City of Philadelphia - File #: 150026

• File #: 150026
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 1/22/2015
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Title: Authorizing Council's Committee on the Disabled and Special Needs to hold public hearings to examine the Philadelphia Autism Project's final report and strategic plan.
• Sponsors: Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Tasco, Council President Clarke, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Neilson, Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Henon

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
2/27/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	HEARING NOTICES SENT
2/27/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	REPORT ISSUED
2/2/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	HEARING NOTICES SENT
2/2/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	HEARING HELD
2/2/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	RECESSED
1/27/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	HEARING NOTICES SENT
1/27/2015	0	Committee on The Disabled and Special Needs	Cancellation of Scheduled Public Hearing
1/22/2015	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
1/22/2015	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED

Title
Authorizing Council's Committee on the Disabled and Special Needs to hold public hearings to examine the Philadelphia Autism Project's final report and strategic plan.

Body
WHEREAS, Autism is a complex neurological disorder that affects, to varying degrees, language and social skill development, and is characterized by challenges in communication and social interactions, repetitive behaviors and movement, and self-stimulatory patterns; and

WHEREAS, In 2014, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in every 68 children, that is 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls, in the United States are on the autism spectrum; and

WHEREAS, The CDC's findings, demonstrating a significant increase in the prevalence of autism, echoes the findings from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Autism Services' 2014 Pennsylvania Autism Census led by the ASERT Collaborative at Drexel University, which found that the number of Pennsylvanians with autism receiving services nearly tripled from 2005 to 2011; and

WHEREAS, If the CDC's prevalence rate of 1 in 68 were applied to the 2014 Pennsylvania Autism Census there could be an additional 130,000 individuals in Pennsylvania who have either been misdiagnosed, remain undiagnosed or are not receiving services; and

WHEREAS, The 2014 Pennsylvania Autism Census found from 2005 to 2011 there was a 116% increase in the number of Philadelphians receiving autism services; and

WHEREAS, The 2014 Pennsylvania Autism Census signals a looming crisis as the number of adults with autism in Pennsylvania is projected to increase by 20,000 individuals by the year 2020. This is especially concerning since there are few services currently available for adults and access to services is challenging due to limited funding; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is recognized as an early leader in recognizing and addressing autism as an emerging public health issue and under the Bureau of Autism Services has established structures for improv...