Feda Almaliti
 |
Feda Almaliti (September 21, 1977 – September 26, 2020) was an American autism advocate,[1] podcaster, and co-founder of the National Council on Severe Autism.
Feda Almaliti | |
|---|---|
 American Autism Advocate | |
| Born | September 21, 1977 |
| Died | September 26, 2020 |
| Occupation | Autism advocate |
| Children | three sons, including Muhammed Almaliti |
Biography
Early life
Almaliti was born[2] in Chicago, Illinois.
Marriage and children
Almaliti had three sons.[3] Her youngest son was severely autistic and inspired her advocacy work.
- Muhammed Almaliti (birthdate unknown – September 26, 2020, age 15)
Autism advocacy
Almaliti's public autism advocacy began when she challenged her insurer,[4] Kaiser, which had refused to pay for treatments for her son's autism. Almaliti won the suit, and then worked to change California law to require health insurance to cover autism treatments.
Almaliti was a member of a group of parents[5] who worked on California SB946,[6] which significantly expanded[7] autism health insurance coverage in California. Almaliti then became Insurance Chair of the Bay Area Autism Regional Taskforce.[8] She was also Director of Outreach for the Mental Health & Autism Insurance Project.[9]
Almaliti co-founded and was vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism.[10] The organization focused on the challenges specific to people with severe autism and their families and caretakers. It worked to educate the public and policy makers, promote research, and promote acceptance and awareness of autistic people.[11]
She advocated for separate spaces for people with severe autism. She said that it was unrealistic to demand that people with severe autism be "mainstreamed" when their behavior was often likely to cause fear for others, for example at a public pool. Without these separate spaces, Almaliti argued, severely autistic people and their caretakers were likely to lead a life of isolation.[12]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Almaliti spoke publicly about the unique challenges of parenting a severely autistic child at such a difficult time.[13] She said the lack of in-person instruction and in-person help made her child's life even more difficult, and noted that even before the pandemic, parents of autistic children suffered similar stress levels to combat soldiers. She also stated that it was not possible to get people with severe autism to wear masks.[14]
Asperger reclassification
Almaliti, who had another son with Asperger's syndrome, believed that people with mild autism should maintain the separate diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome rather than being reclassified as autistic. She believed that each issue required significantly different treatment.[15]
Applied behavior analysis
Almaliti was a proponent of applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a treatment for severe autism. She championed the method in speeches, on her own podcast, and in other podcasts.[16]
Podcast
Almaliti was the co-host of The Scoop,[17] a podcast for parents of children with autism. The podcast was created to help other parents learn how to help people with autism.
Death
Feda Almaliti died while trying to rescue her son Muhammad from a house fire in Fremont, California on September 26, 2020.[18] Almaliti escaped the fire with her sister and niece, but then went back to rescue her son. Firefighters found her with her son in her arms.[19]
On October 19, 2020 the city of Fremont passed a resolution honoring Feda Almaliti.[20]
References
- ^ "Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area Leader, Feda Almaliti, and Son, Muhammed, Passed Away in Tragic Fire". Autism Society. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Feda And Muhammed Almaliti 1977 - 2020". Forever Missed. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Autism Activist, Son Die in Tragic East Bay House Fire". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "No one wants to pay for autism treatments". ABC7news.com. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Geha, Joseph. "Fremont fire: Advocate for people with autism dies along with son". mercurynews.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "SB-946 Health care coverage: mental illness: pervasive developmental disorder or autism: public health". California Legislative Information. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "The New Autism Health Insurance Law" (PDF). Autism Society. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Bay Area Autism Regional Taskforce". California State Senate. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Ursitti, Judith. "In Memory of Muhammed and Feda Almaliti". Autism Speaks. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "#TheresNoOneLikeFeda". National Center for Severe Autism. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Guiding Principles". Naitonal Center for Severe Autism. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Almaliti, Feda. "Inclusion Sucks. Or, Why My Son with Severe Autism Has Nowhere to Swim this Summer". Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Dorning, Courtney. "'He's Incredibly Confused': Parenting A Child With Autism During The Pandemic". NPR.
- ^ Almaliti, Feda. "Life with an autistic child can be difficult. During a pandemic it can be grueling". Stat News. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Devine, Darren. "Asperger's reclassification continues to spark controversy". Learning Disability Today. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Behavior Babe: Feda Almaliti on Creating Sub-Specialties in ABA and on the Treatment of Severe Behavior". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "The Scoop". Anchor.fm. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Feda Almaliti, Advocate For Families With Autistic Children, Dies In House Fire". NPR. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ Do, Kiet. "'She Loved Him Fiercely' – Autism Advocate Feda Almaliti Dies While Trying To Save Son In Fremont House Fire". KPIX 5 CBS SF Bay Area. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Fremont Human Relations Commission Agenda". City of Fremont, California. Retrieved 28 December 2020.