Session of 1998
                   
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5051
         
By Committee on Education
         
3-19
            9             A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the State Board of Education
10             to contact professionals regarding information on autism treatment
11             options; requesting compilation and distribution of such information.
12            
13           WHEREAS, Autism is a severe neurological disorder which signifi-
14       cantly impairs an individual's ability to process information and to learn,
15       especially social and language skills; and
16           WHEREAS, Providing information on legitimate interventions for au-
17       tism to individuals with autism and to their families can be expected to
18       increase the likelihood of more favorable developmental outcomes and
19       thereby to lessen the emotional hardships on families and the future fi-
20       nancial burden on communities in Kansas: Now, therefore,
21           Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas,
22       the Senate concurring therein: That the Legislature, in recognition of
23       the facts contained in the preamble of this resolution and in the belief
24       that an increase in the availability of information concerning practices
25       which have proven effective in remediating the incapacitating effects of
26       autism would be immeasurably beneficial to children with autism and to
27       the families of such children, hereby urges the State Board of Education
28       to contact all known professionals who diagnose or conduct educational
29       assessments of children having or suspected of having autism and to im-
30       press upon such professionals the absolute necessity of providing the fam-
31       ilies of such children with written information regarding different types
32       of treatment for children with autism, including information on traditional
33       special education developmental approaches and applied behavior anal-
34       ysis, and with a listing of referral information which includes names, ad-
35       dresses, and phone numbers of those individuals and organizations, both
36       in and out of state, qualified to provide appropriate assessment, treatment
37       or training pertaining to the different available approaches; and
38           Be it further resolved: That the Legislature hereby requests the State
39       Department of Education to compile the information on autism treat-
40       ment options and the resource lists provided by professionals in the field
41       and to distribute such information and lists to all parties involved in the
42       treatment review process, as well as to all professionals in Kansas who
43       are qualified to make a diagnosis of autism, all school districts, all special

HCR 5051

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  1       education cooperatives and any autism resource centers in the state; and
  2           Be it further resolved: That as a formal expression of the sentiment
  3       of the Legislature, the Secretary of State is hereby directed to transmit
  4       enrolled copies of this resolution to the State Board of Education and to
  5       the Commissioner of Education at 120 S.E. 10th Avenue, Topeka, Kansas
  6       66612-1182.
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