[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF ``NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH''

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemeorate the 27th 
observance of National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
  Developmental disabilities may be visible or invisible and range from 
physical impairment that involves vision or mobility to those 
conditions that affect cognitive functions related to how the brain 
processes information or how someone learns.
  Developmental disabilities include: autism, attention deficit 
hyperactivity disorder, and other developmental delays have increased, 
requiring more health and education services.
   Everyone is on a continuum that moves us from ability to disability 
in one aspect or another. Through age, accidents, or illness, the 
healthy can become disabled.
  Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to 
impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas that are 
recognized in children from birth until age 22.
   The effects of development disabilities will last a lifetime.
   From birth to 5 years, a child should reach milestones in how they 
play, learn, speak, act and move.
   Tracking a child's development for signs that they are not reaching 
key milestones in development is critical for early diagnosis and 
interventions that can help children.
   People with developmental disabilities have problems with language, 
mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living.
   About one in six children in the U.S. have one or more developmental 
disabilities or other developmental delays.
   A Center for Disease Control study of 119,367 children aged 3-17 
found that boys had a higher prevalence for a certain developmental 
disabilities when compared with girls.
   In the CDC study, parents or legal guardians were asked if their 
child had: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, 
blindness, cerebral palsy, moderate to profound hearing loss, 
intellectual disability, learning disorders, seizures, stuttering/
stammering, and other developmental delay.
   Hispanic children had the lowest prevalence of developmental 
disabilities when compared with non-Hispanic white and black children.
   Prevalence of any developmental disability increased from 12.84 
percent to 15.04 percent over the past 12 years. Autism, attention 
deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other developmental delays 
increased, whereas hearing loss showed a significant decline.
   When developmental disabilities go misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or 
untreated the capacity of our nation's children to reach their full 
potential is undermined.
  The prevalence of any Developmental Disability in 1997-2008 was 13.87 
percent. Prevalence of learning disabilities was 7.66 percent; 
prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was 6.69 
percent; prevalence of other developmental delay was 3.65 percent; and, 
prevalence of autism was 0.47 percent.
   Over the last 12 years: Developmental Disabilities has increased 
17.1 percent--that's about 1.8 million more children with DDs in 2006-
2008 compared to a decade earlier; prevalence of autism increased 289.5 
percent; prevalence of ADHD increased 33.0 percent; and, prevalence of 
hearing loss decreased 30.9 percent.
   In addition, data from this study showed that: Males had twice the 
prevalence of any Developmental Disabilities than females and more 
specifically had higher prevalence of ADHD, autism, learning 
disabilities, stuttering/stammering and other Developmental 
Disabilities; Hispanic children had lower prevalence of several 
disorders compared to non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black 
children, including ADHD and learning disabilities; Non-Hispanic black 
children had higher prevalence of stuttering/stammering than non-
Hispanic white children; and Children from families with income below 
the federal poverty level had a higher prevalence of Developmental 
Disorders.
   Mr. Speaker, much progress has been made in the 27 years since 
President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed March as National 
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
   But there is still much work to be done to ensure our fellow 
citizens with such disabilities have the resources and opportunities 
they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.

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