[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4744-4745]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice of support for 
the first-ever World Autism Awareness Day, a day that is sorely needed. 
In 2006 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimated 
that 1 in 166 children were diagnosed with autism. Today the CDC 
estimates that number to be 1 in 150. In fact, 67 children are 
diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder per day; a new case is 
diagnosed almost every 20 minutes.
  Like many of my colleagues, I have had the opportunity to spend time 
with children with autism and their families, from Connecticut and 
around the Nation. Autism is a complex neurological disorder, which 
manifests itself differently in each individual but occurs in all 
racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. It is a lifelong condition 
that affects not only the individual with the disability, but impacts 
the entire family, often requiring intensive levels of support and 
intervention.
  There are so many unanswered questions about autism. The first step 
in answering them is for us to come together as a society and recognize 
the

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many challenges autism presents in the U.S. and throughout the world. 
It is my hope that today everyone will take a moment to consider autism 
and the millions of individuals and families struggling with this 
developmental disability.
  We should also make note of the great work and sacrifice of families 
affected by autism and the tireless advocates for autism research and 
treatment who have worked to make this day a reality. Among them I want 
to particularly note my friends Bob and Suzanne Wright who have worked 
with me for years to address the needs of those dealing with autism. 
But there is still more to be done.
  At a time when the number of children and families living with autism 
has grown exponentially, it is important that we recognize the need to 
expand our federal commitment to combating this disease. Autism is the 
fastest growing developmental disability in the United States, yet we 
are not committing enough of our federal resources to developing the 
type of scientific breakthroughs in autism that are needed. It is time 
to redouble our efforts and help the thousands of families who are 
raising children with autism.
  Among the first major steps in the Federal response to autism was in 
2006 when Congress unanimously passed the Combating Autism Act, which 
my former colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Rick Santorum and I 
authored along with the strong support of many of our colleagues 
including Senators Kennedy and Enzi. This initiative represents the 
largest federal expansion of funding and programs for children and 
families with autism spectrum disorder.
  We took another major step recently on the Senate floor with the 
unanimous passage of an amendment Senator Susan Collins and I offered 
to the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution that would double funding for 
programs dealing with autism at the CDC, the National Institutes of 
Health, and other health agencies. It is my hope that my colleagues 
will keep this momentum going by making sure this funding finds its way 
into the final budget resolution conference report and then through the 
appropriations process. The research these funds would support will 
help us understand more about the causes of and appropriate treatments 
and services for autism.
  We should close no doors on promising avenues of research into the 
causes of autism. The Combating Autism Act and my recent amendment to 
the budget resolution allow all biomedical research opportunities on 
autism to be pursued. In fact, just today a new study of toddlers finds 
that there may be a link between babies born very prematurely and 
autism. As the author of the PREEMIE Act, along with my colleague 
Senator Lamar Alexander, I find this news particularly interesting. I 
look forward to the upcoming Surgeon General's Conference in June which 
was called for under the PREEMIE Act as an opportunity to further 
pursue this possible link between extreme prematurity and autism.
  As we look to the future, we also need to find new and innovative 
ways to help parents and loved ones care for family members suffering 
from autism. That is why I have introduced S. 2741, The Disability 
Savings Act of 2008. This bill will encourage individuals with 
disabilities and their families to save money for their unique needs in 
tax-advantaged disability savings accounts. This money could then be 
drawn out as needed, to pay for services and care that are needed.
  Today, on World Autism Awareness Day, I hope we in the Senate can 
make finding a cure for autism a top priority of the Congress and the 
Nation. Together, we can make life a little better for those with 
autism and their loved ones.

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