[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5753-5754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, April is National Autism Awareness Month. 
Autism affects the lives of 2 million Americans. It's the fastest-
growing developmental disability, in terms of new cases.

[[Page 5754]]

  In my home State of Minnesota, 1 in every 67 children is diagnosed 
with autism. Minnesota is also home to some great institutions like the 
Holland Center and the Minnesota Autism Center, which serve Minnesota 
families with educational and rehabilitation services for children with 
autism. Minnesota health care professionals are also on the front lines 
in the search to discover the cause of the high rate of autism among 
Minnesota's Somali population.
  While there's currently no medical detection or cure for autism, this 
disorder is treatable. Studies show that the early diagnosis and 
intervention can lead to significantly improved outcomes.
  Mr. Speaker, I was a cosponsor of the Combating Autism 
Reauthorization Act last Congress, and we must continue the fight and 
the effort to ensure those with autism get the attention and care they 
need.

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