House Bill 498 is a policy currently in the Pennsylvania General Assembly which addresses the implementation of a voluntary autism screening tool being used at all childcare facilities across Pennsylvania. The current average age of an autism diagnosis is 5 years old, however an autism diagnosis can be made as early as 2 years old. The implementation of HB 498 would allow for an early detection of autism, as early as 18 months old. My brother who is 21 years old currently, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 4 and a 1/2 years old. If my brothers diagnosis was made early, he could have received services like OT, PT, and speech sooner, which would promote better long term outcomes for him. This policy has been sent to the Human Services committee and has been at a standstill for over a year. With the use of this petition, hope to spread awareness, especially to parents, about the important goals of this policy!