[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6471-6472]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      AUTISM: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 27, 2001

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, it is not an exaggeration to 
say that autism spectrum disorders may be the silent epidemic of our 
time. It is silent because this developmental disorder has robbed at 
least 400,000 children of their ability to communicate and interact 
with their families and loved ones. It is silent because there are 
currently no operational autism registries in the nation to tell us how 
many people are actually afflicted with this disorder. Current 
statistics tell us that autism affects at least one in every 500 
children in America, and much of the recent anecdotal evidence suggests 
that autism rates are increasing. The real prevalence rate may be 
closer to one in every 250 children.
  One of the reasons Congressman Mike Doyle and I formed the Coalition 
for Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.), which now has 115 
members, is to provide us with a critically needed forum where autism 
issues--and proposed solutions--can be debated and discussed. Autism 
briefings, such as the one we held earlier today on early 
identification and intervention of autism, allow us to talk about the 
many problems associated with this disorder and give us the opportunity 
to find legislative remedies to these problems.
  For example, I am in the process of drafting legislation that I 
believe can help the victims of autism and their families. This 
legislation will focus on improving education and support services, 
such as early intervention, for persons with the autism spectrum 
disorder.
  First, my proposed legislation will seek to correct the inequities of 
existing early intervention program. Today, children with autism are 
only allowed to receive two hours a week of

[[Page 6472]]

early intervention through Part C (Infants and Toddlers with 
Disabilities Program) of the Office of Special Education Programs 
(OSEP). My legislation seeks to increase funding in Part C so that 
children with autism can obtain more than two hours of early 
intervention a week. Two hours a week of early intervention is not 
nearly enough time to help children with autism learn and grow. This 
legislation will allow children to benefit from more intervention as 
increased time will encourage them to become more familiar with the 
techniques taught to them.
  Another provision in this bill will address the lack of specially 
trained professors to educate autistic children by increasing funding 
in Part D (the National Activities programs) of OSEP Increasing funding 
at OSEP will provide federal grants to states to help them rigorously 
prepare teachers for educating children with autism. The program will 
provide both advanced education training for current special education 
teachers and introductory through advanced education training for 
future special education teachers. In addition, tax credit incentives 
will be provided for those who receive training in autism.
  Finally, my legislation will help children with autism make the 
transition to work. The bill will require the Department of Labor to 
conduct a comprehensive review of existing vocational training programs 
to assess whether they are adequately serving the needs of disabled 
persons, particularly those persons with autism. The Department of 
Labor will then establish an annual report to Congress in which each 
department lists what measures it is taking to make their training 
programs more accessible and more effective in helping autistic adults 
make the transition to part time or full time employment. The 
Department of Labor should also include a list of legislative 
recommendations to Congress for making improvements in ways to make the 
transition to work for disabled persons easier.
  As you may know, there is limited information on the prevalence, 
cause, or treatment of autism. In order to unlock the mysteries of 
autism, the members of C.A.R.E. are working to increase funding levels 
for programs focusing on autism spectrum disorders so that our nation 
can pursue several emerging scientific opportunities.
  First, we requested a $20 million increase at the National Institutes 
of Health (NIH) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 to bring total funding to 
$78.7 million. Eleven million dollars of these additional funds will be 
designated to the network of 10 existing research programs, the 
Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEAs). Six million 
dollars will be used to begin implementation of the additional 
``Centers of Excellence'' specified in the Children's Health Act (P.L. 
106-310). An additional $3 million dollars will be used to fund basic 
biomedical research and begin awarding training and education grants to 
professionals who provide care for patients with autism also authorized 
by P.L. 106-310.
  Second, we asked for a $5 million dollar increase at the Center for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for FY 2002. These additional 
funds would be used to implement the ``Centers of Excellence in Autism 
Epidemiology'' specified in P.L. 106-310. This is a program I authored, 
which was included as Title I of P.L. 106-310. Furthermore, funding 
will go towards awarding grants and assistance to states which want to 
establish their own autism surveillance programs. This funding is 
essential as the CDC must collect data from approximately 30 states 
before it can move forward with a comprehensive analysis of trends that 
may reveal correlative factors, potential causes, and hopefully 
effective treatments and cures for autism.
  C.A.R.E. has been involved in other autism initiatives as well. On 
March 29, C.A.R.E. introduced H. Con. Res. 91, which calls upon 
Congress to support April as Autism Awareness Month and today as Autism 
Awareness Day. The resolution also commends the parents and relatives 
of autistic children for their sacrifice and dedication in providing 
for the special needs of their autistic children. In addition, H. Con. 
Res. 91 endorses the goals of increasing federal funding for aggressive 
research to learn the root causes of autism.
  The Second Annual Autism Rally that is being held today in Washington 
is a prime example of how important citizen participation in our 
democratic process is. There are no more eloquent and powerful 
advocates for autism research and education than the parents of those 
who must love and care for their autistic child each and every day. We 
are deeply indebted to the parents and families who care for autistic 
children. Without you, these children would be hopelessly lost. It is 
my hope that the federal government can help provide you with its tools 
you need to continue your excellent work.

                          ____________________