Many people think autism dooms children to a life of dependency. Grossman was recently elected vice president of the Autism Society of America, the largest national autism organization in the world. Representing the more than 400,000 people with autism and their families in the United States, Grossman will be involved in lobbying for disability legislation, securing research funds and developing a national awareness campaign.
Autism is a sensory disorder that sometimes causes children to become detached from society.
But Grossman said that with early intervention and proper treatment, many autistic people are starting to live functional, independent lives. Whereas five to six years ago, professionals were telling them that there was nothing they could do but put them in an institution and walk away. As a member of the society's board of directors, Grossman testified at a U.S. Senate hearing in March to ensure educational services for autistic children. The key, he said, is developing more trained professionals who know how to deal with autistic children, who often are improperly treated as mentally retarded. Grossman said strides are also being made in the form of a National Institute of Health research project that is aiming to find the cause of autism within five years.