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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The Autism Society of America, Cure Autism Now, | ||||||
| 3 | the National Alliance for Autism Research, Unlocking Autism, | ||||||
| 4 | the Autism Society of Illinois, Giant Steps of Illinois, and | ||||||
| 5 | numerous other organizations commemorate April as National | ||||||
| 6 | Autism Awareness Month; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Autism is a developmental disorder that is | ||||||
| 8 | typically diagnosed during the first 3 years of life, robbing | ||||||
| 9 | individuals of their ability to communicate and interact with | ||||||
| 10 | others; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Autism affects an estimated 1 in every 250 | ||||||
| 12 | children in America; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Autism is 4 times more likely in boys than in | ||||||
| 14 | girls, and can affect anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or | ||||||
| 15 | other factors; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, The cost of specialized treatment in a | ||||||
| 17 | developmental center for people with autism is approximately | ||||||
| 18 | $80,000 per individual per year; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, The cost of special education programs for | ||||||
| 20 | school-aged children with autism is often more than $30,000 per | ||||||
| 21 | individual per year; and
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| 22 | WHEREAS, The cost nationally of caring for persons affected | ||||||
| 23 | by autism is estimated at more than $90,000,000,000 per year; | ||||||
| 24 | and
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| 25 | WHEREAS, Despite the fact that autism is one of the most | ||||||
| 26 | common developmental disorders, many professionals in the | ||||||
| 27 | medical and educational fields are still unaware of the best | ||||||
| 28 | methods to diagnose and treat the disorder; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Public and private entities including Giant Steps | ||||||
| 2 | of Illinois provide educational and therapeutic services to | ||||||
| 3 | enable children with autism to achieve their maximum potential | ||||||
| 4 | and strive to improve a child's ability to interact, | ||||||
| 5 | communicate, and develop academic and daily life skills; the | ||||||
| 6 | group works cooperatively with local school districts to | ||||||
| 7 | reintegrate students with autism into their home school on a | ||||||
| 8 | full-time or part-time basis based on the individual needs of | ||||||
| 9 | the student; therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 11 | NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 12 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we name the month of April 2005 | ||||||
| 13 | as Autism Awareness Month in the State of Illinois, and we | ||||||
| 14 | recognize and commend the parents and relatives of children | ||||||
| 15 | with autism for their sacrifice and dedication in providing for | ||||||
| 16 | the special needs of children with autism and for absorbing | ||||||
| 17 | significant financial costs for specialized education and | ||||||
| 18 | support services; and be it further | ||||||
| 19 | RESOLVED, That we support the goal of increasing federal, | ||||||
| 20 | State, and private funding for aggressive research to learn the | ||||||
| 21 | root causes of autism, identify the best methods of early | ||||||
| 22 | intervention and treatment, expand programs for individuals | ||||||
| 23 | with autism across their lifespan, and promote understanding of | ||||||
| 24 | the special needs of people with autism; and be it further
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| 25 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 26 | presented to the Autism Society of Illinois and Giant Steps of | ||||||
| 27 | Illinois.
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