Declaring April 2011 as Autism Awareness Month and Recognizing April 12th, 2011 as World Autism Day in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS

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Autism was first identified by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943; and

WHEREAS

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This complex developmental disorder is caused by a neurobiological disability. It is now estimated to occur in 1 out of every 91 births, and research further indicates that Autism is 4 times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. Over one half million people in the United States today have Autism or some form of pervasive developmental disorder; and

WHEREAS

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The prevalence rate of Autism makes the disorder one of the most common developmental disabilities, yet most of the public, and professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how Autism affects people and how they can effectively work with individuals with the disability; and

WHEREAS

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With appropriate intervention, many of the associated behaviors can be positively changed, even in some cases, that the child or adult may appear to the untrained person to no longer have autism. The majority of children and adults will, however, continue to exhibit some degree of the disorder throughout their entire lives. Although there are still no medical tests for diagnosing autism, and a cure has yet to be found, a better understanding of the disorder has led to a host of strategies to deal with the disability; and

WHEREAS

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The Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support at Saint Joseph's University was developed by Paul and Margaret Hondros; and

WHEREAS

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The Kinney Center seeks to address the needs of those who struggle day to day with autism, either as individuals or caregivers. The mission of the Kinney Center is to provide multi-disciplinary education and research opportunities for students, teachers, professionals and parents who strive to improve and extend opportunities, outcomes, quality of life and best practices in treatment for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby declare April 2011 as Autism Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia and recognize April 12th, 2011as World Autism Day in the City of Philadelphia.

RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Kinney Center for their outstanding efforts in bringing attention to the fight against Autism, as evidence of the respect and appreciation of this legislative body.

End

COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES