Autism and Accountability

• In Event: The Public in Public Administration

Abstract

Autism is an increasingly prominent issue that involves serious accountability problems. First, no single agency has responsibility because there is no single "autism policy." Instead, it is a broad topic that overlaps with education, health care, employment, scientific research, and many other government functions at the federal, state, and local levels. (Just within the disability employment sector, for instance, GAO has counted 45 federal programs.) Second, the definition of the issue is hotly contested. Some see it as a disease that requires a cure. Others see it as a disability that calls for accommodation. Still others see it as an identity that demands recognition and validation. Third, shifting diagnostic criteria and the scarcity of historical data make it difficult to estimate the prevalence of autism and how it has changed over time. Fourth, however one defines autism, it is a lifelong condition, so outcome measures must have a very long time frame. And finally, because of all the preceding considerations, we hard put to quantify the resources spent on autism services or develop reliable indicators of the population outcomes we want to achieve.

Author

• John J. Pitney, Claremont McKenna College