[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16694]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 AUTISM

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, as a Senator, I often meet with 
constituents about their concerns. I hear a lot of stories about their 
lives. No story is more compelling than that of a parent looking for 
help for their sick child. My office receives hundreds of letters and 
phone calls each year from Illinoisans asking Congress to do something 
to help with the burden that autism brings, and we are hearing from 
more families every year.
  Two years ago, I heard from one woman whose story reflects the 
experience of so many families. Ellen wrote to let me know that her 
son's autism was a constant source of worry for her. She loves her son. 
At the same time, she worries that her son's siblings carry a genetic 
tendency for autism and that their own hopes for marriage and children 
are tainted with concerns about this genetic tendency. She worries that 
one day, her other son will have to bear the strain of raising a child 
who is affected by autism. Ellen writes, ``As much as we love our son, 
we would give anything to have him be `typical.' He will always require 
supervision and assistance. He is the great passion of my life and also 
a very great burden.''
  Autism has become the fastest-growing developmental disability in 
America. In the past decade, the State of Illinois has seen a 353 
percent increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism. 
Today, one out of every 150 children born will eventually be diagnosed 
with some form of autism. When a family has to hear that their child, 
sibling, or loved one is diagnosed with autism, there are a number of 
questions that immediately arise. Is there a cure? What caused this? 
Where do we seek help? How will this affect our family financially?
  Parents are searching for answers, and through medical and public 
health research, we can further our understanding of the challenges 
families are facing. During the 109th Congress, I was a cosponsor of 
the Combating Autism Act, which the President signed into law in 
December 2006. The new law calls on the Federal Government to increase 
research into the causes and treatment of autism, and to improve 
training and support for individuals with autism and their caretakers. 
The law will help millions of Americans whose lives are affected by 
autism and will begin to give us answers to outstanding questions 
related to an individual's diagnosis. But more importantly, the new law 
demonstrates the commitment of Congress to delve deeper into this 
critically important issue for millions of families. Recently, the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Study to 
Explore Early Development--a study primarily focused on the causes of 
autism spectrum disorders related to genetic and environmental factors. 
This study is the first to comprehensively look for causes of autism 
with over 2,700 families involved.
  In addition to looking into the causes of autism, we are working to 
improve the quality of life for those living with autism today. I am 
proud to cosponsor the Expanding the Promise for Individuals with 
Autism Act. This bill would expand access to treatment, interventions, 
and support services for people with autism. All families living with 
autism do not have the ability to access services like those offered at 
the Hope School in Illinois. Through committed staff and a community-
based treatment approach, the Hope School makes every day a little 
better for kids living with autism. This bill would help replicate 
resources like the Hope School in other States to better serve the 
autism community.
  And Illinois has gone further to help families in need of financial 
assistance. Because the cost of autism-related services is so 
overwhelming, both the Illinois General Assembly and the Illinois State 
Senate have passed legislation requiring health plans to provide 
coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Like many other 
States throughout the country, Illinois is responding to the voices of 
26,000 children saying their families need help.
  Last week, the Director of the NIH, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, testified 
before the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. During the hearing, I 
asked him to tell us what the NIH is doing with regard to research on 
autism. He discussed recent findings related to potential genetic 
links, which may help target the search for the causes of autism. For 
the sake of the millions of people living with autism and the families 
and friends who love them, we in Congress have to do our part by 
funding the NIH so that the research community can proceed quickly to 
unlock the mysteries surrounding this terrible disorder.

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