PRINTER'S NO. 2336
No. 350 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY O'BRIEN, WALKO, McNAUGHTON, BUNT, FICHTER, GEORGE,
LEDERER, RUBLEY, BEBKO-JONES, WATSON, CREIGHTON, SATHER,
GRUCELA, GEIST, DiGIROLAMO, GINGRICH, MARKOSEK, DeWEESE,
LAUGHLIN, HERMAN, McGEEHAN, PAYNE, FABRIZIO, COHEN,
HUTCHINSON, DENLINGER, SHANER, B. SMITH, WOJNAROSKI, BAKER,
MANDERINO, ROBERTS, LEH, YUDICHAK, JAMES, JOSEPHS, LEWIS,
HARHAI, GABIG, BELFANTI, BARD, HESS, HERSHEY, STURLA, TIGUE,
HORSEY, YOUNGBLOOD AND SOLOBAY, JULY 2, 2003
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JULY 2, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing Dr. Nancy Minshew, Associate Professor of Psychiatry
2 and Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of
3 Medicine, for her outstanding contributions and efforts in
4 the study and treatment of autism and autism spectrum
5 disorders.
6 WHEREAS, Autism is a severely incapacitating, lifelong
7 developmental disability resulting in significant impairment of
8 an individual's ability to learn, develop healthy interactive
9 behaviors and understand verbal, nonverbal and reciprocal
10 communication; and
11 WHEREAS, Autism is the third most common developmental
12 disability, affecting more than 500,000 individuals nationwide
13 and 25,000 individuals in this Commonwealth; and
14 WHEREAS, Autism, the result of a neurological disorder
15 affecting brain function, is a developmental disability that is
16 distinct from mental illness and mental retardation; and
1 WHEREAS, Although a cure for autism has not been found,
2 persons with autism can be helped to reach their greatest
3 potential through accurate early diagnosis, appropriate
4 education and intervention; and
5 WHEREAS, Autism is a complex disability requiring increased
6 research to one day find a cure and prevention and requiring
7 greater recognition and understanding to ensure that persons
8 with autism are accurately diagnosed and appropriately treated
9 throughout their lives; and
10 WHEREAS, In 1997 the National Institute of Child Health and
11 Human Development (NICHD) started a five-year, $42 million,
12 international network of ten Collaborative Programs of
13 Excellence in Autism (CPEA) to unravel the mysteries of autism,
14 a disorder that probably begins some time early in brain
15 development; and
16 WHEREAS, The network resulted from a congressionally mandated
17 conference, on the State of the Science in Autism, in April 1995
18 to identify gaps in the knowledge of autism and directions for
19 future research; and
20 WHEREAS, Dr. Nancy Minshew, an internationally renowned
21 expert in the field of autism, is the director of one of the
22 collaborative programs investigating the neurobiological and
23 genetic basis of autism; and
24 WHEREAS, Dr. Minshew provides consultation to the
25 Congressional Autism Caucus, the Pennsylvania Autism Caucus and
26 parent organizations; and
27 WHEREAS, Dr. Minshew's research has significantly advanced
28 understanding and treatment of individuals with autism and
29 autism spectrum disorder; and
30 WHEREAS, The efforts of Dr. Minshew and CPEA have greatly
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1 enhanced the lives of many children and adults who are diagnosed
2 with autism and autism spectrum disorders; therefore be it
3 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize Dr.
4 Nancy Minshew for her outstanding contributions and efforts in
5 the investigation and understanding of autism and autism
6 spectrum disorder and her notable research in diagnosis and
7 treatment practices for children and adults with these
8 disorders.
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