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House Resolution 31

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                      BY  T. TAYLOR
  1  3 A Resolution urging the Iowa Department of Public
  1  4    Health to compile and maintain records regarding autism.
  1  5    WHEREAS, autism is a brain disorder that typically
  1  6 affects a person's ability to communicate, form
  1  7 relationships with others, and respond appropriately
  1  8 to the environment; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, some people with autism are relatively
  1 10 high-functioning, with speech and intelligence intact,
  1 11 and others are mentally retarded, mute, or have
  1 12 serious language delays; some seem closed off and shut
  1 13 down; and others seem locked into repetitive behaviors
  1 14 and rigid patterns of thinking; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, the diagnosis of autism is made when a
  1 16 specified number of characteristics listed in the DSM-
  1 17 IV, a diagnostic tool, are present, in ranges
  1 18 inappropriate for the child's age; and diagnosis
  1 19 usually occurs between the ages three and five; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, there are other developmental disabilities
  1 21 which are greatly similar to autism, including, among
  1 22 others, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative
  1 23 Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, and Pervasive
  1 24 Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, each
  1 25 of which creates different emotional, learning, and
  1 26 functional difficulties; and
  1 27    WHEREAS, while there are no known specific causes
  1 28 of these mental disorders, some research suggests that
  1 29 causes might include physical problems affecting those
  1 30 parts of the brain that process language and
  2  1 information received through the senses, imbalances of
  2  2 certain chemicals in the brain, and genetic factors;
  2  3 autism may also result from a combination of several
  2  4 causes, but factors in the psychological environment
  2  5 of the child do not cause autism; and
  2  6    WHEREAS, autism and associated disorders affect as
  2  7 many as one in 500 individuals, according to the
  2  8 United States Centers for Disease Control and
  2  9 Prevention as of 1997; autism is four times more
  2 10 prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial,
  2 11 ethnic, or social boundaries, and family income,
  2 12 lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the
  2 13 chance of autism's occurrence; and
  2 14    WHEREAS, the autism prognosis is startlingly grim
  2 15 and consistent across a broad range of studies, as
  2 16 only about 2 percent of those persons diagnosed with
  2 17 autism will attain normal functioning, with perhaps 40
  2 18 percent of the persons diagnosed being labeled high-
  2 19 functioning autistic, and persons diagnosed often have
  2 20 other medical problems also, such as epilepsy, mental
  2 21 retardation, Down's Syndrome, or genetic disorders
  2 22 such as Fragile X Syndrome, Landau-Kleffner Syndrome,
  2 23 William's Syndrome, or Tourette's Syndrome; and
  2 24    WHEREAS, caring for and educating children and
  2 25 adults suffering from autism and related disorders
  2 26 often require a considerable dedication of emotional
  2 27 and financial resources by parents, caretakers,
  2 28 schools, hospitals, and care facilities; and
  2 29    WHEREAS, the bipartisan Congressional Coalition for
  2 30 Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.) has been
  3  1 formed, with 94 members of the United States House of
  3  2 Representatives as members of the coalition, with the
  3  3 goal of increasing autism awareness, educating
  3  4 lawmakers and policymakers, providing a forum wherein
  3  5 autism issues can be debated and discussed, and
  3  6 expanding federal research into autism spectrum
  3  7 disorders; and
  3  8    WHEREAS, to ensure that planning for the welfare
  3  9 and development of persons with autism and related
  3 10 disorders is more meaningful, need exists for the Iowa
  3 11 Department of Public Health to collect data on the
  3 12 size of the autistic population in Iowa and of various
  3 13 types of disabilities affecting that population; and
  3 14    WHEREAS, the Iowa Department of Public Health's
  3 15 Bureau of Vital Statistics has the ability to collect
  3 16 information from pediatricians, family physicians and
  3 17 other health care professionals, school districts, or
  3 18 other care providers, regarding the number of adults
  3 19 and the number of children who have autism or related
  3 20 disorders, and the geographical locations of those
  3 21 persons; NOW THEREFORE,
  3 22    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  3 23 That the Iowa Department of Public Health shall
  3 24 develop legislative recommendations and administrative
  3 25 rules for the compilation of information and
  3 26 statistics related to Iowa residents who have been
  3 27 diagnosed with autism or a related disorder.
  3 28    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the members of Iowa's
  3 29 congressional delegation to the United States House of
  3 30 Representatives are encouraged to become a part of the
  4  1 Coalition for Autism Research and Education.
  4  2    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon adoption, the
  4  3 Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives shall send
  4  4 a copy of this Resolution to Representatives Leonard
  4  5 L. Boswell, Greg Ganske, Tom Latham, Jim Leach, and
  4  6 Jim Nussle.  
  4  7 LSB 3567HH 79
  4  8 vl/gg/8
     

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