II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 850 

To provide for enhanced treatment, support, services, and research for 

individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 14, 2011 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. CASEY, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. LAUTENBERG, 

and Mrs. GILLIBRAND) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for enhanced treatment, support, services, and 

research for individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

and their families. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Autism Services and Workforce Acceleration Act of 

6 2011’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

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Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Parental rights rule of construction. 

Sec. 4. Definitions; technical amendment to the Public Health 

Service Act. 

Sec. 5. Autism Care Programs Demonstration Project. 

Sec. 6. Planning and demonstration grants for services for 

transitioning youth and adults. 

Sec. 7. Multimedia campaign. 

Sec. 8. National training initiatives on autism spectrum disorders. 

Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) Autism (sometimes called ‘‘classical au4 tism’’) is the most common condition in a group of 

5 developmental disorders known as autism spectrum 

6 disorders. 

7 (2) Autism spectrum disorders include autism 

8 as well as Asperger syndrome, Retts syndrome, 

9 childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive de10 velopmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually 

11 referred to as PDD–NOS), as well as other related 

12 developmental disorders. 

13 (3) Individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

14 have the same rights as other individuals to exert 

15 control and choice over their own lives, to live inde16 pendently, and to participate fully in, and contribute 

17 to, their communities and society through full inte18 gration and inclusion in the economic, political, so19 cial, cultural, and educational mainstream of society. 

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1 Individuals with autism spectrum disorders have the 

2 right to a life with dignity and purpose. 

3 (4) While there is no uniform prevalence or se4 verity of symptoms associated with autism spectrum 

5 disorders, the National Institutes of Health has de6 termined that autism spectrum disorders are charac7 terized by 3 distinctive behaviors: impaired social 

8 interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal 

9 communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely 

10 limited activities and interests. 

11 (5) Both children and adults with autism spec12 trum disorders can show difficulties in verbal and 

13 nonverbal communication, social interactions, and 

14 sensory processing. Individuals with autism spec15 trum disorders exhibit different symptoms or behav16 iors, which may range from mild to significant, and 

17 require varying degrees of support from friends, 

18 families, service providers, and communities. 

19 (6) Individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

20 often need assistance in the areas of comprehensive 

21 early intervention, health, recreation, job training, 

22 employment, housing, transportation, and early, pri23 mary, and secondary education. Greater coordination 

24 and streamlining within the service delivery system 

25 will enable individuals with autism spectrum dismstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

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1 orders and their families to access assistance from 

2 all sectors throughout an individual’s lifespan. 

3 (7) A 2009 report from the Centers for Disease 

4 Control and Prevention found that the prevalence of 

5 autism spectrum disorders is estimated to be 1 in 

6 110 people in the United States. 

7 (8) The Harvard School of Public Health re8 ported that the cost of caring for and treating indi9 viduals with autism spectrum disorders in the 

10 United States is more than $35,000,000,000 annu11 ally (an estimated $3,200,000 over an individual’s 

12 lifetime). 

13 (9) Although the overall incidence of autism is 

14 consistent around the globe, researchers with the 

15 Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health have found 

16 that males are 4 times more likely to develop an au17 tism spectrum disorder than females. Autism spec18 trum disorders know no racial, ethnic, or social 

19 boundaries, nor differences in family income, life20 style, or educational levels, and can affect any child. 

21 (10) Individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

22 from low-income, rural, and minority communities 

23 often face significant obstacles to accurate diagnosis 

24 and necessary specialized services, supports, and 

25 education. 

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1 (11) There is strong consensus within the re2 search community that intensive treatment as soon 

3 as possible following diagnosis not only can reduce 

4 the cost of lifelong care by two-thirds, but also yields 

5 the most positive life outcomes for children with au6 tism spectrum disorders. 

