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Autism Information Center |
CDC is one of several federal agencies that has projects in place
to study autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Please click on the links
below to read about other federal activities related to ASDs.
Congressional
Activities
Disclaimer
Federal Resources
Administration on Developmental Disabilities at the Administration
for Children and Families
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) is part of
the Administration for Children and Families. Its mission is to
improve and increase services to individuals with developmental
disabilities and ensure that they have opportunities to make their
own choices; contribute to society; have supports to live
independently; and are free of abuse, neglect, financial and sexual
exploitation, and violations of their legal and human rights.
Among the programs run by the ADD are the following:
- State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
- State Protection and Advocacy Agencies Systems
- University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
ADD also administers the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and
Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [P.L. 106-402]) and the disability
provisions of the Help America Vote Act.
ACF also provides a listing of commonly asked questions and answers
related to disabilities.
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Autism Summit Conference: Developing a National Agenda
The
Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of
Education sponsored a 2-day conference, “Autism Summit Conference:
Developing a National Agenda,” in November 2003. The conference
addressed topics such as improving access to services for people
with autism throughout their lives, early screening and diagnosis,
and biomedical research.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) works to improve
access to services for underserved and vulnerable populations. Among
the programs CMS administers are
Medicaid and the
State Children's
Health Insurance Programs. People of all ages who have disabilities
may be eligible for health care coverage through Medicaid. SCHIP,
created by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, enables states to
initiate and expand health insurance coverage for uninsured
children.
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Clinicaltrials.gov
Clinicaltrials.gov provides regularly updated information about
federally and privately supported clinical research in human
volunteers. It describes a trial's purpose, who may participate,
locations, and phone numbers for more details.
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Department of Defense
The Department of Defense offers information for parents of children
with special needs through its
Exceptional Family Member Program.
Its website links to services like early intervention and also
provides information about trainings and seminars related to
developmental disabilities. Some helpful links include the
Air Force
Crossroads webpage on education and special needs, which features
resources about autism spectrum disorders.
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Department of Education
The Department of Education (ED) has
resources to assist with the educational needs of children with
autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. The ED’s
Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network links to a
variety of websites and online resources that focus on special
education issues, such as policy, technology, curriculum, and parent
trainings. In addition, the
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) within the ED has resources for
parents and individuals, school districts, and states in the areas
of special education, vocational rehabilitation, and research.
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Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) protects the
health of all Americans and provides essential human services,
especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The
department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum
of activities, including many activities related to autism. Of the
11 agencies that make up HHS, several conduct or participate in
autism-related activities, including the Administration for Children
and Families, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National
Institutes of Health. Visit the HHS Autism Information website for a
summary of HHS activities.
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Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency,
together with the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, funds
children's environmental health research centers
that study the link between environmental factors and children's
health. The
New Jersey and
California centers focus on autism.
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Food and Drug Administration
The
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
ensures that foods are safe; human and veterinary drugs, biological
products, and medical devices are safe and effective; cosmetics are
safe; and electronic products that emit radiation (like X-ray
machines) are safe. Part of its job is to check the safety of
vaccines. It does this with the
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a national vaccine safety surveillance program
co-sponsored by CDC).The purpose of VAERS is to find possible signs
of adverse events (possible side effects) associated with vaccines.
VAERS collects and analyzes information from reports of adverse
events that occur after vaccines are given. The FDA also has
information about thimerosal, a vaccine preservative that some say
could be linked to autism.
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Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency
of the Department of Health and Human Services, improves access to
health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or
medically vulnerable. HRSA provides leadership and financial support
to health care providers in every state and U.S. territory.
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Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
The
Children's Health Act of 2000 required that a committee be formed to coordinate
autism-related activities in the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). The
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC),
begun in 2001, helps agencies share information and coordinates
autism research and related activities in the
agencies that are part
of HHS. It is made up of numerous federal agencies and parents of
people with ASD. Meetings are open to the public and are held twice
a year.
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National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
conducts and funds studies to improve the health of all people.
Several of the institutes within NIH have activities related to
autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) One such activity is the
Collaborate Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEA). These programs
study possible causes of ASDs, including environmental, genetic, and
immune factors. They also study how the brain works in people with
ASDs and how ASDs change as children grow and develop. Another major
NIH program is the
Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment
Centers (STAART). These Centers of Excellence, required by the
Children's Health Act of 2000, conduct autism research, including
treatment studies. The
Autism Research Network website offers more
information about these programs, along with valuable resources,
publications, and contact information.
NIH is developing a National Database for Autism Research (NDAR) to
support and accelerate research in autism. This resource will
highlight existing research and information about autism and
encourage new research by allowing greater access to data. This
consolidation will create the Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) to
maximize coordination of NIH-sponsored efforts in autism research.
The focus of the ACE research will be on the causes and best
treatment of autism (as listed in the
Autism Research Matrix).
A brief description of each NIH institute that has ASD-related
activities follows, along with links to key pages on their websites
or the websites of programs they fund.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
NCCAM is the lead agency for scientific research on complementary
and alternative medicine.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NICHD studies growth and development, including disabilities
such as autism.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
NIDCD does research related to hearing, balance, smell, taste,
voice, speech, and language. It studies medical and behavioral
problems in people with communication problems, including those with
autism spectrum disorders, and works to promote health in these
people. NIDCD, along with NICHD, funds the
Collaborative Programs of
Excellence in Autism.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
NIDCR has developed a webpage to assist professionals with the oral
health care needs
of individuals with autism.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
NIEHS works to understand how the environment affects health. NIEHS
and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fund children's environmental
health research
centers to study possible links between the environment and
children's health. Some of the
centers focus on autism.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
NIMH is the lead agency on the Interagency Autism Coordinating
Committee, which coordinates ASD-related activities in the
Department of Health and Human Services.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
NINDS works to lessen the burden of neurological conditions,
including ASDs.
National Institutes of Health Autism Coordinating Committee (NIH/ACC)
The NIH/ACC coordinates ASD-related activities among the NIH
institutes listed above. In 2001, NIH/ACC funded several
universities to research treatments for ASD. The committee also
wants to find biological markers or medical tests that can tell if a
person has an ASD.
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Social Security Administration
The
Social Security Administration (SSA) provides information about
how to apply for social security benefits. Its website also provides
an interactive tool to answer questions about eligibility, benefits,
limits, and additional programs offered.
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Disclaimer: We have provided a link to
these sites because they have information that may be of interest to you. CDC does not necessarily endorse the views or information presented on
these sites. Furthermore, CDC does not endorse any commercial products or information that may be presented or advertised on these sites.
Date:
February 07, 2007
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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