September 28, 2023 | For Immediate Release

New 2021-2023 IACC Strategic Plan Highlights Needs Across the Full Range of Diversity of the Autism Community

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) has released its 2021 – 2023 Strategic Plan for Autism Research, Services, and Policy. The new IACC Strategic Plan was developed by the membership of the IACC, including federal agency and public members, with input from members of the autism community, including autistic self-advocates, family members of autistic individuals, researchers, clinicians, service providers, educators, advocacy organizations, and others. This Plan fulfills the IACC’s requirement to provide an update of the IACC Strategic Plan under the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (Autism CARES) Act of 2019.

The IACC Strategic Plan is structured around seven community-based questions that are relevant to the autism community, covering a range of topics from early screening, to healthcare, to services and support. There are 24 new Recommendations (previously referred to as Objectives) which build upon progress addressing the goals of previous Strategic Plans. Overarching themes presented in the Plan include:

• The need for a range of solutions for people across the spectrum, including those with intellectual disability, communication differences, sensory and motor differences, and co-occurring physical and mental health conditions.
• The need for a range of solutions that cover the full lifespan, from childhood and adolescence, to early, middle, and older adulthood.
• The need to increase equity and inclusion and to reduce disparities across the diversity of the autism community, with respect to race and ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, age, language, socioeconomic status, and location.
• The need to increase access to services and supports systems that can impact health and well-being, including high-quality education, housing and transportation, healthcare, employment, community integration, financial security, justice and safety.

Notably, in the new IACC Strategic Plan, the Committee recommends increasing the federal and private autism research budget to $685 million by the year 2025. This increased investment will allow researchers to take advantage of opportunities to develop the most effective interventions, services, and supports for individuals with autism and their families.

Overall, the Committee hopes that the 2021-2023 IACC Strategic Plan will provide federal agencies, advocacy organizations, people on the autism spectrum and their families, and others in the autism community with comprehensive information on the current state of autism research and services and priorities for future progress.

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The IACC is a Federal advisory committee that was created by Congress in an effort to accelerate progress in autism 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 autistic adults, 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.