7 (12) Individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

8 and their families experience a wide range of medical 

9 issues. Few common standards exist for the diag10 nosis and management of many aspects of clinical 

11 care. Behavioral difficulties may be attributed to the 

12 overarching disorder rather than to the pain and dis13 comfort of a medical condition, which may go unde14 tected and untreated. The health care and other 

15 treatments available in different communities can 

16 vary widely. Many families, lacking access to com17 prehensive and coordinated health care, must fend 

18 for themselves to find the best health care, treat19 ments, and services in a complex clinical world. 

20 (13) Effective health care, treatment, and serv21 ices for individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

22 depends upon a continuous exchange among re23 searchers and caregivers. Evidence-based and prom24 ising autism practices should move quickly into com25 munities, allowing individuals with autism spectrum 

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1 disorders and their families to benefit from the new2 est research and enabling researchers to learn from 

3 the life experiences of the people whom their work 

4 most directly affects. 

5 (14) There is a critical shortage of appro6 priately trained personnel across numerous impor7 tant disciplines who can assess, diagnose, treat, and 

8 support children and adults with autism spectrum 

9 disorders and their families. Practicing professionals, 

10 as well as those in training to become professionals, 

11 need the most up-to-date practices informed by the 

12 most current research findings. 

13 (15) The appropriate goals of the Nation re14 garding individuals with autism spectrum disorder 

15 are the same as the appropriate goals of the Nation 

16 regarding individuals with disabilities in general, as 

17 established in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

18 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.): to assure equality 

19 of opportunity, full participation, independent living, 

20 and economic self-sufficiency for such individuals. 

21 (16) Finally, individuals with autism spectrum 

22 disorders are often denied health care benefits solely 

23 because of their diagnosis, even though proven, ef24 fective treatments for autism spectrum disorders do 

25 exist. 

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1 SEC. 3. PARENTAL RIGHTS RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify the 

3 legal rights of parents or legal guardians under Federal, 

4 State, or local law regarding the care of their children. 

5 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS; TECHNICAL AMENDMENT TO THE 

6 PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT. 

7 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 280i et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) by inserting after the header for part R the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘Subpart 1—Surveillance and Research Program; 

12 Education, Early Detection, and Intervention; 

13 and Reporting’’; 

14 (2) in section 399AA(d), by striking ‘‘part’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘subpart’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘Subpart 2—Care for People With Autism Spectrum 

18 Disorders; Public Education 

19 ‘‘SEC. 399GG. DEFINITIONS. 

20 ‘‘Except as otherwise provided, in this subpart: 

21 ‘‘(1) ADULT WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DIS22 ORDER.—The term ‘adult with autism spectrum dis23 order’ means an individual with an autism spectrum 

24 disorder who has attained 22 years of age. 

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1 ‘‘(2) AFFECTED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘af2 fected individual’ means an individual with an au3 tism spectrum disorder. 

4 ‘‘(3) AUTISM.—The term ‘autism’ means an au5 tism spectrum disorder or a related developmental 

6 disability. 

7 ‘‘(4) AUTISM CARE PROGRAM.—In this subpart, 

8 the term ‘autism care program’ means a program 

9 that is directed by a care coordinator who is an ex10 pert in autism spectrum disorder treatment and 

11 practice and provides an array of medical, psycho12 logical, behavioral, educational, and family services 

13 to individuals with autism and their families. Such 

14 a program shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) incorporate the attributes of the care 

16 management model; 

17 ‘‘(B) offer, through an array of services or 

18 through detailed referral and coordinated care 

19 arrangements, an autism management team of 

20 appropriate providers, including behavioral spe21 cialists, physicians, psychologists, social work22 ers, family therapists, nurse practitioners, 

23 nurses, educators, and other appropriate per24 sonnel; and 

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1 ‘‘(C) have the capability to achieve im2 provements in the management and coordina3 tion of care for targeted beneficiaries. 

4 ‘‘(5) AUTISM MANAGEMENT TEAM.—The term 

5 ‘autism management team’ means a group of autism 

6 care providers, including behavioral specialists, phy7 sicians, psychologists, social workers, family thera8 pists, nurse practitioners, nurses, educators, other 

9 appropriate personnel, and family members who 

10 work in a coordinated manner to treat individuals 

11 with autism spectrum disorders and their families. 

