| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 381 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, April is World Autism Month, and April 4, 2023, is |
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| 3 | 3 | | being set aside as Texas Autism Advocacy Day at the State |
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| 4 | 4 | | Capitol, providing a fitting opportunity to honor the Autism |
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| 5 | 5 | | Society of America and the Autism Society of Texas for their |
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| 6 | 6 | | outstanding work to promote better understanding of autism; and |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental |
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| 8 | 8 | | condition that typically appears during early childhood, and it |
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| 9 | 9 | | can impact a person's social skills, communication, |
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| 10 | 10 | | relationships, and self-regulation; according to the Centers for |
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| 11 | 11 | | Disease Control and Prevention's Autism and Developmental |
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| 12 | 12 | | Disabilities Monitoring Network, about 1 in every 44 children in |
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| 13 | 13 | | the United States is identified with autism spectrum disorder, |
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| 14 | 14 | | compared with 1 in 150 three decades ago; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, One of the oldest autism-focused grassroots |
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| 16 | 16 | | organizations in the United States, ASA launched a nationwide |
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| 17 | 17 | | effort in 1970 to promote autism awareness and improve the |
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| 18 | 18 | | quality of life for those affected by the disorder; the |
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| 19 | 19 | | organization went on to establish a branch in Texas in 1990, and |
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| 20 | 20 | | since then, ASA and AST have supported and empowered countless |
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| 21 | 21 | | Texans through initiatives such as the Navigating Autism |
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| 22 | 22 | | helpline, in-person and virtual support groups, and education |
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| 23 | 23 | | and advocacy efforts; today, the organizations have expanded |
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| 24 | 24 | | their missions to emphasize the importance of promoting |
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| 25 | 25 | | inclusivity and accepting those in the autism community; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, The cause of autism is unknown, but therapy and |
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| 27 | 27 | | support services can dramatically improve outcomes; early |
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| 28 | 28 | | diagnosis and intervention are crucial to help people living with |
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| 29 | 29 | | autism use their skills and talents to reach their full |
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| 30 | 30 | | potential; now, therefore, be it |
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| 31 | 31 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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| 32 | 32 | | Legislature, hereby recognize April 4, 2023, as Texas Autism |
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| 33 | 33 | | Advocacy Day at the State Capitol and encourage all Texans to |
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| 34 | 34 | | learn more about autism; and, be it further |
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| 35 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That official copies of this Resolution be |
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| 36 | 36 | | prepared for the Autism Society of America and the Autism Society |
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| 37 | 37 | | of Texas as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate. |
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| 38 | 38 | | Zaffirini |
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| 39 | 39 | | ________________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | President of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 42 | 42 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 43 | 43 | | the Senate on April 4, 2023. |
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| 44 | 44 | | ________________________________ |
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| 45 | 45 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 46 | 46 | | ________________________________ |
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| 47 | 47 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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