[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 143 (Tuesday, October 6, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H10487-H10488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AUTISM IS NEEDED

  (Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, we have had an epidemic of autism 
for a long time in this country. It used to be 1 in 10,000 was 
autistic; then it went to 1 in 150; and in the Journal of Pediatrics 
this week, they said now more than 1 in 100 children are autistic. 
Something has to be done about that.
  I believe one of the root causes is the mercury that's in the 
vaccinations that we're giving, the preservative called Thimerosal.
  But even if you don't agree with me on that, we really need to get to 
the bottom of why so many children are suffering from this epidemic of 
autism. So we have a bill, H.R. 3703, which calls on the President to 
have a White House conference on autism to try to get to the bottom of 
this as quickly as possible.
  These children are going to grow up; they are going to live long 
lives; they're going to be a real problem for themselves, their 
families, and the country. We've got to come to the realization that we 
have to find a cure for autism and to stop it. We need to do this now. 
We need this White House conference, and I urge my colleagues to join 
me in sponsoring this bill, H.R. 3703.

                             [Oct. 5, 2009]

Study: More Cases of Autism in U.S. Kids Than Previously Realized: 1 in 
                                  100

       (CNN).--A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics 
     indicates about 1 percent of children ages 3 to 17 have 
     autism or a related disorder, an increase over previous 
     estimates.
       ``This is a significant issue that needs immediate 
     attention,'' Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of the Centers 
     for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. ``A concerted 
     effort and substantial national response is warranted.''
       The study used data from the federal government's 2007 
     national survey of children's health. The survey of parents 
     was conducted by the Health Resources and Services 
     Administration, and by the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention.
       The results are based on a national telephone survey of 
     more than 78,000 parents of children ages 3 to 17. 
     iReport.com: How has autism affected your family?
       In the study, parents were asked whether a health care 
     provider had ever told them their child had an autism 
     spectrum disorder. ASD is a group of brain disorders 
     comprising autism and two less severe disorders: Asperger's 
     disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise 
     specified.
       Children with the disorder show impairment in social 
     interaction and in their ability to communicate. They often 
     display repetitive behavior.
       The investigators also asked a follow-up question: Were the 
     children considered to have ASD now? Nearly 40 percent of the 
     parents and guardians said no.
       That finding led the authors to question whether some of 
     the children originally diagnosed as having ASD may have been 
     improperly diagnosed, since the disorders are not considered 
     curable.
       But Kogan said the two surveys cannot be compared because 
     the earlier investigators did not ask the follow-up question 
     about whether the children were still considered to have the 
     disorder.
       Still, based on the findings, lead author Dr. Michael D. 
     Kogan of HRSA's maternal and child health bureau estimated 
     the prevalence of ASD among U.S. children ages 3 to 17 at 110 
     per 10,000--slightly more than 1 percent.
       Boys were four times as likely as girls to have ASD, and 
     non-Hispanic black and multiracial children were less likely 
     than non-Hispanic white children.
       He estimated that 673,000 children have ASD in the United 
     States.
       Monday's findings of nearly 1 in 100 appear to indicate an 
     increase from the average of 1 in 150 that was reported in 
     2003, the researchers said.
       The researchers urged caution in interpreting the change, 
     noting that an increase in diagnoses does not necessarily 
     mean that more children have the disorder. It could simply 
     reflect a heightened awareness of the disorder.
       ``We don't know whether the change in the number over time 
     is a result of the change in the actual condition, in the 
     actual number of conditions or in part due to the fact that 
     the condition is being recognized differently,'' Arias said.
       She said that preliminary results from a separate, CDC-
     funded study she is working on also indicate that about 1 
     percent of children in the United States are affected by ASD. 
     That study is to be published later this year, she said.
       ``This is a behavioral diagnosis, and it's difficult to 
     make, and it's difficult to make at young ages,'' said Dr. 
     Peter van Dyck, HRSA's associate administrator for maternal 
     and child health.
       Half of the cases were considered mild by their parents, 
     the study reported.
       The results underscore the importance of creating policies 
     that will result in early identification and intervention, 
     the officials said.
       The reports raise ``a lot of questions about how we are 
     preparing in terms of housing, employment, social support--
     all the issues that many of these people are going to need,'' 
     said Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of 
     Mental Health.
       ``It also raises questions about how well we're prepared in 
     the educational system to provide for the special needs of 
     many of these kids.''
       Insel said the federal government is beefing up the 
     resources it is mobilizing to

[[Page H10488]]

     address autism and related disorders, with $85 million being 
     appropriated by the National Institutes of Health and $48 
     million for next year by the HRSA.

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