12 Such team shall determine the specific structure and 

13 operational model of its specific autism care pro14 gram, taking into consideration cultural, regional, 

15 and geographical factors. 

16 ‘‘(6) AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.—The term 

17 ‘autism spectrum disorder’ means a developmental 

18 disability that causes substantial impairments in the 

19 areas of social interaction, emotional regulation, 

20 communication, and the integration of higher-order 

21 cognitive processes and which may be characterized 

22 by the presence of unusual behaviors and interests. 

23 Such term includes autistic disorder, pervasive devel24 opmental disorder (not otherwise specified), 

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1 integrative disorder, and other related developmental 

2 disorders. 

3 ‘‘(7) CARE MANAGEMENT MODEL.—The term 

4 ‘care management model’ means a model of care 

5 that with respect to autism— 

6 ‘‘(A) is centered on the relationship be7 tween an individual with an autism spectrum 

8 disorder and his or her family and their per9 sonal autism care coordinator; 

10 ‘‘(B) provides services to individuals with 

11 autism spectrum disorders to improve the man12 agement and coordination of care provided to 

13 individuals and their families; and 

14 ‘‘(C) has established, where practicable, ef15 fective referral relationships between the autism 

16 care coordinator and the major medical, edu17 cational, and behavioral specialties and ancillary 

18 services in the region. 

19 ‘‘(8) CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DIS20 ORDER.—The term ‘child with autism spectrum dis21 order’ means an individual with an autism spectrum 

22 disorder who has not attained 22 years of age. 

23 ‘‘(9) INTERVENTIONS.—The term ‘interven24 tions’ means the educational methods and positive 

25 behavioral support strategies designed to improve or 

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1 ameliorate symptoms associated with autism spec2 trum disorders. 

3 ‘‘(10) PERSONAL CARE COORDINATOR.—The 

4 term ‘personal care coordinator’ means a physician, 

5 nurse, nurse practitioner, psychologist, social worker, 

6 family therapist, educator, or other appropriate per7 sonnel (as determined by the Secretary) who has ex8 tensive expertise in treatment and services for indi9 viduals with autism spectrum disorders, who— 

10 ‘‘(A) practices in an autism care program; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) has been trained to coordinate and 

13 manage comprehensive autism care for the 

14 whole person. 

15 ‘‘(11) PROJECT.—The term ‘project’ means the 

16 autism care program demonstration project estab17 lished under section 399GG–1. 

18 ‘‘(12) SERVICES.—The term ‘services’ means 

19 services to assist individuals with autism spectrum 

20 disorders to live more independently in their commu21 nities and to improve their quality of life. 

22 ‘‘(13) TREATMENTS.—The term ‘treatments’ 

23 means the health services, including mental health 

24 and behavioral therapy services, designed to improve 

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1 or ameliorate symptoms associated with autism spec2 trum disorders.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. AUTISM CARE PROGRAMS DEMONSTRATION 

4 PROJECT. 

5 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

6 (42 U.S.C. 280i), as amended by section 4, is further 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 399GG–1. AUTISM CARE PROGRAMS DEMONSTRATION 

9 PROJECT. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

11 date of enactment of the Autism Services and Workforce 

12 Acceleration Act of 2011, the Secretary, acting through 

13 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 

14 Administration, shall establish a demonstration project for 

15 the implementation of an Autism Care Program (referred 

16 to in this section as the ‘Program’) to provide grants and 

17 other assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency 

18 in providing comprehensive care to individuals diagnosed 

19 with autism spectrum disorders and their families. 

