2017 Summary of Advances Highlights Major Autism Research Findings

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has released its 2017 Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research. This publication provides lay-friendly summaries of studies representing the top 20 advances in ASD research, as chosen by members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The 20 selected studies address topics that span all 7 question areas of the 2016-2017 IACC Strategic Plan for ASD. Advances include new insight into potential biomarkers to predict risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental trajectories of children with ASD, and the impact of the various prenatal exposures on ASD risk. The selected articles also include studies that investigated treatments and interventions for both ASD and co-occurring conditions, the impact of policy changes on ASD health care spending, patterns of injury mortality, and prevalence differences across demographic groups. In addition to the 20 selected studies, the 2017 Summary of Advances lists all 82 papers nominated by IACC members. The 2017 Summary of Advances meets the requirements of the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (Autism CARES) Act of 2014.

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The IACC is a Federal advisory committee that was created by Congress in an effort to accelerate progress in ASD research and services. The IACC works to improve coordination and communication across the Federal government and work in partnership with the autism community. The Committee is composed of officials from many different Federal agencies involved in autism research and services, as well as adults on the autism spectrum, parents and family members of individuals on the autism spectrum, advocates, researchers, providers, and other public stakeholders. The documents and recommendations produced by the IACC reflect the views of the Committee as an independent advisory body and the expertise of the members of the Committee, but do not represent the views, official statements, policies or positions of the Federal government. For more information on the IACC, please visit: iacc.hhs.gov.