,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cjed ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #b1 #bjac ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey 7for himself and ,mr4 ,doyle7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish a health and education grant program related to autism spectrum disorders1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,autism ,assistance ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the occurrence of autism spectrum disorders 7,,asd7 has increased during the past decade from an estimated one in #ejj to an estimated one in #aaj1 according to data released by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7,,cdc7 in ,december #bjji4 ,,cdc classified as suffering from ,,asd children whose behaviors were consistent with the ,,dsm-,,iv-,,tr criteria for ,autistic ,disorder1 ,asperger ,disorder1 and ,pervasive ,developmental ,disorder--,not ,otherwise ,specified 7,,pdd-,,nos74 7#b7 ,autism is a complex neurological disorder that affects an individual in the areas of social interaction and communication4 ,because it is a spectrum disorder1 it affects each individual differently and to varying degrees of severity4 ,people with autism process and respond to information in unique ways4 ,in some cases1 coexisting medical issues and aggressive or self-injurious behavior may be present4 7#c7 ,the increased number of children diagnosed with autism is a growing and urgent concern for families1 healthcare professionals1 and educators1 as the health and education systems struggle to respond to the needs of this population in a comprehensive manner4 7#d7 ,the prevalence of autism in developing countries is also growing rapidly1 and health and education systems in these countries are particularly ill-equipped to deal with these issues4 ,according to the ,world ,health ,organization1 tens of millions of individuals in ,africa are affected by autism4 7#e7 ,children with autism who receive intensive and appropriate educational services before age five often make significant functional improvements4 ,in the ,united ,states1 significant efforts are being pursued to expand early diagnosis and the provision of these services4 ,in a report on the identification1 evaluation and management of children with autism1 the ,american ,academy of ,pediatrics recommended in ,november #bjjg that all children should be screened for autism twice by the age of two1 even if they have no symptoms4 ,early screening and services for autism are sorely lacking in most of the developing world4 ,an opportunity exists to use ,united ,states expertise to significantly aid children and families in developing countries1 for relatively small costs4 #c4 ,global ,autism ,assistance ,program 7a7 ,establishment and purpose ,the ,administrator for the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall establish and administer a health and education grant program to be known as the ,global ,autism ,assistance ,program to-- 7#a7 support activities under subsection 7c77#b7 by nongovernmental organizations and other service providers1 including advocacy groups1 focused on autism in developing countries2 and 7#b7 establish a teach the teachers program under subsection 7d7 to train health and education professionals working with children with autism in developing countries4 7b7 ,designation of eligible regions ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator1 in consultation with knowledgeable autism organizations such as the ,world ,autism ,organization1 the ,autism ,society of ,america1 and ,autism ,speaks1 shall designate not fewer than two regions in developing countries that are determined to-- 7#a7 require assistance in dealing with autism2 and 7#b7 have sufficient familiarity with issues related to autism to make effective use of the ,global ,autism ,assistance ,program4 7c7 ,selection of implementing ,,ngo 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the designation of eligible regions pursuant to subsection 7b71 the ,administrator shall select and award a grant under this section to a nongovernmental organization with experience in autism-related issues to implement the ,global ,autism ,assistance ,program through selection and awarding of grants to local service providers and advocacy groups focused on autism4 7#b7 ,activities ,a local service provider or advocacy group that receives a grant under paragraph 7#a7 may use such grant to carry out any of the following activities 7including1 as appropriate1 the translation into local languages of relevant ,english-language publications73 7,a7 ,education and outreach to the public ,use public service announcements and other public media to help the public become more aware of the signs of autism so that children with autism can be diagnosed and treated earlier4 7,b7 ,support to families ,development of resources for families1 such as online web resource centers in local languages1 dissemination of materials to parents of newly diagnosed children1 such as information contained in the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention's publication entitled ,learn the ,signs1 ,act ,early1 or other suitable alternatives1 and dissemination of educational aids and guides to help parents with their children's development4 7,c7 ,support to educational institutions ,funding for schools or other educational institutions1 focusing on teachers of the youngest students1 and including the distribution of equipment or of the materials referred to in subparagraph 7,b74 7,d7 ,support to clinics and medical centers ,provision of funding to clinics and medical centers with proven records in addressing autism to assist with operating expenses1 including personnel1 equipment supplies1 and facilities1 development of assessment testing for autism1 and acquisition of specialized equipment1 such as augmentative communication devices4 7#c7 ,applications for grants 7,a7 ,submission of applications ,to be eligible to receive a grant from the implementing nongovernmental organization1 a local service provider or advocacy group shall submit to such implementing nongovernmental organization an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as such implementing nongovernmental organization may require4 7,b7 ,establishment of screening board 7i7 ,in general ,the implementing nongovernmental organization responsible for implementing the ,global ,autism ,assistance ,program shall establish a screening board to be known as the ,project ,advisory ,board to review for content and appropriateness applications from local service providers or advocacy groups submitted in accordance with subparagraph 7,a74 7ii7 ,membership ,the members of the ,project ,advisory ,board shall be appointed by the implementing nongovernmental organization1 in consultation with the ,administrator1 and in accordance with the following provisions3 7,i7 ,each member shall serve for a term of one year and each member may serve as many as three consecutive terms4 7,,ii7 ,a member of the ,project ,advisory ,board may continue to serve after the expiration of the term of such member until such time as a successor is appointed4 7,,iii7 ,membership of the ,project ,advisory ,board shall include at least seven voting members who are members of autism advocacy groups1 professionals working with autism1 or otherwise associated with the autism community4 ,among the voting members of the ,board shall be at least two parents from different families of individuals with autism1 one medical professional working with autism1 one teacher of individuals with autism1 and one individual who has autism4 ,efforts shall be made to include on the ,project ,advisory ,board individuals with experience working in the developing world4 7,,iv7 ,membership of the ,project ,advisory ,board shall include non-voting members as determined appropriate by the ,administrator4 7,v7 ,membership of the ,project ,advisory ,board shall be chosen so as to ensure objectivity and balance and to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest4 7#d7 ,support and assistance ,the implementing nongovernmental organization shall provide1 contract for1 and coordinate technical assistance in support of its mission in meeting the goals and purposes of this ,act4 7d7 ,teach the teachers ,the implementing nongovernmental organization1 acting on behalf of the ,administrator1 in consultation with the ,project ,advisory ,board1 shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,teach the ,teachers ,program1 to-- 7#a7 identify health and education professionals to receive specialized training for teaching and working with youth with autism1 including training conducted in two- or three-day workshops at locations within one of the two regions designated pursuant to subsection 7b72 and 7#b7 conduct training through two- or three-day biomedical conferences in the two regions designated pursuant to subsection 7b71 including bringing medical and psychological specialists from the ,united ,states to train and educate parents and health professionals who deal with autism1 including training related to biomedical interventions that can affect autism1 how nutrition and various metabolic issues can impact behavior1 the role of applied behavioral analysis1 and various occupational and speech therapies in fighting autism4 7e7 ,funding ,to carry out this ,act1 the ,administrator shall allocate amounts that have been appropriated or otherwise made available to the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7f7 ,autism defined ,for purposes of this ,act1 the term autism means all conditions consistent with autism spectrum disorders described in section #b7a74