WWW . THESKANNER . COM
F EBRUARY 29, 2012
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 9
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
UNITY NOT VIOLENCE
Minority
Kids with
Autism
Experts say kids of
color not being
diagnosed early
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
By Lauran Neergaard
AP Medical Writer
Deputy Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz, joined Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and dozens of other community members
at a press conference Monday Feb. 27 at Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club to discuss how to deal with what the
mayor has characterized as a “public-safety emergency.” Also present was City Council member Bruce Harrell,
Pastor Lawrence Willis, of the United Black Christian Clergy of Washington, and other community members including
J'Quai Holiday, an outreach worker at the Metrocenter YMCA in downtown spoke about the need for the entire
community to unite to help stop the violence.
King County: Jails 100 % Better
Officials say series of problems led to reforms, improvements
R
eforms at King County
Jail have led to a grade of
“100 percent” from U.S.
Department of Justice
“Timely, proactive and tireless
efforts” noted by federal moni-
tors in declaring successful
completion of civil rights
review begun in 2009
The King County Jail earned
exemplary ratings in meeting all
conditions set by the federal
government for housing inmates
in a safe and secure environ-
ment, according to a letter this
week from the U.S. Department
of Justice (DOJ) that successful-
ly concludes a three-year review
of jail operations.
“These findings from the Jus-
tice Department affirm the
reforms we’ve made in two
short years, while reminding us
that effective reform must be
ongoing and consistent over the
long haul,” said King County
Executive Dow Constantine, in
thanking the federal monitors
for their review. “Our employ-
ees work daily in an inherently
volatile environment, and daily
vigilance is required.”
INDEX
News ........................2,3
Calendar ....................2
Opinion ....................4,5
A&E ..........................6,8
Bids/Classifieds............7
Remarking on the “productive
and cooperative relationship”
with the County, the DOJ this
week closed its monitoring of
the jail begun in 2009 under a
Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) that set practice stan-
dards for jail and jail health
operations.
“The DOJ letter and the final
monitors’ report confirm that
King County has a jail facility
that appropriately balances the
safety of our citizens with the
rights of inmates,” said Claudia
Balducci, director of the Coun-
ty’s Department of Adult and
Juvenile Detention, who credit-
ed the hard work of jail employ-
ees at all levels, from both her
department and Public Health.
“The Department of Justice
said what we know to be true:
the excellence of our jail and jail
health staff has been the driving
force behind our continual
improvement in the jail, and I
want to thank them for their out-
standing efforts,” said Dr. David
Fleming, Director and Health
Officer for Public Health – Seat-
See POLICE on page 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Early diagnosis
is considered key for autism, but minority
children tend to be diagnosed later than
white children. Some new work is begin-
ning to try to uncover why — and to raise
awareness of the warning signs so more par-
ents know they can seek help even for a tod-
dler.
``The biggest thing I want parents to know
is we can do something about it to help your
child,’’ says Dr. Rebecca Landa, autism
director at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger
Institute, who is exploring the barriers that
different populations face in getting that
help.
Her preliminary research suggests even
when diagnosed in toddlerhood, minority
youngsters have more severe developmental
delays than their white counterparts. She
says cultural differences in how parents
view developmental milestones, and how
they interact with doctors, may play a role.
Consider: Tots tend to point before they
talk, but pointing is rude in some cultures
and may not be missed by a new parent,
Landa says. Or maybe mom’s worried that
her son isn’t talking yet but the family
matriarch, her grandmother, says don’t
worry — Cousin Harry spoke late, too, and
he’s fine. Or maybe the pediatrician dis-
missed the parents’ concern, and they were
taught not to question doctors.
It’s possible to detect autism as early as 14
months of age, and the American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends that youngsters
be screened for it starting at 18 months.
While there’s no cure, behavioral and other
therapies are thought to work best when
started very young.
Yet on average, U.S. children aren’t diag-
nosed until they’re about 41/2 years old,
according to government statistics.
And troubling studies show that white
kids may be diagnosed with autism as much
See AUTISM on page 3
Metro Buses Move Mountain of People
Transit ridership in King County roars back as economy strengthens
A
growing economy combined with
improved transportation services to
better meet the needs of riders led to
a nearly 3 percent boost in Metro Transit
ridership in 2011. In all, about 370,000 peo-
ple hopped aboard a Metro bus each week-
day for a total of nearly 113 million rides.
“A near-record number of people are
experiencing first-hand the benefits of tak-
ing the bus, and I look forward to even more
commuters getting on board with transit as
the economy comes back,” said King Coun-
ty Executive Dow Constantine.
2011 was a big year for Metro. Ridership
climbed to levels not seen since 2008, when
employment was at its peak. Transit rider-
ship even outstripped job growth by more
than one percentage point, which suggests
that more people are using transit to get to
more places.
“With gas prices on the rise and more
RapidRide lines coming later this year, we
expect to see transit demand strengthen
even further in the weeks and months to
come,” Metro General Manager Kevin
Desmond said.
The increase in transit ridership was not
just limited to Metro. Transit use was up
See METRO on page 3