Fact Sheet: Autism Background Autism (also termed autistic disorder or classical autism) is the most common of the ASDs. Other ASDs, as classified by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, include: pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger disorder, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD). These five disorders make up the category “Pervasive Developmental Disorders” in the Diagnostic and St... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today called Vietnam’s sentence of Catholic priest and pro-democracy activist Father Nguyen Van Ly “outrageous and appalling,” and called for the U.S. to immediately intervene to secure his freedom. “The conviction of Father Ly for merely exercising his fundamental human rights is outrageous and appalling, but it also is regrettably predictable. Vietnam claims that they have put an end to human rights abuses, but now the whole world can see that their reforms were ju... Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today announced that close to $1 million in federal funds has been allocated for vital Manasquan River protection projects and over $3 million for an important beach replenishment project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read more

Mr. Chairman, over the past three decades, we have seen a steady increase in the quality, candor, and scope of the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. In fighting the plague of human rights abuse, sunlight is often the best disinfectant. On the whole, the Country Reports shine brightly into some very dark corners. We owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women of the Department of State who work so hard to compile them. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) today encouraged local high school students with a passion for art to submit entries for a competition to win the honor of having their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol Complex for the next year and a scholarship to Georgian Court University. Read more

Legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that authorizes $98 million for specialized treatment for torture survivors in the United States and abroad was overwhelmingly approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee this morning. Read more

As the House of Representatives prepares to take action this week on an emergency spending bill that includes a provision to protect New Jersey’s strict chemical facility anti-terrorism regulations, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said Congress should immediately take up legislation he introduced last night to promote and protect increased safety measures at chemical security plants because the issue must be resolved before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) releases their final regulations in two weeks. Read more

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) was honored with the prestigious Commodore John Barry Award for his work on behalf of America’s veterans and for his efforts to promote peace and human rights in Northern Ireland by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the Jersey Shore at their annual gala in Spring Lake this evening. Read more

As Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem arrived in Washington, DC, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) held a press conference on Capitol Hill to demand that the Government of Vietnam immediately end their ongoing, unbridled human rights abuses and free all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. Read more

It's a mantra that U.S. Rep. Chris Smith has repeated hundreds, if not thousands of times during his fight to provide money for veterans: "You can't provide health care on the cheap." Read more