[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1472 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1472
Supporting international health and education grant programs related to
autism spectrum disorders.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 22, 2008
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Doyle, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr.
Conyers, Mr. Markey, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Moran of
Virginia, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Payne, and
Mr. Fortuno) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting international health and education grant programs related to
autism spectrum disorders.
Whereas the occurrence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the United States
has increased during the past decade from an estimated one in 500 to an
estimated one in 150, according to data released by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in February 2007;
Whereas autism is a complex neurological disorder that affects an individual in
the areas of social interaction and communication and, in some cases,
the individual may both experience biomedical problems and exhibit
aggressive or self-injurious behavior;
Whereas autism is a spectrum disorder that affects each individual differently
and to varying degrees of severity, and people with autism process and
respond to information in unique ways;
Whereas the increased number of children diagnosed with autism is a growing and
urgent concern for families, healthcare professionals, and educators, as
the health and education systems struggle to respond to the needs of
this population in a comprehensive manner;
Whereas in a November 2007 report on the identification, evaluation, and
management of children with autism, the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommended that all children should be screened for autism twice before
they reach the age of two, even if they have no symptoms, due to
``evidence that early intensive intervention may result in substantially
better outcomes'';
Whereas in the United States, significant efforts are being pursued to expand
early diagnosis and the provision of intensive and appropriate
educational services to children before age five that can provide
children with significant functional improvements;
Whereas the prevalence of autism in developing countries is growing rapidly,
including, for example, an estimated 2,500,000 people with an autism
spectrum disorder in China, and an estimated 2,000,000 such persons in
India;
Whereas health systems in most developing countries are particularly ill-
equipped to diagnose and treat autism, including early screening, and
the education systems lack trained instructors and specialized services
to address the needs of both autistic children and adults;
Whereas there is also a critical need for services for adults with autism,
including job training; and
Whereas United States expertise in autism could significantly assist children
and adults with autism and their families in developing countries for
relatively low costs: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) encourages the Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development (in this Resolution
referred to as the ``Adminstrator'') to establish and
administer a health and education grant program to be known as
the ``Global Autism Assistance Program'' to--
(A) support activities by nongovernmental
organizations and other service providers, including
advocacy groups, focused on autism in developing
countries; and
(B) establish a ``teach the teachers'' program to
train health and education professionals working with
children and adults with autism in developing
countries;
(2) further encourages the Administrator, in consultation
with knowledgeable autism organizations such as the World
Autism Organization, the Autism Society of America, and Autism
Speaks, to designate not fewer than two regions in developing
countries that are determined to--
(A) require assistance in addressing autism; and
(B) have sufficient familiarity with issues related
to autism to make an effective use of the Global Autism
Assistance Program;
(3) further encourages the Administrator to select and
award a grant to a nongovernmental organization (in this
Resolution referred to as ``implementing nongovernmental
organization'') with experience in autism-related issues to
implement the Global Autism Assistance Program through
selection and awarding of grants to local service providers and
advocacy groups focused on autism within the designated
regions;
(4) encourages the implementing nongovernmental
organization to establish a screening board to be known as the
``Project Advisory Board'', including at least seven voting
members who are members of autism advocacy groups,
professionals working with autism, or experts otherwise
associated with the autism community, and at least two parents
from different families of individuals with autism, one medical
professional working with individuals with autism, one teacher
of individuals with autism, and one individual who has autism,
to review grant applications from local service providers or
advocacy groups for content and appropriateness, and efforts
should be made to ensure objectivity and balance on the part of
those serving on the Project Advisory Board, to reduce the
potential for conflicts of interest, to ensure a broad spectrum
of viewpoints, and to include individuals with experience
working in the developing world;
(5) encourages the Project Advisory Board to award grants
for projects or programs that provide--
(A) public service announcements and other public
media to educate the public about the signs of autism
so that children with autism can be diagnosed and
treated at the earliest stages;
(B) resources for families, such as online web
resource centers in local languages, dissemination of
materials to parents of newly diagnosed children such
as information contained in the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention's publication entitled ``Learn
the Signs, Act Early'', and dissemination of
educational aids and guides to help parents with their
autistic children's development;
(C) funding for schools or other educational
institutions, focusing on teachers of the youngest
students, and including the distribution of specialized
equipment and informational materials; and
(D) funding for health clinics and medical centers
with proven records in addressing autism to support
their diagnostic and treatment efforts, including
assistance with operating expenses, personnel,
facilities, related supplies, the development of autism
assessment testing, and acquisition of specialized
equipment including augmentative communication devices;
and
(6) further encourages the implementing nongovernmental
organization, acting on behalf of the Administrator, in
consultation with the Project Advisory Board, to establish a
program, to be known as the ``Teach the Teachers Program'',
to--
(A) identify health and education professionals to
receive specialized training for teaching and working
with youth with autism, including training conducted in
two- or three-day workshops at locations within one of
the two regions designated by the Administrator; and
(B) conduct training through two- or three-day
biomedical conferences in the two designated regions,
including bringing medical and psychological
specialists from the United States to train and educate
parents and health professionals who deal with autism,
including training related to biomedical interventions
that can affect autism, how nutrition and various
metabolic issues can impact behavior, the role of
applied behavioral analysis, and various occupational
and speech therapies in fighting autism.
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