110 HRES 1472 IH: Supporting international health and U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-22 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1472 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. Fortuño) 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

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.