20 ‘‘(b) GOALS.—The Program shall be designed— 

21 ‘‘(1) to increase— 

22 ‘‘(A) comprehensive autism spectrum dis23 order care delivery; 

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1 ‘‘(B) access to appropriate health care 

2 services, especially wellness and prevention care, 

3 at times convenient for individuals; 

4 ‘‘(C) satisfaction of individuals with autism 

5 spectrum disorders; 

6 ‘‘(D) communication among autism spec7 trum disorder health care providers, 

8 behaviorists, educators, specialists, hospitals, 

9 and other autism spectrum disorder care pro10 viders; 

11 ‘‘(E) academic progress of students with 

12 autism spectrum disorders; 

13 ‘‘(F) successful transition to postsecondary 

14 education, vocational or job training and place15 ment, and comprehensive adult services for in16 dividuals with autism spectrum disorders, focus17 ing in particular upon the transitional period 

18 for individuals between the ages of 18 and 25; 

19 ‘‘(G) the quality of health care services, 

20 taking into account nationally developed stand21 ards and measures; 

22 ‘‘(H) development, review, and promulga23 tion of common clinical standards and guide24 lines for medical care to individuals with autism 

25 spectrum disorders; 

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1 ‘‘(I) development of clinical research 

2 projects to support clinical findings in a search 

3 for recommended practices; and 

4 ‘‘(J) the quality of life of individuals with 

5 autism spectrum disorders, including commu6 nication abilities, social skills, community inte7 gration, self-determination, and employment 

8 and other related services; and 

9 ‘‘(2) to decrease— 

10 ‘‘(A) inappropriate emergency room utiliza11 tion; 

12 ‘‘(B) avoidable hospitalizations; 

13 ‘‘(C) the duplication of health care serv14 ices; 

15 ‘‘(D) the inconvenience of multiple provider 

16 locations; 

17 ‘‘(E) health disparities and inequalities 

18 that individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

19 face; and 

20 ‘‘(F) preventable and inappropriate in21 volvement with the juvenile and criminal justice 

22 systems. 

23 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 

24 assistance under the Program, an entity shall— 

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1 ‘‘(1) be a State or a public or private nonprofit 

2 entity; 

3 ‘‘(2) coordinate activities with the applicable 

4 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental 

5 Disabilities, the Council on Developmental Disabil6 ities, and the Protection and Advocacy System; 

7 ‘‘(3) demonstrate a capacity to provide services 

8 to individuals with developmental disabilities and au9 tism spectrum disorder; 

10 ‘‘(4) agree to establish and implement treat11 ments, interventions, and services that— 

12 ‘‘(A) enable targeted beneficiaries to des13 ignate a personal care coordinator to be their 

14 source of first contact and to recommend com15 prehensive and coordinated care for the whole 

16 of the individual; 

17 ‘‘(B) provide for the establishment of a co18 ordination of care committee that is composed 

19 of clinicians and practitioners trained in and 

20 working in autism spectrum disorder interven21 tion; 

22 ‘‘(C) establish a network of physicians, 

23 psychologists, family therapists, behavioral spe24 cialists, social workers, educators, and health 

25 centers that have volunteered to participate as 

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1 consultants to patient-centered autism care pro2 grams to provide high-quality care, focusing on 

3 autism spectrum disorder care, at the appro4 priate times and places and in a cost-effective 

5 manner; 

6 ‘‘(D) work in cooperation with hospitals, 

7 local public health departments, and the net8 work of patient-centered autism care programs, 

9 to coordinate and provide health care; 

10 ‘‘(E) utilize health information technology 

11 to facilitate the provision and coordination of 

12 health care by network participants; and 

13 ‘‘(F) collaborate with other entities to fur14 ther the goals of the program, particularly by 

15 collaborating with entities that provide transi16 tional adult services to individuals between the 

17 ages of 18 and 25 with autism spectrum dis18 order, to ensure successful transition of such in19 dividuals to adulthood; and 

20 ‘‘(5) submit to the Secretary an application, at 

21 such time, in such manner, and containing such in22 formation as the Secretary may require, including— 

23 ‘‘(A) a description of the treatments, inter24 ventions, or services that the eligible entity pro25 poses to provide under the Program; 

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1 ‘‘(B) a demonstration of the capacity of 

2 the eligible entity to provide or establish such 

3 treatments, interventions, and services within 

4 such entity; 

