[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7998]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       FINDING A CURE FOR AUTISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, every morning Miami-Dade County 
Commissioner Jimmy Morales helps his 6-year-old daughter get ready for 
school. Like many 6-year-old kids, Nora sings along to Britney Spears, 
N-Sync or Cristina Aguilera. Once at school, she introduces her dad to 
all of her classmates, gives daddy a kiss and a hug, and sends him off 
to work.
  While to most people this may sound like a normal day in the life of 
a 6-year-old for Nora, many of these achievements have come only as a 
result of hard work. Unlike most little girls, Nora would not like to 
wear ribbons or clips in her hair. She could not look her parents in 
the eye nor tell them about her day with her grandparents. In fact, 
Nora's parents were not even sure she recognized her own name.
  The reason: 4 years ago, Nora was diagnosed with autism; a 
neurological disorder which impacts a half a million people in America.
  The world through the eyes of an autistic child is a complex puzzle 
with no solution. Autism affects the normal development of the brain 
and it impacts in the area of social interaction and communication 
skills. As a result, children living with autism have a difficult time 
responding appropriately to their environment. This includes playing 
with friends and forming relationships, even with their own parents.
  Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls, but it 
does not discriminate. It knows no racial, ethnic, or social 
boundaries. And family income, life-style and educational level do not 
affect the chances of autism's occurrence. In fact, according to the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no one knows exactly why 
autism strikes approximately 1 in every 500 individuals.
  Autism not only has no known cause, but it has, sadly, no known cure. 
Sadly enough, the national rates of children being diagnosed with 
autism are increasing dramatically. For example, in the State of 
California, the numbers have increased 237 percent in the last 10 
years. In my home State, 50 percent of the children diagnosed with 
autism reside within my community of south Florida.
  The pictures that I would like to show to my colleagues and to the 
viewers tonight that we see here are of Bonnie and Willis Flick, two 
autistic children residing in my Congressional District who are 
fortunate enough to receive treatment and intervention therapy to help 
them cope with every day life.
  A good day for Bonnie is similar to the one we just heard about Nora. 
Bonnie is a high functioning autistic child who attends a very special 
school, The Learning Experience in Miami. And because autism is a 
spectrum disease that is manifested in a variety of forms, some 
children are not as high functioning as Bonnie.

                              {time}  2015

  For example, life for Bonnie's autistic brother, Willis, is a bit 
more difficult. Willis is mostly nonverbal and is not able to tell his 
mother that he is hungry or sleepy or not feeling well. He is unable to 
verbally express his joy, anger, or frustration; and that makes life 
all the more difficult for those around him.
  Bonnie and Willis receive professional assistance to help them 
optimize their potential and learning capabilities. But there are many 
autistic children who are less fortunate.
  As if families of autistic children did not suffer enough distress, 
one of the biggest challenges facing them is finding health coverage 
for treatment and therapy of this condition.
  Fortunately, Nora's parents, as well as Bonnie and Willis' parents, 
have been able to work through obstacles to ultimately find the care 
that their families so desperately need.
  Many families, however, are not as fortunate. We must continue to 
work so that all health insurance and health maintenance organizations 
include coverage for services to treat autism.
  In my Congressional district, the University of Miami operates the 
Center for Autism and Related Diseases, CARD, which helps hundreds of 
children and their families whose lives are impacted with autism.
  The CARD centers operate throughout the State of Florida and provide 
free individual and family assistance services as well as training 
programs for the parent and the professional. These centers focus on 
finding ways to change the behaviors and perceptions of individuals 
with autism in a way that will allow them to successfully learn, work, 
and communicate.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to continue to support centers like CARD whose 
services benefit families struggling through the ordeal of autism.
  Last week, the House passed the Children's Health Act, which contains 
a provision to establish centers of research and expertise. It is 
establishments like these that will help families of autistic children.
  I hope that, on behalf of the Bonnies and the Willises and the Noras 
in their districts, my colleagues will continue to pass legislation 
like the Children's Health Act and provide funding to research the 
causes for this disorder. With continued research, every day we are one 
day closer to finding a cure for this debilitating disability.




                          ____________________