HR0231 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0231 LRB098 11190 MST 41990 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Autism Spectrum Disorder can affect any individual regardless of racial, ethnic, economic, or social group; and

WHEREAS, About one in 6 children in the U.S. had a developmental disability in 2006-2008, ranging from mild disabilities such as speech and language impairments to serious developmental disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism; and

WHEREAS, Autism Spectrum Disorder is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined; and

WHEREAS, Studies in Asia, Europe, and North America have identified individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder with an average prevalence of about 1%; a recent study in South Korea reported a prevalence of 2.6%; and

WHEREAS, About one in 88 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network; and

WHEREAS, The cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder is still unknown; the research strongly suggests that it is caused by certain factors that affect brain development; and

WHEREAS, Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased tenfold in the last decade and now occurs in some form in one in 54 boys in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Autism, which is 5 times more common among boys than girls, usually appears during the first 3 years of life; and

WHEREAS, Early diagnosis, research, training, education, and therapies are vital to reducing the effects of Autism; and

WHEREAS, Current research suspects that there is not a single cause that will ultimately be discovered but rather a cluster of factors which include genetics, pregnancy/birth complications, viral infections, metabolic disorders, congenital anomaly syndrome (birth defects), and environmental toxins; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate April 17, 2013, as Autism Day in the State of Illinois to urge both government and its citizenry to become aware and educated on the subject of Autism Spectrum Disorders.