Congressional Autism Caucus Marks World Autism Awareness Day With The Introduction of Two Autism Bills

Washington, DC – April 2, 2009 - U.S. Representatives Mike Doyle (PA-14) and Chris Smith (NJ-4), today introduced two bills to mark World Autism Awareness Day. 

“Millions of people around the world are affected by autism spectrum disorder,” Congressman Doyle said this morning.  “They and their families need and deserve greater recognition and support from our society, and the first step we need to take to achieve that goal is to raise public awareness about autism.  That’s why the United Nations has designated April 2 each year as World Autism Awareness Day – and why Chris Smith and I have introduced these two bills today.”

“Autism advocates in the U.S. should be commended for increasing awareness of autism through years of tireless dedication,” Smith said. “World Autism Awareness Day is important to make clear that autism affects children and adults across the globe. We need to leverage that awareness to enact service and support programs that will enable individuals with autism to participate fully in their communities and in society.”

The first bill is a House concurrent resolution observing World Autism Awareness Day and calling for greater federal action to address the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.  Specifically, this resolution recognizes the importance of autism awareness and expresses the House of Representatives commitment to increase funding for research into the causes and treatment of autism and to improve training and support for individuals who care for those with autism.

The second bill would fund programs addressing autism in the developing world.  This legislation, the Global Autism Assistance Act, would authorize $10 million over three years for service providers and advocacy groups for autistic children specifically in countries with weak healthcare infrastructure.  The Global Autism Assistance Act would fund small grants to raise autism awareness and create new ways to share American expertise and advancements in the diagnoses and treatment of autism with families and medical professionals in countries that have yet to focus on the worldwide increase in the prevalence of autism.

The Global Autism Assistance Act would also establish a "teach the teachers" program in which qualified US specialists would train education and health professionals working with children with autism in the developing world. The program would host multiple workshops to enable American education, medical, and psychological specialists to share their expertise with parents and health and education professionals in the program's pilot regions. This is designed to help create a new corps of professionals in the pilot regions who can then fan out and help others further their autism assistance programs on their own.

“In many developing countries, health and education programs for developmentally disabled children and adults are nearly non-existent,” Smith said. “The Global Autism Assistance Act will allow us to use our expertise to help establish and grow education and health care initiatives, beginning in at least two regions of developing countries.”

“The United States is a world leader in the diagnosis and treatment of autism,” Congressman Doyle said.  “Consequently, we have a responsibility to share the knowledge and skills we’ve acquired with other nations.  The Global Autism Assistance Act would mark an important step towards that goal.”

Congressmen Doyle and Smith also announced their intention to introduce a companion to the autism bill that was introduced by Senator Richard Durbin (IL) today.

“Federal support for research on autism and services for individuals with autism, especially adults with autism, is still woefully inadequate,” Congressman Doyle added.  “That’s why Congressman Smith and I will be introducing a companion bill to the bill that Senators Durbin and Casey introduced today to expand federal assistance to families living with autism.”

One out of every 150 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder.  The range and severity of symptoms of autism vary from case to case, but symptoms often include difficulties in communicating and interacting with other individuals and exhibiting repetitive behaviors and intense interests in specific subjects.  The care involved in treating these symptoms often requires hours of intensive therapy every week - regimens that are often inaccessible or unaffordable for many families.  With early intervention and concentrated treatment, the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can be mitigated, enabling individuals with autism and their families to participate fully in their communities.

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