[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 254 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 254
Honoring the Autism Society of America on the occasion of its 40th
anniversary.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 27, 2005
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Burton of Indiana,
Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Crowley,
Mr. Wolf, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Reyes, Mr.
Moran of Virginia, Mr. Kind, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Peterson of
Minnesota, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Kline,
and Mr. Putnam) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Honoring the Autism Society of America on the occasion of its 40th
anniversary.
Whereas the Autism Society of America was founded in 1965 by Bernard Rimland,
Ph.D., who organized a group of parents to grow what was then known as
the National Society for Children and Adults with Autism;
Whereas the Autism Society of America became the first organization known in
America dedicated to providing education, advocating for legislation,
promoting research, and raising awareness about the then-rare disorder
of autism;
Whereas Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., the father of a son born with autism, through
his research and his 1964 publication ``Infantile Autism: The Syndrome
and Its Implications for a Neural Theory of Behavior'', disproved the
prevailing ``Refrigerator Mom'' theory that babies became autistic
because of extreme negative feelings or lack of feelings shown by
mothers in the first six months of life, and opened a path for
individuals with autism remaining in the home rather than being
warehoused in State-run institutions;
Whereas in 1968, Ruth Sullivan, Ph.D., the mother of a son with autism, became
the organization's first elected president;
Whereas over the last 40 years, the Autism Society of America has grown from a
handful of parents into a leading source of information, research, and
referral on autism with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters
connected through a working network of 200 chapters nationwide;
Whereas autism is a complex developmental disability that affects an individual
in the areas of social interaction and communication and, as a spectrum
disorder, affects each individual differently and to varying degrees of
severity;
Whereas autism spectrum disorders, considered in 1965 to be rare, have grown in
40 years from a prevalence of 1 in 10,000 to as many as 1 in 166 today;
Whereas four out of five individuals with autism are male;
Whereas as many as 1.5 million Americans of all ages are estimated to have
autism today;
Whereas in 1969, the Autism Society of America hosted the first national
conference on autism;
Whereas in 1970, the Autism Society of America established an information and
referral service;
Whereas in 1972, the Autism Society of America organized the first national
autism awareness campaign;
Whereas the Autism Society of America works in close cooperation with the
Congress and the Congressional Coalition on Autism Research and
Education (CARE), which was formed in 2001 to focus on advancing
solutions to the multifaceted problems of autism and includes 181
Members of Congress;
Whereas over the last 40 years, the Autism Society of America and its members
have been advocates for children with autism as the Congress considered
legislation affecting the lives of such children, including the
Handicapped Children's Early Education Assistance Act (1968) and the
Education for All Handicapped Act of 1975 (which would later become
known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)), the
Children's Health Act of 2000, and the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004 (reauthorizing IDEA);
Whereas the Autism Society of America and its members have been instrumental in
advancing the cause of autism within the scientific research community
leading to a greater focus on autism research and a five-fold increase
in autism-related research funding between 1998 and 2004 at the National
Institutes of Health;
Whereas the Autism Society of America, through its national office and chapters,
remains a leading national autism organization providing direct support
and programs to the autism community and advocating on behalf of, and
supporting the needs of, the autism community across the life span;
Whereas for 40 years, the Autism Society of America has played an integral role
in furthering the Nation's understanding of autism and serves as a
leading voice and resource of the autism community in education,
advocacy, services, research, and support;
Whereas the Autism Society of America remains committed to meaningful
participation and self-determination in all aspects of life for
individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families;
Whereas the Autism Society of America continues to accomplish its mission and
goals through close collaboration with a successful network of chapters,
members, supporters, and organizations;
Whereas the Autism Society of America promotes individual, parental, and
guardian choice to assure that individuals with autism spectrum
disorders are treated with dignity and respect; and
Whereas the Autism Society of America continues to achieve its mission of
improving the lives of all affected by autism: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) honors the Autism Society of America on its 40-year
anniversary;
(2) commends the Founders of the Autism Society of America
and the members, board, staff, and supporters, past and
present, of the Society for their service to the autism
community, to the Nation's understanding of autism, and to the
development and institution of research and services to address
the needs of those affected by autism spectrum disorders; and
(3) expresses best wishes for continued success and growth
to the Autism Society of America, the largest and oldest of the
autism organizations.
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