Expressing support for designation of April 2010 as "National Autism Awareness Month" and supporting efforts to devote resources to research into the causes and treatment of autism and to improve training and support for individuals with autism and those who care for individuals with autism.

I thank my good friend, Mr. Pitts, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1033, a resolution designating April 2010 as National Autism Awareness Month.

I thank my friends and colleagues Messrs. Reichert, Gerlach, and Bachus. I especially want to thank my good friend and colleague, the cochair of the House caucus, who is Mike Doyle, and Mr. Pitts for their leadership on this very important resolution and, most importantly, on this very important issue.

This resolution serves an important function of increasing awareness of the 1.5 million individuals who are living with autism spectrum disorder and of the extreme dedication and efforts of their families in providing the best possible care and environments for their children, grandchildren, brothers, and sisters.

I want to especially note that the parents and the grandparents of children with autism have earned our enormous respect. I know many families with autism. It can be a very harrowing ordeal. Yet they do it with such class and with such love and dedication to their children. The concerns of the parents are validated in the community, and have since been found to be true nationwide in terms of the numbers.

I will point out to my colleagues that I've been involved in autism since 1981,

since my first term. I'll never forget visiting Eden Institute in Princeton, which does tremendous breakthrough research and work with autism children and young adults. Frankly, for me, it wasn't until 1998 when two parents, Bobbie and Billy Gallagher from Brick Township, New Jersey, came to me after hours and said, Congressman, we'd like you to sit down and look over some of the evidence and data we've accumulated because it is our belief that there is a prevalent spike in autism in Brick.

We brought in all of the good players. We brought in the CDC; we brought in the NIH folks, and we brought in public health experts. We put together a study to find out what was or is the trigger that was seemingly causing this huge spike in autistic children in one particular town in the State of New Jersey. To our shock and dismay, as this was going on, we discovered that there was a prevalence spike for sure, but it was most likely throughout the rest of New Jersey and probably, as it was highly suggestive, throughout the entire country of the United States.

So we put together a piece of legislation to establish what we called the Centers of Excellence to look at, especially, and to apply the best principles and prevalence techniques to determine what was causing this and to determine how many children were being malaffected by autism. To our shock and dismay, again we discovered that the United States didn't have a one in 10,000 prevalence, which is what the expectation was when I was elected in 1981, but that it was much higher. At that point, it was put at about one out of every 150 children.

So the Centers of Excellence were funded. The legislation was passed. I'll never forget that Congressman Mike Bilirakis was kind enough to accept our legislation as Title I of the Children's Health Act, which was a very comprehensive law designed to help children. Title I not only put more money into the CDC but also into the National Institutes of Health, which then was very much underfunding this effort to try to help autistic children.

Just for the record, we were spending $287,000 per year on autism at CDC. As my colleagues know, that falls off the table at some of our bureaucracies. That number has now gone up significantly to about $15 million, and now we have a critical mass of money working very synergistically with local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as on these prevalence efforts to find out what the parameters are of this developmental disability, because you can't combat something unless you know the who, what, when, where, and why of it, and that is what we are trying to do.

In the early 2000s, Mr. Doyle and I launched the Autism Caucus. We have tried throughout these years to be very supportive of every legislative effort, including the cure autism efforts of these past several years. The key has been more money for research, more money for early childhood interventions and trying to deal with the issue of what happens after a child reaches adulthood. It seems to me that every dollar we spend early-on means that we can have a higher functioning autistic child, now young adult, who can get a job, who can become gainfully employed, and who can become as independent as humanly possible. So every dollar we spend on autism is a dollar well spent.

Mr. Doyle and I have already entered into a compact with friends in Northern Ireland, in Wales, and in Scotland where they have an autism problem. This is a global phenomenon, as my friends and colleagues know, and we need to do more.

I have introduced a bill which would provide small grant money to fledgling nongovernmental organizations throughout the world.

In my travels to places like Nigeria, I met up with a small nongovernmental organization which was like David versus Goliath. I was trying to get the government there to realize that they have an autistic problem that is estimated to affect about 1 million children in Nigeria alone. Nobody knows how accurate that is, but the best and most well-intentioned people in Nigeria have come to that number.