5 ‘‘(C) a description of the treatments, inter6 ventions, or services that are available to indi7 viduals with autism in the State; 

8 ‘‘(D) a description of the gaps in services 

9 that exist in different geographic segments of 

10 the State; 

11 ‘‘(E) a demonstration of the capacity of 

12 the eligible entity to monitor and evaluate the 

13 outcomes of the treatments, interventions, and 

14 services described in subparagraph (A); 

15 ‘‘(F) estimates of the number of individ16 uals and families who will be served by the eli17 gible entity under the Program, including an es18 timate of the number of such individuals and 

19 families in medically underserved areas; 

20 ‘‘(G) a description of the ability of the eli21 gible entity to enter into partnerships with com22 munity-based or nonprofit providers of treat23 ments, interventions, and services, which may 

24 include providers that act as advocates for indi25 viduals with autism spectrum disorders and 

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1 local governments that provide services for indi2 viduals with autism spectrum disorders at the 

3 community level; 

4 ‘‘(H) a description of the ways in which ac5 cess to such treatments and services may be 

6 sustained following the Program period; 

7 ‘‘(I) a description of the ways in which the 

8 eligible entity plans to collaborate with other 

9 entities to develop and sustain an effective pro10 tocol for successful transition from children’s 

11 services to adult services for individuals with 

12 autism spectrum disorder, particularly for indi13 viduals between the ages of 18 and 25; and 

14 ‘‘(J) a description of the compliance of the 

15 eligible entity with the integration requirement 

16 provided under section 302 of the Americans 

17 with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

18 12182). 

19 ‘‘(d) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award 3-year 

20 grants to eligible entities whose applications are approved 

21 under subsection (c). Such grants shall be used to— 

22 ‘‘(1) carry out a program designed to meet the 

23 goals described in subsection (b) and the require24 ments described in subsection (c); and 

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1 ‘‘(2) facilitate coordination with local commu2 nities to be better prepared and positioned to under3 stand and meet the needs of the communities served 

4 by autism care programs. 

5 ‘‘(e) ADVISORY COUNCILS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each recipient of a grant 

7 under this section shall establish an autism care pro8 gram advisory council, which shall advise the autism 

9 care program regarding policies, priorities, and serv10 ices. 

11 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—Each recipient of a grant 

12 shall appoint members of the recipient’s advisory 

13 council, which shall include a variety of autism care 

14 program service providers, individuals from the pub15 lic who are knowledgeable about autism spectrum 

16 disorders, individuals receiving services through the 

17 Program, and family members of such individuals. 

18 At least 60 percent of the membership shall be com19 prised of individuals who have received, or are re20 ceiving, services through the Program or who are 

21 family members of such individuals. 

22 ‘‘(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The recipient of a grant 

23 shall appoint a chairperson to the advisory council of 

24 the recipient’s autism care program who shall be— 

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1 ‘‘(A) an individual with autism spectrum 

2 disorder who has received, or is receiving, serv3 ices through the Program; or 

4 ‘‘(B) a family member of such an indi5 vidual. 

6 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall enter into a 

7 contract with an independent third-party organization 

8 with expertise in evaluation activities to conduct an eval9 uation and, not later than 180 days after the conclusion 

10 of the 3-year grant program under this section, submit 

11 a report to the Secretary, which may include measures 

12 such as whether and to what degree the treatments, inter13 ventions, and services provided through the Program have 

14 resulted in improved health, educational, employment, and 

15 community integration outcomes for individuals with au16 tism spectrum disorders, or other measures, as the Sec17 retary determines appropriate. 

18 ‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the amounts 

19 appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 

20 allocate not more than 7 percent for administrative ex21 penses, including the expenses related to carrying out the 

22 evaluation described in subsection (f). 

23 ‘‘(h) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts pro24 vided to an entity under this section shall be used to sup25 plement, not supplant, amounts otherwise expended for 

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1 existing treatments, interventions, and services for individ2 uals with autism spectrum disorders.’’. 

