I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1509 
To establish a 5-year demonstration program to provide skills to classroom 
teachers and staff who work with children with autism spectrum disorders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 11, 2013 
Mr. MORAN (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. MCKINLEY) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a 5-year demonstration program to provide skills 
to classroom teachers and staff who work with children 
with autism spectrum disorders. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Autism Understanding 
and Training in School Methodologies for Educators Act 
of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) Autism is a group of complex developmental 
brain disorders collectively referred to as Autism 
Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) that can cause a wide 
range of symptoms, skills, and levels of impairment 
including 
social, 
communication 
and 
behavior 
changes. 
(2) Autism spectrum disorders are also referred 
to as pervasive developmental disorders and include 
subcategories of classic autism with ranges from 
high functioning autism (HFA) to low functioning 
autism, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive develop-
mental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD– 
NOS), as well as more severe cases of Rhett Syn-
drome and Child Disintegrative Disorder. 
(3) Autism affects an estimated 1 in 88 chil-
dren by age 8 and 1 in 54 boys. 
(4) An estimated 1,500,000 individuals in the 
United States are affected by autism. 
(5) More children will be diagnosed with autism 
this year than with AIDS, diabetes, and cancer com-
bined. 
(6) Autism is the fastest growing serious devel-
opmental disability in the United States. 
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(7) 
Autism 
costs 
the 
Nation 
over 
$35,000,000,000 per year, a figure expected to sig-
nificantly increase in the next decade. 
(8) Boys are five times more likely than girls to 
have autism. 
(9) There is currently no medical cure for au-
tism, but there are evidence-based educational meth-
ods proven to be effective in improving outcomes for 
students with autism and research demonstrating 
the benefits of routine and consistency. 
(10) The least restrictive environment for edu-
cating students with autism spectrum disorder, in-
cluding, but not limited to, students with high func-
tioning autism, Asperger syndrome, and PDD–NOS, 
often is best achieved by enrollment in a general 
education classroom with proper support. 
(11) General education classroom teachers and 
staff often are not adequately trained to work effec-
tively with students with autism spectrum disorders, 
who have a wide diversity of characteristics, al-
though such skills may be attained through qualified 
training programs and may be relatively easy to im-
plement in school settings. 
(12) Training general education classroom 
teachers and staff to implement evidence-based prac-
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tices for educating students with autism spectrum 
disorders with accuracy and fidelity will help provide 
for best possible outcomes not only for students with 
autism, but also for other students in the classroom. 
(13) Children with autism in highly transient 
families, such as the military (where the rate of chil-
dren on the spectrum is even higher) and foreign 
service families, often face additional challenges in 
the public education system because of frequent 
changes in the family’s geographic duty station or a 
parent’s deployment, which can interrupt the provi-
sion of appropriate interventions and continuity of 
effective educational methods. 
(14) In school districts that have a large popu-
lation of transient families or that border military 
bases it is especially important to have staff who are 
highly trained to provide effective services and build 
a proven track record of academic achievement in 
serving students with autism. 
SEC. 3. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The 
Secretary is authorized to carry out a demonstration grant 
program to award grants to eligible entities to enable such 
entities to accomplish the purposes described in subsection 
(b). 
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(b) PURPOSES.—A grant provided under this section 
shall be used for the following purposes within schools pro-
viding education to children in grades pre-kindergarten 
through 12: 
(1) Providing evidence-based, in-service training 
to teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff on ef-
fective ways to teach, communicate, recognize, sup-
port, and interact with children with autism spec-
trum disorder in the classroom and related school 
settings. Training on providing effective support in-
cludes but is not limited to academic support, behav-
ioral support, communication support, social emo-
tional support, and facilitating positive peer inter-
actions and social skills. 
(2) Providing technical assistance consisting of 
consultation on the type of training needed, hands- 
on opportunities to practice and perform newly ac-
quired skills and methodologies with fidelity, and 
post-training support to ensure accuracy of imple-
mentation in the classroom. 
(3) Executing strategies for recruiting and re-
taining skilled personnel participating in the edu-
cation of children with autism spectrum disorders. 
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(4) Implementing a program of parental sup-
port and involvement in the education of students 
with autism spectrum disorders. 
(c) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant provided under 
this section shall be— 
(1) for a period of not more than 5 years, of 
which not more than the first 2 years shall be used 
for planning; and 
(2) subject to annual approval by the Secretary 
and subject to the availability of appropriations for 
the fiscal year involved. 
(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An el-
igible entity may use not more than 20 percent of the 
funds received under this section for the administrative 
costs of carrying out its responsibilities under this section. 
(e) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require. 
(f) REPORT.—The Secretary shall conduct an evalua-
tion of the demonstration program authorized by this sec-
tion and, not later than 1 year after the date of the com-
pletion of the demonstration program, shall prepare and 
submit to the President and the Congress a report on such 
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evaluation, together with recommendations for dissemina-
tion and replication of the results of the program. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘autism spectrum disorders 
(ASDs)’’ refers to complex disorders of brain devel-
opment that can affect individuals with varying de-
grees from mild to severe, and is characterized by a 
combination of restricted repetitive and stereotyped 
behaviors, interests and activities; qualitative impair-
ments in social interactions; and qualitative impair-
ments in verbal and nonverbal communication. 
(2) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means an eligible 
local educational agency, or a consortia of such 
agencies, in partnership with— 
(A) one or more institutions of higher edu-
cation; or 
(B) one or more nonprofit educational en-
tities with documented expertise in working 
with children with autism. 
(3) The term ‘‘eligible local educational agency’’ 
means a local educational agency that has no less 
than 10 percent of its special education population 
identified with autism spectrum disorders, including, 
but not limited to, high functioning autism, 
Asperger syndrome, and PDD–NOS, and have docu-
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mented a growth pattern in the number of these stu-
dents. 
(4) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 102 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1002). 
(5) The term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(6) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Education. 
Æ 
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