Autism prevalence fuels push for Turning 22 supports
The Turning 22 program, which has its largest class to date and helps young adults move into adult services, features an increasing share of participants on the autism spectrum, said Katie Terino, chair of Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts (AFAM).
In 2019, 27% of Turning 22 participants were autistic, compared to 51% today, Terino said.
'The reality is that many of these young adults aging out of the school system will find themselves on a waitlist or with a reduction in services because we don't have the capacity to meet their needs,' Terino told hundreds of advocates, individuals with autism and their providers in the Great Hall.
'The increasing prevalence and complexity of autism, and the increasing need for services, brings both challenges and opportunities,' Terino continued. 'It requires us to rethink traditional approaches and find innovative solutions. The old way of doing things simply won't meet the evolving needs of this growing population.'
Terino said AFAM, which functions as a division of The Arc of Massachusetts, is strengthening its collaboration with that larger statewide advocacy organization, which represents 200,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism, as well as their families.
With the aim of supporting the workforce behind the Turning 22 program, The Arc wants the Legislature to funnel an extra $100 million into the Chapter 257 reserve to modestly raise pay for entry-level direct support professionals. Gov. Maura Healey recommended funding the account at $207 million.
'Please bring the rates of pay to a livable wage for these workers,' Maura Sullivan, CEO of The Arc, said over audience applause. 'We need to do this so thousands can come off the waitlist. Whatever goes on federally, the state must invest in the workforce in Turning 22 and in day programs. We need to fortify our programs and services now because we are the most vulnerable to these federal cuts. Lawmakers, please stand with us on this.'
The hourly pay for entry-level workers would increase from $20.79 to $22.35, The Arc said at an event last month.
Amit Basak, the father of identical twin sons who have profound autism, explained the so-called Turning 22 'cliff,' or the 'sharp drop-off into uncertainty' when young adults lose access to services and treatment.
'When someone with profound autism turns 22, the services they relied on — school, therapy, specialized programming — come to a screeching halt,' Basak said. 'With all due respect to the leaders here, I think our state government has been caught off guard by the increasing complexity and severity of this population. Agencies like DDS, DMH, and MassHealth have overlapping rules, conflicting rules (and) confusing eligibility criteria. We're also in the staffing crisis.'
When young adults are on the waitlist for services, they can start regressing, Terino said. Parents may also need to scale back going to work to care for their adult children, she said.
'Parents get overwhelmed, and they also can be isolated. Stress, depression, anxiety goes up for the whole family,' Terino told the News Service. 'Divorce is not uncommon. Sometimes, you can even see abuse happening in the household because everyone just gets very overwhelmed.'
More than 75,000 Massachusetts residents have autism, said Undersecretary for Human Services Mary McGeown, who acknowledged the waitlists and service gaps Bay Staters are facing. She also presented a proclamation from the governor that recognizes April as Autism Awareness Month.
'News coming out of Washington over the past several weeks have left many of us concerned about how changes at the federal level could impact services for people with disabilities here in Massachusetts,' McGeown said as she invoked MassHealth, which serves more than 2 million Bay Staters, half of whom have disabilities. 'We're carefully looking and analyzing the changing landscape of the federal government.'
Congressional Republicans are eyeing cuts to Medicaid with the aim of tamping down on fraud, waste and abuse. Healey's budget incorporates $16 billion in federal dollars, with the vast majority tied to Medicaid.
The Arc has been asking members to fill out a community survey to find out the impact of President Donald Trump's executive orders, as well as to learn how potential service cuts could affect their quality of life. Sullivan signaled The Arc has an ally in Sarah Peterson, who last week was permanently appointed as commissioner of the Department of Development Services.