3 SEC. 6. PLANNING AND DEMONSTRATION GRANTS FOR 

4 SERVICES FOR TRANSITIONING YOUTH AND 

5 ADULTS. 

6 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

7 (42 U.S.C. 280i), as amended by section 5, is further 

8 amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 399GG–2. PLANNING AND DEMONSTRATION GRANTS 

10 FOR SERVICES FOR TRANSITIONING YOUTH 

11 AND ADULTS. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

13 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es14 tablish the grants described in paragraph (2) in 

15 order to enable selected eligible entities to provide 

16 appropriate services— 

17 ‘‘(A) to youth with autism spectrum dis18 orders who are transitioning from secondary 

19 education to careers or postsecondary education 

20 (referred to in this section as ‘transitioning 

21 youth’); and 

22 ‘‘(B) to adults with autism spectrum dis23 orders, including individuals who are typically 

24 underserved, to enable such individuals to be as 

25 independent as possible. 

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1 ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—The grants described in this 

2 paragraph are— 

3 ‘‘(A) a one-time, single-year planning grant 

4 program for eligible entities; and 

5 ‘‘(B) a multiyear service provision dem6 onstration grant program for selected eligible 

7 entities. 

8 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE OF GRANTS.—Grants shall be award9 ed to eligible entities to provide all or part of the funding 

10 needed to carry out programs that focus on critical aspects 

11 of life for transitioning youth and adults with autism spec12 trum disorders, such as— 

13 ‘‘(1) postsecondary education, vocational train14 ing, self-advocacy skills, and employment; 

15 ‘‘(2) residential services and supports, housing, 

16 and transportation; 

17 ‘‘(3) nutrition, health and wellness, recreational 

18 and social activities; and 

19 ‘‘(4) personal safety and the needs of individ20 uals with autism spectrum disorders who become in21 volved with the criminal justice system. 

22 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An eligible entity desiring 

23 to receive a grant under this section shall be a State or 

24 other public or private nonprofit organization, including 

25 an autism care program. 

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1 ‘‘(d) PLANNING GRANTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

3 one-time grants to eligible entities to support the 

4 planning and development of initiatives that will ex5 pand and enhance service delivery systems for 

6 transitioning youth and adults with autism spectrum 

7 disorders. 

8 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—In order to receive such a 

9 grant, an eligible entity shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) submit an application at such time 

11 and containing such information as the Sec12 retary may require; and 

13 ‘‘(B) demonstrate the ability to carry out 

14 such planning grant in coordination with the 

15 State Developmental Disabilities Council and 

16 organizations representing or serving individ17 uals with autism spectrum disorders and their 

18 families. 

19 ‘‘(e) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

21 grants to eligible entities that have received a plan22 ning grant under subsection (d) to enable such enti23 ties to provide appropriate services to transitioning 

24 youth and adults with autism spectrum disorders. 

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1 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—In order to receive a grant 

2 under paragraph (1), the eligible entity shall submit 

3 an application at such time and containing such in4 formation as the Secretary may require, including— 

5 ‘‘(A) the services that the eligible entity 

6 proposes to provide and the expected outcomes 

7 for individuals with autism spectrum disorders 

8 who receive such services; 

9 ‘‘(B) the number of individuals and fami10 lies who will be served by such grant, including 

11 an estimate of the individuals and families in 

12 underserved areas who will be served by such 

13 grant; 

14 ‘‘(C) the ways in which services will be co15 ordinated among both public and nonprofit pro16 viders of services for transitioning youth and 

17 adults with disabilities, including community18 based services; 

19 ‘‘(D) where applicable, the process through 

20 which the eligible entity will distribute funds to 

21 a range of community-based or nonprofit pro22 viders of services, including local governments, 

23 and such entity’s capacity to provide such serv24 ices; 

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1 ‘‘(E) the process through which the eligible 

2 entity will monitor and evaluate the outcome of 

3 activities funded through the grant, including 

4 the effect of the activities upon adults with au5 tism spectrum disorders who receive such serv6 ices; 

7 ‘‘(F) the plans of the eligible entity to co8 ordinate and streamline transitions from youth 

9 to adult services; 

10 ‘‘(G) the process by which the eligible enti11 ty will ensure compliance with the integration 

12 requirement provided under section 302 of the 

13 Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 

14 U.S.C. 12182); and 

15 ‘‘(H) a description of how such services 

16 may be sustained following the grant period. 

