Autism, like cerebral palsy and AIDS, is a broad umbrella and encompasses a very wide spectrum of challenges.

For example, kids with Asperger's Disorder can be very bright and excel at intellectual tasks. However, the counterpoint is that they suffer numerous social interaction problems.

Some families with autistic children face the gut-wrenching reality that eventually, inevitably, their child will have to be institutionalized after years of struggling to keep the family together. It is not unlike paddling upriver but at a slower pace than the river that fights you.

Reportedly, only some 20 percent of parents actually get the services they need and are entitled to receive.

Part of the problem is they don't know what they don't know. The more egregious part of the problem is that too often they specifically are not told, OR they are intimidated into accepting what they get regardless of the quality (or lack of quality).

Several families report having been forced to sign inappropriate and unfair ‘parent agreements' that restrict their involvement with their own child's program.

Some vendors providing service are great. Others are not. Among those in the ‘not' category, there are reports of vendors colluding with government agencies to provide minimum or non-existent service and actually bullying parents to accept less than they are entitled to.

Such behavior exceeds even the smarmiest example of abuse of power.

I hope to explore in greater detail the good, the bad and the ugly of service providers and government agencies. And I am seeking your help.

I am asking you to share any information (personal, rumor or urban legend … I am assembling a team to help vet data and sort the wheat from the chaff). We want to learn what is right and what is wrong.

For decades I have been saying, "It is not WHO is right or wrong but WHAT is right or wrong that counts." In this case we want to find and recognize the good and bad players among government agencies and private service providers.

Individual families have already attained some level of success in compelling various government institutions to comply with the requirements of the Letterman Act and assorted rules and regulations.

Families for Early Autism Treatment is an organization that was founded in 1993 by parents and professionals trying to improve early intervention services specifically in and around Sacramento.

F.E.A.T has been doing a lot of heavy lifting and has realized some tangible results.

We hope to give voice to those families already suffering to at least get what they are entitled to and hopefully expand the outreach into areas not yet tapped.

In order to do this we are asking that YOU share this information with us so that we may share it with the community.

It is reprehensible that families in need, families struggling to keep families and marriages together, are challenged by the very government agencies created to assist them. That there are private companies exploiting and victimizing families is beyond contempt.

Please help us help.

Note: Please email any and all input to geoff@geoffmetcalf.com. We will follow up every lead (both good and bad) and report our findings in various links that will be posted.

Geoff is an author and talk show host. He is a ninth-generation commissioned officer in the U.S. armed services, a former Green Beret, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. Geoff hunts down the stories the rest of the media ignore and exposes them for public scrutiny. He is also Editor of CalNews.com.

Editor's note:
Doctor Finds Autism Link in Vaccines – Click Here Now
Doctor Reveals Cause of Brain Disease Explosion
Secret Health Exams That Can Save Your Life – Click Here Now

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Health Issues