'We're super excited,' Sullivan told the News Service. 'We know she's already started to work on some initiatives that really do address profound autism and those with more complex, challenging behavior, along with employment and other initiatives. She's increased the autism kids waiver.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's motivation for accusing Adam Schiff of fraud is clear. But the legal case is not
Sen. Adam Schiff has been on President Donald Trump's hit list for many years — an outspoken critic with a role in both of Trump's impeachments — so it came as no surprise when the president announced a criminal investigation into Schiff's financial transactions. What is far less clear is whether the California Democrat stepped over any legal lines when he bought two homes, on opposite coasts, and listed both of them for a number of years as his 'principal residence,' with potential benefits in mortgage rates and taxes. In 2003, three years after his election to the House of Representatives, Schiff and his wife, Eve, purchased a home in a Maryland suburb for themselves and their two young children. Six years later, the couple bought a condominium in Schiff's House district in Burbank. It was not until 2020 that he reclassified the Maryland home as a 'secondary' residence. Home owners can claim a tax deduction on mortgage payments for their primary residence, and Schiff says he took a deduction only on the condominium, saving $70 per year. They may also qualify for lower mortgage payments, and Schiff's office — while insisting that he has never misled his lenders — has not responded to questions on whether he sought reduced payments on either residence. The transactions came to Trump's attention last month. 'I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist,' Trump said in a July 15 post on his Truth Social network. Now, he said, federal financial investigators have found that 'Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible mortgage fraud,' and Ed Martin — designated 'special attorney' by Trump's Justice Department after he failed to win Senate confirmation as a U.S. attorney — will look into possible criminal charges. Schiff, unsurprisingly, called it a baseless smear, 'Donald Trump's latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies.' And Schiff, who served 24 years in the House before his Senate election last November, has been on Trump's enemies list at least since 2019, when he played a lead role in the congressional investigation that led to Trump's first impeachment. That followed disclosures that Trump had withheld congressionally approved military aid from Ukraine to pressure the nation's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to announce an investigation of Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. In 2021, Schiff also took part in the investigation that resulted in Trump's impeachment by the House for helping to incite the attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob trying to overturn the 2020 election results. The Senate acquitted Trump in both cases, as Democrats lacked the two-thirds majority needed to remove him from office. Meanwhile, Schiff's supporters note that Trump has been silent about revelations last month that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican and strong supporter of the president, and his now-estranged wife had declared three separate homes in Texas as their primary residences at the same time, which reportedly made it possible for them to reduce their loan payments by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Schiff insists he has done nothing wrong. He says he notified his lenders and mortgage companies that he and his wife listed both their homes as 'principal residences' because they lived in both places and did not use them as vacation homes or rental property. And he says he acted 'in consultation' with House legal staff. 'Big surprise — members of Congress, almost all of them, own more than one home or rent more than one home because we're required to be on both coasts,' Schiff said in a video posted online. Federal mortgage fraud is the crime of deliberately making false statements to mislead a lender or mortgage company into approving a loan or granting other financial benefits that otherwise would have been denied. It requires proof that the person knowingly provided misinformation about an important issue in order to deceive the lender into approving a loan or providing financial benefits. The crime is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. So did Schiff knowingly deceive his lenders? That might depend on whom you ask. The evidence Trump has relayed to prosecutor Ken Martin contains 'very serious allegations if true, and they could potentially constitute some level of fraud,' William Jacobson, a Cornell law professor and conservative commentator, told Fox News. 'If an average citizen misrepresented mortgage documents … to get a favorable rate, I think such person would be prosecuted.' Jacobson also criticized Schiff and other Democrats for 'cheerleading' Trump's prosecution and conviction on 34 felony charges. Trump was found guilty by a New York jury in May 2024 of concealing $130,000 in payments to former porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep her from disclosing their sexual relationship before the 2016 election. A sentencing judge imposed no criminal penalties this January, as Trump was about to return to office. Schiff's actions drew a similar assessment from William Pulte, a former businessman appointed by Trump in January to direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In a 'criminal referral' to Justice Department officials in May, Pulte, citing media reports, said Schiff 'has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms.' A different assessment came from Lawrence Jacobson, a veteran real estate lawyer in Beverly Hills who has served as an expert witness in trials on property issues. 'He has done nothing wrong,' Jacobson — no relation to the Cornell professor — told the Chronicle. 'He made full disclosure to the lenders and did it only after advice of counsel. The only crime he committed was doing his job.' Candace Turitto, a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, said that 'technically, there's absolutely nothing wrong' with Schiff's transactions, based on the evidence so far. But she said the mortgage laws, allowing borrowers to claim benefits on only one home at a time, raise difficult legal and political issues for members of Congress from faraway states. 'It might make one ponder, where exactly is the line for a primary residence?' Turitto said. 'How much time of a year should I spend sleeping under a certain roof for it to count as primary? Must I travel across the country to go 'home' after work, while my MD or VA colleague has a 30-minute drive home?' And it also affects congressional dialogue, she said. Before the time of regular air travel, Turitto said, 'members of Congress would spend weekends and the like in DC. … They would socialize, break bread, talk shop in after-hours environments,' forming 'more cooperative relationships across party lines.' These days, she observed, 'there's much less of this.'
