Full Text of HR0043 97th General Assembly
HR0043 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex
| 3 | | developmental disability that causes problems with social | 4 | | interaction
and communication; symptoms usually start before | 5 | | age 3 and
can cause delays or problems in many different skills | 6 | | that
develop from infancy to adulthood; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, One of the primary characteristics of ASD is its
| 8 | | interference with a person's ability to communicate, interact
| 9 | | socially with others, or develop peer relationships; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, Parents and teachers of children with | 11 | | disabilities recognize the
social isolation these children | 12 | | face, isolation that is well-documented by researchers; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, While the severity of the disorder and social | 14 | | impairment
varies widely, in some cases, certain symptoms of | 15 | | the disorder may
be relieved by pairing a public school student | 16 | | with ASD with a
student "peer buddy" whom the school staff has | 17 | | identified as a
good match and a positive role model for other | 18 | | students; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Peer buddy programs have been successful in many | 20 | | school districts
in this State, and their use should be | 21 | | encouraged throughout this State; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Pairing a student with ASD with a student partner
| 2 | | whose role is to facilitate interactions with school staff and | 3 | | new peer
groups may promote academic and social inclusion; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, At the same time that researchers are proving the | 5 | | need children
with disabilities have for more and better social | 6 | | contacts, they are also finding
that interaction with peers | 7 | | with disabilities has positive impacts on those who do not have | 8 | | disabilities; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, It is appropriate to urge the State Board of
| 10 | | Education to encourage the establishment of peer buddy programs
| 11 | | in school districts to pair students with ASD and other | 12 | | developmental disabilities
with appropriate student partners; | 13 | | therefore, be it | 14 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 15 | | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 16 | | we urge the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the | 17 | | Executive Director of the Illinois Council on Developmental
| 18 | | Disabilities and representatives of entities that promote | 19 | | awareness about autism
and provide programs and services to | 20 | | people with autism, to
encourage the establishment of a peer | 21 | | buddy
program in each school district for children with autism | 22 | | spectrum disorder enrolled in
elementary, middle, and high |
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| 1 | | school, including training for students and staff
affiliated | 2 | | with the program; and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
| 4 | | delivered to the State Board of Education, the Autism Society | 5 | | of Illinois, Giant Steps,
Little Friends Center for | 6 | | Autism-Naperville, and the Illinois Council on Developmental | 7 | | Disabilities.
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