So we do have a serious spike. What is the trigger? Is it too many vaccines given at one time, you know, where the megadosing that occurs today in that little child can't metabolize and where the body can't deal with it in a way that leads to the child's being safe from those other diseases? Is it thimerosal? For our children and for our young adults who have autism, we need to continue to leave no stone unturned in finding what the trigger is or what the multiple triggers are.

Finally, again, I want to thank Bobbie and Billy Gallagher, who are the two parents in Brick Township who came forward with a stack of papers and who said, Please, will you take this up?

I took it up, and I've enjoyed working closely with friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle so that we can cure autism now. The sooner the better.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1033, a resolution designating April 2010 as ``Nation Autism Awareness Month.'' I thank my friends and colleagues, Representatives Reichert,

Gerlach and Bachus for introducing this resolution--and my friend and co-chair of the House Autism Caucus, Mike Doyle.

This resolution services an important function of increasing awareness of the 1.5 million individuals living with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the extreme dedication and efforts of their families in providing the best possible care and environment for their children, grandchildren and brothers and sisters. Especially the parents and grandparents of individuals with autism deserve our enormous respect and support. Also deserving recognition are the many ASD advocacy groups who have been working hard for so long and the many providers of care and services for individuals with autism.

From my first session in Congress in 1981, I have been a consistent advocate for individuals with developmental disorders, including autism. In 1998, I became much more deeply involved after learning and listening to parents in a local community in my district--Brick Township--about their concerns that the frequency of autism was much higher than was being reported by officials at the time. The concerns of those parents were validated for their community and have since been found to be true nationwide. As stated in the resolution before us, autism is now known to affect every 1 in 110 children--my own state of NJ has among the highest rates in the nation at 1 in 94.

Autism generally is a life-long disability that can overwhelm families, as their lives become consumed with the considerable challenges of identifying appropriate biomedical and psychosocial treatments, schooling and other needed support systems for their autistic child--and eventually for an autistic adult.

Our nation is in the midst of an autism crisis that becomes more severe each passing month, a crisis that costs our nation tens of billions of dollars annually in medical care, behavioral therapy, special child care, and a range of child and adult services needed to care for these individuals. The resolution before us provides the staggering financial costs of autism--$80,000 per year to provide specialized treatment in a medical center, $30,000 per child per year for special education services, and a nationwide costs of over $90 billion per year.

The resolution appropriately recognizes the critical importance of early diagnosis and early treatment for children with autism in order to have the greatest positive impact on their lives, and it recognizes the extremely important need to provide worker training for young adults and adults with autism so that they can active members of the workforce.

Thankfully, Madam Speaker, in December 2006, this Congress passed and then President Bush signed the Combating Autism Act, which added significant provisions to broaden and strengthen activities related to autism. Among its provisions, that law requires the National Institutes of Health to expand ASD-related research--including investigating possible environmental causes of autism, authorizes grant programs to improve the epidemiology of autism, and also includes a very robust section ``Autism Education, Early Detection, and Intervention,'' to improve the early screening, diagnosis, interventions, and treatments for ASDs.

While we all were gratified with passage of the Combating Autism Act, we also recognized that there is a tremendous unmet need to improve services for both children and adults with autism. That is why I am extremely gratified to have joined my friend Mike Doyle, along with Rep. Eliot Engel, in introducing, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act (H.R. 2413), to provide for enhanced support, services and treatment, as well as research for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

To mention only two provisions of the bill--it would establish an Adult Services Demonstration Project to provide an array of services to adults with autism spectrum disorders including: post secondary education, vocational and self advocacy skills, employment; residential services, supports and housing; nutrition, health and wellness; recreational and social activities; and transportation and personal safety. And it would establish a ``National Network for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research and Services'' to strengthen linkages between research and service initiatives at the federal, regional, state and local levels, and facilitate the translation of research on autism into services and treatments.

I know that all of us here share the commitment to dramatically improve the lives for the well over a million American children and adults who have an autism spectrum disorder and improve the outlook for their families and other loved ones. I thank my friends Representatives Reichert, Gerlach and Bachus for introducing this resolution. And I thank my friend Mike Doyle for his leadership in establishing new programs to help individuals with autism.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1033) expressing support for designation of April 2010 as ``National Autism Awareness Month'' and supporting efforts to devote new resources to research into the causes and treatment of autism and to improve training and support for individuals with autism and those who care for individuals with autism, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1033. This resolution expresses support for the designation of this month, the month of April, as National Autism Awareness Month.

Autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disabilities that affect an estimated one in 100 children nationwide. ASDs, or autism, are typically diagnosed within the first 3 years of life. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. However, we know that autism affects each person and certain groups differently.

People with Asperger's syndrome, one form of autism, typically do not have difficulty with language or intellectual disability. Others with autism have more notable language delays and social challenges, among other symptoms. This form of autism is referred to as autistic disorder, or classic autism. Autism is at least four times more likely to be diagnosed in boys than in girls.

We have made important progress in research on autism within the past few years, and I and dozens of Members of

Congress who annually seek and obtain billions of dollars for autism funding know that there remains much to learn about the risk factors and causes of this group of conditions.

We must also continue to raise awareness regarding the signs and symptoms of autism. Today's resolution gives us an opportunity to do just that. This awareness raising is particularly important since early intervention has shown to improve a child's development.

This resolution recognizes and commends parents and relatives for their dedication in caring for children with autism. It supports the investment of resources into research that will help improve our understanding of autism and promote early intervention and treatment. It also recognizes the importance of appropriately trained educators to respond to students with special needs.

Those are the reasons why my friend Chris Smith and I, as founders and cochairs of the Congressional Autism Caucus, introduced H.R. 2413, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act. That bill will reinforce our country's work to identify the causes of autism by improving the coordination of our government's efforts. And it establishes a national network of autism research in order to strengthen linkages between research and service initiatives at the Federal, regional, State, and local levels, and facilitate the translation of research on autism into services and treatments that will improve the quality of life for individuals with autism and their families. A national data repository will be created to share emerging data, findings, and treatment models.

This resolution on the floor today mentions the needs of adults with autism, and our bipartisan bill, H.R. 2413, actually creates an adult services demonstration project to provide an array of services to adults with autism spectrum disorders, including postsecondary education, vocational and self-advocacy skills, employment; residential services, supports and housing; nutrition, health and wellness, recreational and social activities; and transportation and personal safety.

I am proud that our bill, H.R. 2413, will also create a national training initiative on autism and a technical assistance center to develop and expand interdisciplinary training and continuing education on autism spectrum disorders.

We ask all the Members of the House, including this resolution's sponsors, to join us and cosponsor H.R. 2413, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act, a meaningful bill that would achieve the goals of today's resolution.

I want to commend Representative Reichert, the sponsor of this resolution, for his work on this resolution at a time when so much needs to be done for children and adults with autism.

Madam Speaker, I would also like to note that the Committee on Education and Labor received a secondary referral for this resolution. The committee agreed to waive the opportunity to exercise its jurisdiction in the interests of advancing this resolution. I want to say thank you to Chairman Miller for allowing this resolution to be brought to the floor as quickly as possible. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Mrs. Dahlkemper).

I would just like to say that I deeply appreciate the efforts of the gentleman from New Jersey on behalf of all people with autism and on behalf of their families. He has been a true champion, and I appreciate his friendship, too.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I hope that the House will unanimously approve House Resolution 1033, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as a parent myself, I know that there is nothing more important than the well-being of a child to a parent. When there is a change in a child's behavior and when the parents or grandparents notice that something is wrong, they are the first to notice, and they are also the first to want answers. Often those answers are that the child has autism or is on the autism spectrum.

I also join in commending Mike Doyle and Chris Smith for their long labors on this issue, and I would like to associate myself with the remarks of Mr. Towns and of others.

Autism has always been a challenging diagnosis. There is an increased instance of autism spectrum disorder. It is quite a phenomenon. As of yet, it hasn't really been explained, but it is something that children, families, and siblings will have to deal with their entire lives. There are two very important things that we now know about autism:

The first is that awareness is critical, so I commend Mr. Reichert and Mr. Gerlach, along with Mr. Pitts and the other speakers today. That's what makes the designation of April as National Autism Awareness Month so significant. The sooner an autism spectrum disorder is identified, the sooner a child can receive specialized treatment.

The second thing we know is that early intervention programs can make an exceptional difference in the quality of life for these precious children. This has been proven not just by studies but by the personal stories told by individual families. They've seen their

young people literally blossom in front of their eyes as a result of early treatment.