Politico
25 minutes ago
- Politico
Playbook PM: The next round in the redistricting race
Presented by THE CATCH-UP ANYBODY HAVE A MAP?: Texas Democrats are set to return to the Lone Star State, ending their quorum break now that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has wrapped up the legislature's initial special session. But the Democrats are returning to a second special session, gaveled in by Abbott today, and once they do, Republicans' new maps — which aim to carve out five new GOP seats — are fated to pass. Abbott blasted the 'delinquent' Democrats in a statement, noting lawmakers will once again take up GOP-proposed congressional maps, along with a slew of other Republican priorities in the new special session. 'We will not back down from this fight. That's why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans,' Abbott wrote. It's the latest display of Abbott's zealousness in President Donald Trump's second presidency as he continues to notch political wins in the deep-red state. 'The third-term governor appears determined to win any battle — even if it means scorched-earth primary crusades or trying to boot duly elected legislators from office,' The Texas Tribune's Alejandro Serrano reports. Meanwhile, Texas Democrats spun the first session's end as a win. 'After we issued our conditions to return home yesterday, Texas Republicans have given in and ended their corrupt special session,' they wrote on X. Democrats' second condition hinged on California's push for voters in the state to approve new congressional maps — which Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes will provide a counterweight to the efforts in Texas. GOING TO CALIFORNIA: Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has reemerged in the Golden State, working behind the scenes to rally Republican support against California Democrats' gerrymandering ballot measure, POLITICO's Blake Jones scoops. 'McCarthy recently told his former home-state congressional delegation that he's aiming to raise $100 million' for an opposition campaign. California Democrats were briefed last night on the new proposed boundaries of the state's 52 congressional districts, with Paul Mitchell presenting lawmakers with slides of the map, per our California Playbook colleagues. More on Mitchell: Known statewide as a top data nerd, Mitchell has become the backbone of Newsom's planned mid-decade redraw and remains 'one of the rare few in the state with the skills to execute what is now a lost art — using technology to carve California's natural and human geography into electorally useful units — and those who know him say he is uniquely suited to weather the pressures that accompany it,' POLITICO's Will McCarthy writes. HOOSIER HOOPLA: White House officials are privately ramping up the pressure on Indiana Republicans to launch their own redistricting bid in the Hoosier State, POLITICO's Adam Wren and Andrew Howard scoop. White House Intergovernmental Affairs Director Alex Meyer in his personal capacity has reached out to 'several lawmakers' on the topic, while the White House has invited Indiana Republicans to meet in D.C: 'More than four dozen — including the state House speaker and Senate president — have agreed to attend and two have declined.' Forward America, a dark money group, appears to be behind an effort in the state urging voters to voice their support for redistricting to elected officials. A recent robocall 'received by a POLITICO reporter living in Indiana accuses Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Kathy Hochul of New York of using redistricting with a goal of 'ending the Trump presidency' and urges listeners to call GOP state Rep. David Hall and tell him to back the effort. … 'We can stop these radicals by doing our own redistricting here in Indiana,' the call said.' Listen to the call Happy Friday afternoon from the Lone Star State. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@ 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. ALL EYES ON ALASKA: Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet face-to-face in just a few hours in Anchorage to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. Here's the latest: 2. DISTRICT DISARRAY: D.C. AG Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging both Trump and AG Pam Bondi's separate orders this week attempting to federalize the city's police force, with further legal action expected as soon as this afternoon, POLITICO's Nicole Markus and Kyle Cheney report. In an emergency filing to block Bondi's order, the District AG argues that the administration is 'abusing its limited, temporary authority' under D.C.'s Home Rule Act and 'infringing on the District's right to self-governance.' The suit also alleges Trump does not have the authority to remove or replace the chief of police or 'determine how the District pursues purely local law enforcement.' More from Schwalb: 'This is the gravest threat to Home Rule D.C. has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,' Schwalb wrote in a thread on X. 'In D.C.'s 52 years of Home Rule, no President has tried invoking this authority. Until this week.' The filing marks the most direct opposition from city officials — including Mayor Muriel Bowser — who had until now largely been skirting around standing up against the White House's takeover. Though Bowser ramped up her criticism following Bondi's order, the mayor previously said the 'surge of officers enhances our MPD forces on a temporary basis.' 3. DEEP IN THE HEART: The Texas Senate race is heating up again, with a buzzy new poll showing longtime Sen. John Cornyn closing the gap in the Republican primary against AG Ken Paxton, who has been leading early polling. A new Emerson College poll shows Cornyn and Paxton locked in a virtual dead heat. By the numbers: In a sample of 500 voters between Monday and Tuesday, Cornyn holds a slight edge in the numbers, with 30 percent of voters surveyed backing him while Paxton sits at 29 percent. The cold water dump: The leading number in the poll is the 37 percent of voters who remain undecided in the race. Redistricting returns: Texas voters are split on the proposal to redraw the state's congressional map ahead of midterms, according to the Emerson polling: 38 percent oppose the effort, with 36 percent supporting and 26 percent unsure. 4. LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS: The White House has created an official 'scorecard' rating hundreds of companies and trade associations on their support and promotion of Republicans' sprawling tax and spending legislation that Trump recently signed into law, Axios' Mike Allen scoops. The scorecard ranks 533 companies' 'strong, moderate or low' support of the bill based on factors such as 'social media posts, press releases, video testimonials, ads, attendance at White House events, and other engagement.' Uber, DoorDash, United, Delta, AT&T, Cisco, Airlines for America and the Steel Manufacturers Association have all been deemed 'examples of good partners' on the list. 5. TAKING STOCK: New financial disclosures show that the president has some major financial stakes in both Apple and Nvidia, both companies that have 'recently benefited from special concessions Trump has made to tech companies,' WaPo's Eva Dou and Clara Ence Morse report. The president's latest investment filings show he 'owned between $615,000 and $1.3 million in Nvidia shares at the end of last year, and $650,000 to $1.35 million of Apple stock.' The reporting comes after the White House confirmed a controversial deal with Nvidia this week. Though the president's portfolio raises eyebrows around conflicts of interest, there's no direct evidence 'that he has made policy decisions based on his personal stock earnings.' Related read: 'Intel shares jump after reports US govt may buy stake,' by Semafor's Tom Chivers 6. IMMIGRATION FILES: Internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents show how ICE authorities, boosted by a $45 billion new budget, are considering 'opening or expanding 125 facilities this year,' potentially doubling the capacity of the country's immigrant detention system to hold more than 107,000 people, WaPo's Douglas MacMillan and colleagues scoop. 'The road map, last updated July 30, shows that ICE intends to expand immigrant detention to new parts of the country … relying increasingly on makeshift 'soft-sided' structures that can be built in a few weeks and taken down just as easily.' A familiar target: 'The government is also planning to dramatically expand its capacity for detaining parents and children in what could amount to the nation's largest family detention program in decades.' Authorities are focused on expanding facilities in (and beyond) existing ones in Texas, Georgia, California and Louisiana, with 'new facilities in Texas alone expected to double the state's capacity to almost 38,000 beds by year-end.' 7. SCHOOL DAZE: 'The Trump campaign promise that doesn't have the votes,' by POLITICO's Mackenzie Wilkes: '[C]losing the Education Department requires congressional approval. And despite being a target of conservative ire since its founding, shutting it down may be a tough sell for Republicans with poor school districts and states that depend on its legal guidance, civil rights enforcement and other support. That need for careful calculus has made it clear to the two top GOP education leaders on Capitol Hill that a more 'rational' and piecemeal deconstruction of the agency is necessary.' TALK OF THE TOWN Kristi Noem is living for free in a military home typically reserved for the U.S. Coast Guard's top admiral because of reported safety concerns, per WaPo. Adam Schiff is investigating the river-raising for JD Vance's birthday kayak trip in Ohio, per NBC's Frank Thorp. Arnold Schwarzenegger is prepping for the map battle in California, donning a colorful shirt that includes the phrase, 'TERMINATE GERRYMANDERING.' TRANSITIONS — Joetta Appiah is now deputy press secretary for Rep. Haley Stevens' (D-Mich.) Senate campaign. She previously was a public affairs associate at SKDK and is a Kamala Harris alum. … Peter Owens is now campaign manager for Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa). He previously was campaign manager for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for the 2026 cycle before she decided not to seek reelection and is an NRCC and Don Bacon alum. … … Michael Linnington will be CEO of the United Service Organizations. He currently is a consultant and is a Wounded Warrior Project and U.S. Army alum. … Sen. Mark Kelly's (D-Ariz.) political team has added Mairead Cahill as national political director and Taylor Hawkins as national finance director. Cahill previously was battleground political director for the Harris campaign, and is a Biden campaign, DNC and Maine Democratic Party alum. Hawkins previously was the national finance director for Sen. Bob Casey's (D-Pa.) 2024 reelect. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
In his push for fairness in college admissions, Trump has been silent on legacy preferences
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump attempts to reshape college admissions, he's promising a new era of fairness, with an emphasis on merit and test scores and a blind eye toward diversity. Yet the Republican president's critics — and some allies — are questioning his silence on admissions policies that give applicants a boost because of their wealth or family ties. While he has pressed colleges to eliminate any possible consideration of a student's race, he has made no mention of legacy admissions, an edge given to the children of alumni, or similar preferences for the relatives of donors. Trump often rails against systems he describes as 'rigged,' but he has overlooked a glaring instance in higher education, said Richard Kahlenberg, a researcher at the Progressive Policy Institute think tank who has written about admissions. 'It's hard to think of a more flagrant way in which the system is rigged than legacy preferences,' Kahlenberg said. 