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In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has released its Summary of Advances for 2010. Twenty articles that were published in 2010 were selected across each of the five areas of focus on the IACC strategic plan. Autism Speaks’ Chief Science Officer, Geri Dawson, Ph.D.,  is a member of the committee and was pleased to see advances across the range of autism research and said, “It is encouraging to see the diversity of scientific advances that were made in 2010.“ Dawson noted, “studies that were deemed especially noteworthy included environmental research, genetic discoveries, new early intervention approaches, and assessment of medical conditions such as GI problems and mitochondrial dysfunction.”

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has posted the revised “Strategic Plan“. This is the document which is supposed to guide US Government funded autism research. The Strategic Plan is written from a parent’s perspective. It is divided into 7 questions to be answered. Below I list the parts I think are the “meat” of the Plan—the proposed projects with estimated budgets.

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a Federal advisory committee that coordinates all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through its inclusion of both Federal and public members, the IACC helps to ensure that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed in a public forum.

A newly updated strategic plan guiding federally-funded autism research places new emphasis on adults with the disorder, while leaving the door open for further research on vaccines. The 2010 strategic plan released this week by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, or IACC, provides a blueprint for the type of autism research that will likely be approved for federal funding during the course of the year. The IACC is an advisory committee established by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which is comprised of government officials and members of the autism community.

New 2010 IACC Strategic Plan Emphasizes Research Infrastructure, Non-Verbal People with ASD and the Full Spectrum from Young Children to Adults

The task of this week’s meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in Rockville, Md. was to approve an update to the IACC’s Strategic Plan for Autism Research. Most of the updated sections had been approved at earlier meetings, but the committee still had to grapple with the introduction, which contained several sticky phrases. The committee is a diverse group of people ranging from a parent who believes that autism is the result of injury caused by toxins in our environment to an adult on the spectrum who views autism as a natural part of our human diversity. Given the wide range of perspectives, words matter a lot.

Click here to download the IACC 2009 SummaryThe Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's Summary of Advances for 2009 is an annual review of the most influential studies of the past year. 

the 2011 Plan has been updated by the IACC to reflect important new scientific advances in the field over the past year, emerging areas of opportunity, and areas where more research is necessary. Input from the ASD community, advocacy groups, research funding organizations, and the scientific community has continued to be a critical aspect of the updating process.

Click Here For the Live Webcast What:Webinar regarding enhancing supports for people with Autism and their families. This workshop will focus discussion in the public forum innovative and best practices that are being developed and implemented around the country to address the services needs of people with autism and other disabilities and to help them integrate into their communities. When:Thursday September 15th, 20116:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Click here to register!What:The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, in conjunction with the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics, the Harvard Law Project on Disability and the UNESCO Bioethics Chair American Unit, is proud to invite you, to join us on December 10th for a Symposium on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Autism Research at Harvard Law School. The free event will run from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Harvard Law School campus, Hauser Hall, Room 105. Topics covered will include prenatal testing, community participation in research methodologies, appropriate and inappropriate intervention goals and much more. This symposium will serve a unique role in shedding light on ethics and values issues within the autism research community. By bringing together self-advocate and researcher participants, we hope this will serve as a starting point for meaningful dialogue between those conducting research on autism and the community of Autistic adults and youth. Confirmed participants include Administration on Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Sharon Lewis, ASAN President and IACC Public Member Ari Ne'eman, National Institute on Child Health and Human Developmental Director Alan Guttmacher, Harvard Law Professor Michael Stein, Paula Durbin-Westby, Emily Titon, Liz Pellicano, David Rose and many more.   This event is open to the general public without charge and is made possible by a grant from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities.When:Saturday December 10, 2011 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM ESTWhere: Harvard Law School, Hauser Hall Room 1051563 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138 Contact: Ari Ne'eman Autistic Self Advocacy Network 202.596.1056 info@autisticadvocacy.org