The Birmingham area, from which I hail, has an innovative center called Mitchell's Place. It's named for Mitchell, who is the son of the two founders, the Meislers. It is a model for autism services, not just for Alabama but for the entire country. Mitchell's Place combines the latest in behavioral and developmental research on autism with a structured and caring environment. When you walk through the doors of the center, which is bright and nurturing, you can feel the love for the children, and they respond.

There are many promising developments to report to families living with autism. Recently, I and Congressman Mike Doyle, who is the chairman of the Congressional Autism Council, hosted a briefing at which we heard from the Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Thomas Insel. He told us about exciting research which is progressing in a number of areas. Expert researchers are studying causes, early intervention programs, strategies for older individuals with autism, and even potential cures.

In my State, thanks to the efforts of State Representative Cam Ward, we now have an Autism Task Force which is coordinating our State resources, and I know we patterned that after Pennsylvania, Congressman Gerlach.

In conclusion, it's an honor to speak on behalf this resolution and of the children and parents and grandparents and loved ones of those with autism. It's a pleasure to work with many Members of Congress who care so deeply about this issue, including the lead cosponsors, Congressmen Reichert and Gerlach, along with Mr. Pitts from Pennsylvania, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Doyle. Today's resolution has great meaning to millions of families across America affected by autism spectrum disorder.

If it encourages parents to be more attentive to the symptoms of autism and to get early treatment for their children, we will have done a great service for their families.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1033, expressing support for National Autism Awareness Month, and I am pleased to join the gentleman from Pennsylvania, the cochair of the Autism Caucus, on behalf of the other cochair of the Autism Caucus, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), as well as the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert), the prime sponsor, and Mr. Bachus of Alabama and Mr. Gerlach from Pennsylvania, who are other sponsors of this resolution.

The resolution, as was stated, acknowledges April as National Autism Awareness Month, and it supports the research efforts for the causes and treatments of autism. I would like to recognize the efforts of those who have gone through the appropriate training and who have provided support to individuals with autism.

I would also like to recognize the parents, the relatives, the friends of those with autism for their sacrifices and dedication, especially for absorbing many times the significant costs for specialized education and support services.

Some have estimated that one in every 110 children in the United States is affected by a disorder on the autism spectrum. Once diagnosed, early intervention is important to improve the outcomes of those with autism and to reduce the level of funding and services needed to treat people with autism spectrum disorder later in life. Continued research to identify the root causes of autism and support for the training of caregivers and teachers who work with children with autism will ensure that people with autism will continue to be important and productive members of society.

I would like to thank especially the author of the resolution, Mr. David Reichert of Washington, for his leadership in raising autism awareness, and I would like to commend the efforts of those who care for individuals with autism. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the cochair of the Autism Caucus, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to one of the cosponsors of the resolution, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, my good friend Jim Gerlach.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for H. Res. 1033, supporting the designation of April of 2010 as ``National Autism Awareness Month'' and supporting efforts to devote new resources to research into the causes and treatment of autism and to improve training and support for individuals with autism and those who care for individuals with autism. I would also like to commend Congressman David Reichert, the sponsor of this resolution, for his commitment to improving training and supoort for individuals with autism and those who care for individuals with autism.

This resolution draws critical attention to the impact that autism has on the people of the United States. Although only 1 percent of the population of children ages 3-17 in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder, the cost of autism over the lifespan is 3.2 million dollars per person. The effects of autism are widespread. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability with a 1,148 percent growth rate. There are 1 to 1.5 million Americans who live with an autism spectrum disorder.

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Marcus Autism Center, near my district, where I was able to see and experience first hand just how crucial it is that families and children affected by autism are given the attention, support, and resources they need, The Marcus Autism Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide information, services and programs to children with autism and related disorders, their families and those who live and work with them. The Marcus Autism Center offers integrated advanced clinical, behavioral, educational and family support services. Through the encouragement and financial support of the Marcus family, Marcus Autism Center has become a nationally recognized center for excellence for the provision of coordinated and comprehensive services for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. The Marcus Autism Center has served more than 30,000 people to date.

Please join me and support this resolution to bring awareness to improve training and support for individuals with autism and those who care for individuals with autism in the United States.