'Rarely is a system of hereditary privilege so openly practiced without any sense of shame.' In recent weeks, Trump has taken several actions to scrub any vestiges of race from admissions decisions, suggesting that some schools are ignoring a 2023 Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action. His administration negotiated settlements with Brown and Columbia universities that included provisions to share admissions data. Last week, Trump issued a call for colleges nationwide to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. Some are urging Trump to go further. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., applauded the settlement with Brown requiring the university to turn a blind eye toward race — even in application essays. But 'restoring meritocracy warrants more,' said Young, who cosponsored legislation in 2023 aiming to end legacy admissions. 'Federally accredited institutions should eliminate ALL preferences grounded in arbitrary circumstances of ancestry that students have no control over, such as legacy status,' Young said on social media. Many selective colleges consider family ties Sometimes called 'affirmative action for the rich,' the practice of legacy admissions remains widespread among elite colleges even as it faces mounting bipartisan opposition. Virginia's Republican governor signed a bill last year barring legacy admissions at public institutions, following similar measures in Colorado, California and elsewhere. Some Republicans in Congress have worked with Democrats on proposals to end it nationwide. Roughly 500 universities consider legacy status when evaluating applicants, including more than half of the nation's 100 most selective U.S. schools, according to 2023 disclosures to the federal government. A few have abandoned the policy, but it remains in place at all eight Ivy League schools. Stanford University said in July it will continue considering legacy status, even after a California law barred it at institutions that receive state financial aid. Stanford opted to withdraw from the state's student financial aid program rather than end the practice. The university said it will replace the funding with internal money — even as it begins layoffs to close a $140 million budget deficit. Stanford officials declined to comment. Last year, as part of a state transparency law, the school reported that about 14% of its new students were relatives of alumni or donors. A push for merit, but no mention of legacy admissions The executive action signed by Trump last week requires universities to turn over more information about students who apply to and are accepted to their campuses. Taxpayers 'deserve confidence in the fairness and integrity' of decisions, his memorandum said, adding that more information is needed to ensure colleges are heeding the Supreme Court's decision. A week earlier, the Justice Department issued a memo clarifying what it considers illegal discrimination in admissions. It takes issue not only with overt racial considerations but also 'proxies' for race, including 'geographic targeting' or personal essays asking about obstacles applicants have overcome. Similar language requiring 'merit-based' admissions policies was included in the government's resolutions with Brown and Columbia universities. None of the actions made any mention of legacy admissions. Trump's silence caught the attention of the nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights, which has an open complaint with the Education Department alleging that Harvard University's use of donor and alumni preferences amounts to illegal racial discrimination. The group's 2023 complaint says the practice overwhelmingly benefits white students. If the Trump administration wants to make admissions a meritocracy, it should start by ending legacy preferences, said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for the group. 'These deeply unmeritocratic preferences simply reward students based on who their parents are. It's hard to imagine anything more unfair or contrary to basic merit principles,' he said. Few Americans support legacy or donor preferences Colleges defend the practice by saying it builds community and encourages families to become donors. Some backers say it increasingly helps nonwhite students as campuses become more diverse. Then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, urged colleges to rethink legacy preferences in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, saying it expanded 'privilege instead of opportunity.' Some feared it would drive up white enrollment as affirmative action ended. Georgetown University reviewed the policy but kept it in place this year after concluding the pool of legacy applicants had a similar makeup to the wider admissions pool. An AP-NORC poll in 2023 found that most Americans have a dim view of legacy and donor preferences, with few saying either should play a strong role in decisions. Universities are required to tell the federal government whether they consider legacy status, but they don't have to divulge how far it tips the scale or how many legacy students they admit. Among the 20 most selective universities that say they employ the practice, none would tell The Associated Press what percentage of their incoming class has a family connection to alumni or donors. Trump's blitz to root out racial preferences has hinged on the argument that it undermines merit. New scrutiny is needed to ensure colleges are following the Supreme Court's order and 'recruiting and training capable future doctors, engineers, scientists' and other workers, he said in his executive action. That argument sends the message that minority students are 'intellectually suspect until proven otherwise,' said Justin Driver, a Yale law professor with a forthcoming book on affirmative action. He worries Trump's latest actions will intimidate colleges into limiting minority enrollment to avoid raising the suspicion of the government. 'I believe that the United States confronts a lot of problems today,' Driver said. 'Too many Black students on first-rate college campuses is not among them.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
