges amongst the community, so we did come together in a collaborative effort. As Laurie said, we are 38. We think that together we can improve our collective understanding of autism spectrum disorders and share best practices and treatment, raise awareness, and respond to the immense challenges that are faced by individuals living with an ASD, as well as their families.
We are ready to partner with the federal government. We want to work together and help to develop a national strategy. We have given a lot of thought to a few items on which we consulted our community, and we would like to share them with you.
Laurie.