SCR 40, Leyva. Better Hearing and Speech Month.
This measure would recognize May 2015 as Better Hearing and Speech Month.
WHEREAS, Each May, Better Hearing and Speech Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 40 million Americans have some type of communication disorder, costing the United States approximately $154 to $186 billion annually due to lost work productivity, special education, and medical treatment; and
WHEREAS, Eight percent of children under six years of age across the nation have speech and language disorders and one in five children 12 to 19, inclusive, years of age has hearing loss. By the first grade, approximately 5 percent of children have speech or language disorders; and
WHEREAS, Thirty-six million American adults report some degree of hearing loss; and
WHEREAS, Early identification and treatment can enhance the acquisition of functional communication skills; and
WHEREAS, Engaging parents, educators, and community leaders is of great importance to raise awareness and support those with communication disorders; and
WHEREAS, In summary, the field of speech-language pathology and audiology focuses on the development of all parameters of communication, including swallowing across the age span, and addresses the disruption of this development through habilitation, rehabilitation, and access in various settings; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the month of May 2015 as Better Hearing and Speech Month, and that the residents of the State of California are encouraged to join together in raising awareness and heightening public knowledge of communication disorders; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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