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Developmental Disabilities |
California Center of Excellence for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Research and Epidemiology
The California Department of Health Services conducts
the CADDRE program in California. Some studies are conducted throughout
California and others are limited to the following counties: Alameda,
Contra Costa, Marin, San Franciso, San Mateo and Santa Clara.
The California center will conduct four major projects:
1. Monitoring activities
Currently, we do not know how many children living in California have an
ASD. We do know that, of California children born during 1990–1997, more
than 11,000 are enrolled with the California Department of Developmental
Services to receive services for autism. Most of these children are
classified as having autism under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is the federal law that supports special
education and related services for children and youth with disabilities.
During the 2000–2001 school year, 10,889 children 3–11
years of age in California were classified as having autism under IDEA.
However, there are additional children with ASDs who are classified in
other disability categories under IDEA. There are also other children with
ASDs who are in regular education classes, who attend private school, or
who are home schooled.
The California center will use multiple sources to
obtain a more complete estimate of the number of children in the project
area with an ASD. The center will study whether ASD is more common in some
groups of children than in others and whether the number of children with
ASDs is changing over time. The monitoring activities will focus on
children 8 years old.
2. National CADDRE Study
The California center works with the other CADDRE programs to find causes
of ASDs or factors that make it more likely that a child will have an ASD.
Families who take part in this study will answer survey questions, children
with ASDs will be tested, and staff will look at medical records from when
the children were born. Children ages 3–5 years will be included in the
National CADDRE Study.
3. Special Studies
The California center is particularly interested in identifying biomarkers
for early identification of children with autism. These projects focus on
looking at biomarkers in newborn blood specimens from children who are
later diagnosed with autism. The California Center also works with Northern
California Kaiser Permanente to study perinatal factors that may be
associated with autism. We also gather information to help us understand
how autism is experienced in culturally specific communities.
4. Outreach and Education
The California center is committed to providing information about autism to
families and promoting autism awareness. We will share what is learned from
these studies through mailings to ASD support groups and families,
professional organizations, and the media. Information will also be shared
through conferences, scientific publications, and the center’s Web site.
For further information or to receive our newsletter,
please contact:
Nila Rogosin, Health Educator
California Department of Health Services
1515 Clay Street, Suite 1700
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 622-4600
Fax: (510) 622-4505
E-mail: autism@dhs.ca.gov
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Date: October 29, 2004
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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