Text: HR00030 Text: HR00032 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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
Text: HR00030 Text: HR00032 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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