By Bob Katzen

The House gave initial approval to legislation designating April 5 as Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome Awareness Day.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Individuals with OCNDS frequently have nonspecific clinical features, delayed language development, motor delay, intellectual disability (typically in the mild-to-moderate range), generalized hypotonia starting in infancy, difficulty feeding and nonspecific dysmorphic facial features.

Lead sponsor Rep. Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton) said that she filed this bill on behalf of her constituent Jillian Kavanagh, who brought OCNDS to her attention. Kassner said, “OCNDS is rare and difficult to diagnose, but if caught early, there are treatments that can lead to better outcomes. Our goal in filing this bill was to raise awareness of the syndrome, which can lead to earlier diagnoses that truly improve the quality of life for patients and their families.”