17 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall contract 

18 with a third-party organization with expertise in evalua19 tion to evaluate such demonstration grant program and, 

20 not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the grant 

21 program under subsection (e), submit a report to the Sec22 retary. The evaluation and report may include an analysis 

23 of whether and to what extent the services provided 

24 through the grant program described in this section re25 sulted in improved health, education, employment, and 

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1 community integration outcomes for adults with autism 

2 spectrum disorders, or other measures, as the Secretary 

3 determines appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the amounts 

5 appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 

6 set aside not more than 7 percent for administrative ex7 penses, including the expenses related to carrying out the 

8 evaluation described in subsection (f). 

9 ‘‘(h) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Demonstra10 tion grant funds provided under this section shall supple11 ment, not supplant, existing treatments, interventions, 

12 and services for individuals with autism spectrum dis13 orders.’’. 

14 SEC. 7. MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGN. 

15 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 280i), as amended by section 6, is further 

17 amended by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 399GG–3. MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGN. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in order to en20 hance existing awareness campaigns and provide for the 

21 implementation of new campaigns, shall award grants to 

22 public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of 

23 carrying out multimedia campaigns to increase public edu24 cation and awareness and reduce stigma concerning— 

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1 ‘‘(1) healthy developmental milestones for in2 fants and children that may assist in the early iden3 tification of the signs and symptoms of autism spec4 trum disorders; and 

5 ‘‘(2) autism spectrum disorders through the 

6 lifespan and the challenges that individuals with au7 tism spectrum disorders face, which may include 

8 transitioning into adulthood, securing appropriate 

9 job training or postsecondary education, securing 

10 and holding jobs, finding suitable housing, inter11 acting with the correctional system, increasing inde12 pendence, and attaining a good quality of life. 

13 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

14 under subsection (a), an entity shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) submit to the Secretary an application at 

16 such time, in such manner, and containing such in17 formation as the Secretary may require; and 

18 ‘‘(2) provide assurance that the multimedia 

19 campaign implemented under such grant will provide 

20 information that is tailored to the intended audience, 

21 which may be a diverse public audience or a specific 

22 audience, such as health professionals, criminal jus23 tice professionals, or emergency response profes24 sionals.’’. 

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1 SEC. 8. NATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES ON AUTISM SPEC2 TRUM DISORDERS. 

3 Part R of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 280i), as amended by section 7, is further 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 399GG–4. NATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES ON AU7 TISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS. 

8 ‘‘(a) NATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVE SUPPLE9 MENTAL GRANTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

11 multiyear national training initiative supplemental 

12 grants to eligible entities so that such entities may 

13 provide training and technical assistance and to dis14 seminate information, in order to enable such enti15 ties to address the unmet needs of individuals with 

16 autism spectrum disorders and their families. 

17 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to re18 ceive assistance under this section an entity shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) be a public or private nonprofit enti20 ty, including University Centers for Excellence 

21 in Developmental Disabilities and other service, 

22 training, and academic entities; and 

23 ‘‘(B) submit an application as described in 

24 paragraph (3). 

