[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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