IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 254 
Honoring the Autism Society of America on the occasion of its 40th 
anniversary. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2005 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 
Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. 
CROWLEY, Mr. WOLF, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. HIN-
CHEY, Mr. REYES, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. KIND, Mr. MOORE of 
Kansas, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. WILSON 
of South Carolina, Mr. KLINE, and Mr. PUTNAM) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Honoring the Autism Society of America on the occasion 
of its 40th anniversary. 
Whereas the Autism Society of America was founded in 1965 
by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., who organized a group of 
parents to grow what was then known as the National 
Society for Children and Adults with Autism; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America became the first or-
ganization known in America dedicated to providing edu-
cation, advocating for legislation, promoting research, 
and raising awareness about the then-rare disorder of au-
tism;
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Whereas Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., the father of a son born 
with autism, through his research and his 1964 publica-
tion ‘‘Infantile Autism: The Syndrome and Its Implica-
tions for a Neural Theory of Behavior’’, disproved the 
prevailing ‘‘Refrigerator Mom’’ theory that babies became 
autistic because of extreme negative feelings or lack of 
feelings shown by mothers in the first six months of life, 
and opened a path for individuals with autism remaining 
in the home rather than being warehoused in State-run 
institutions; 
Whereas in 1968, Ruth Sullivan, Ph.D., the mother of a son 
with autism, became the organization’s first elected presi-
dent; 
Whereas over the last 40 years, the Autism Society of Amer-
ica has grown from a handful of parents into a leading 
source of information, research, and referral on autism 
with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters 
connected through a working network of 200 chapters 
nationwide; 
Whereas autism is a complex developmental disability that af-
fects an individual in the areas of social interaction and 
communication and, as a spectrum disorder, affects each 
individual differently and to varying degrees of severity; 
Whereas autism spectrum disorders, considered in 1965 to be 
rare, have grown in 40 years from a prevalence of 1 in 
10,000 to as many as 1 in 166 today; 
Whereas four out of five individuals with autism are male; 
Whereas as many as 1.5 million Americans of all ages are es-
timated to have autism today; 
Whereas in 1969, the Autism Society of America hosted the 
first national conference on autism;
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Whereas in 1970, the Autism Society of America established 
an information and referral service; 
Whereas in 1972, the Autism Society of America organized 
the first national autism awareness campaign; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America works in close co-
operation with the Congress and the Congressional Coali-
tion on Autism Research and Education (CARE), which 
was formed in 2001 to focus on advancing solutions to 
the multifaceted problems of autism and includes 181 
Members of Congress; 
Whereas over the last 40 years, the Autism Society of Amer-
ica and its members have been advocates for children 
with autism as the Congress considered legislation affect-
ing the lives of such children, including the Handicapped 
Children’s Early Education Assistance Act (1968) and 
the Education for All Handicapped Act of 1975 (which 
would later become known as the Individuals with Dis-
abilities Education Act (IDEA)), the Children’s Health 
Act of 2000, and the Individuals with Disabilities Edu-
cation Improvement Act of 2004 (reauthorizing IDEA); 
Whereas the Autism Society of America and its members 
have been instrumental in advancing the cause of autism 
within the scientific research community leading to a 
greater focus on autism research and a five-fold increase 
in autism-related research funding between 1998 and 
2004 at the National Institutes of Health; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America, through its national 
office and chapters, remains a leading national autism or-
ganization providing direct support and programs to the 
autism community and advocating on behalf of, and sup-
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porting the needs of, the autism community across the 
life span; 
Whereas for 40 years, the Autism Society of America has 
played an integral role in furthering the Nation’s under-
standing of autism and serves as a leading voice and re-
source of the autism community in education, advocacy, 
services, research, and support; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America remains committed 
to meaningful participation and self-determination in all 
aspects of life for individuals with autism spectrum dis-
orders and their families; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America continues to accom-
plish its mission and goals through close collaboration 
with a successful network of chapters, members, sup-
porters, and organizations; 
Whereas the Autism Society of America promotes individual, 
parental, and guardian choice to assure that individuals 
with autism spectrum disorders are treated with dignity 
and respect; and 
Whereas the Autism Society of America continues to achieve 
its mission of improving the lives of all affected by au-
tism: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That the Congress— 
(1) honors the Autism Society of America on its 
40-year anniversary; 
(2) commends the Founders of the Autism So-
ciety of America and the members, board, staff, and 
supporters, past and present, of the Society for their
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service to the autism community, to the Nation’s un-
derstanding of autism, and to the development and 
institution of research and services to address the 
needs of those affected by autism spectrum dis-
orders; and 
(3) expresses best wishes for continued success 
and growth to the Autism Society of America, the 
largest and oldest of the autism organizations. 
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