25 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible entity that 

26 desires to receive a grant under this paragraph shall 

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1 submit to the Secretary an application containing 

2 such agreements and information as the Secretary 

3 may require, including agreements that the training 

4 program shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) provide training and technical assist6 ance in evidence-based practices of effective 

7 interventions, services, treatments, and sup8 ports to children and adults on the autism spec9 trum and their families, and evaluate the imple10 mentation of such practices; 

11 ‘‘(B) provide trainees with an appropriate 

12 balance of interdisciplinary academic and com13 munity-based experiences; 

14 ‘‘(C) have a demonstrated capacity to in15 clude individuals with autism spectrum dis16 orders, parents, and family members as part of 

17 the training program to ensure that a person 

18 and family-centered approach is used; 

19 ‘‘(D) provide to the Secretary, in the man20 ner prescribed by the Secretary, data regarding 

21 the outcomes of the provision of training and 

22 technical assistance; 

23 ‘‘(E) demonstrate a capacity to share and 

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1 veloped and evaluated to be effective in the pro2 vision of training and technical assistance; and 

3 ‘‘(F) provide assurances that training, 

4 technical assistance, and information dissemina5 tion performed under grants made pursuant to 

6 this paragraph shall be consistent with the 

7 goals established under already existing dis8 ability programs authorized under Federal law 

9 and conducted in coordination with other rel10 evant State agencies and service providers. 

11 ‘‘(4) ACTIVITIES.—An entity that receives a 

12 grant under this section shall expand and develop 

13 interdisciplinary training and continuing education 

14 initiatives for health, allied health, and educational 

15 professionals by engaging in the following activities: 

16 ‘‘(A) Promoting and engaging in training 

17 for health, allied health, and educational profes18 sionals to identify, diagnose, and develop inter19 ventions for individuals with, or at risk of devel20 oping, autism spectrum disorders. 

21 ‘‘(B) Expanding the availability of training 

22 and dissemination of information regarding ef23 fective, lifelong interventions, educational serv24 ices, and community supports. 

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1 ‘‘(C) Providing training and technical as2 sistance in collaboration with relevant State, re3 gional, or national agencies, institutions of 

4 higher education, and advocacy groups or com5 munity-based service providers, including health 

6 and allied health professionals, employment pro7 viders, direct support professionals, emergency 

8 first responder personnel, and law enforcement 

9 officials. 

10 ‘‘(D) Developing mechanisms to provide 

11 training and technical assistance, including for12 credit courses, intensive summer institutes, con13 tinuing education programs, distance-based pro14 grams, and Web-based information dissemina15 tion strategies. 

16 ‘‘(E) Collecting data on the outcomes of 

17 training and technical assistance programs to 

18 meet statewide needs for the expansion of serv19 ices to children with autism spectrum disorders 

20 and adults with autism spectrum disorders. 

21 ‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

22 reserve 2 percent of the appropriated funds to make a 

23 grant to a national organization with demonstrated capac24 ity for providing training and technical assistance to the 

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1 entities receiving grants under subsection (a) to enable 

2 such entities to— 

3 ‘‘(1) assist in national dissemination of specific 

4 information, including evidence-based and promising 

5 best practices, from interdisciplinary training pro6 grams, and when appropriate, other entities whose 

7 findings would inform the work performed by enti8 ties awarded grants; 

9 ‘‘(2) compile and disseminate strategies and 

10 materials that prove to be effective in the provision 

11 of training and technical assistance so that the en12 tire network can benefit from the models, materials, 

13 and practices developed in individual programs; 

14 ‘‘(3) assist in the coordination of activities of 

15 grantees under this section; 

16 ‘‘(4) develop an Internet Web portal that will 

17 provide linkages to each of the individual training 

18 initiatives and provide access to training modules, 

19 promising training, and technical assistance prac20 tices and other materials developed by grantees; 

21 ‘‘(5) convene experts from multiple interdiscipli22 nary training programs and individuals with autism 

23 spectrum disorders and their families to discuss and 

24 make recommendations with regard to training 

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1 ment, interventions and services for, children and 

2 adults with autism spectrum disorders; and 

3 ‘‘(6) undertake any other functions that the 

4 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

5 ‘‘(c) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts pro6 vided under this section shall be used to supplement, not 

7 supplant, amounts otherwise expended for existing net8 work or organizational structures.’’. 

9 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 

11 years 2012 through 2016 such sums as may be necessary 

12 to carry out this Act. 

Æ 

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