Office of Autism Research Coordination Logo
 
 
 

Please enjoy OARC’s quarterly newsletter, which includes recent IACC activity, news, events, and publications.

Autism Meetings & Events

  
 
  The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Logo empty space Upcoming IACC Full Committee Meeting
The next IACC meeting will be held virtually on January 19, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. The Committee will discuss the CDC’s autism prevalence update, The Lancet commission on the future of autism research, and committee business. The meeting is free and open to the public. 		 
 
 
 
Susan Daniels, Joshua Gordon, Sam Crane, and Taryn Willams on a Zoom Call empty space October IACC Full Committee Meeting
The second meeting of the new IACC took place on October 13-14, 2021. The Committee discussed the IACC Strategic Plan, employment, Kevin and Avonte’s Law, mental health, and more. Recordings of the meeting are also available.
 
 
   
News & Blogs
  
 
CDC Logo empty space CDC Studies Show Rise in Autism Prevalence
An analysis of 2018 data from 11 communities across the U.S. shows that 1 in 44 (2.3 percent) 8-year-old children have been identified with autism. The CDC also found that children born in 2014 were 50 percent more likely to receive an autism diagnosis by 48 months than those born in 2010. However, racial and ethnic disparities in diagnosis persist.
 
 
Interagency Committee on Disability Research Logo empty space Assistive Technology and Universal Design: a toolkit for interagency collaboration
The Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) released a new toolkit on assistive technology and universal design (AT/UD). This toolkit aims to improve interagency collaboration on accessibility and to provide an overview of current research efforts in AT/UD across the federal government. It also includes examples from the private sector and a collection of AT/UD tools and resources.
 
 
The White House empty space White House Appoints Special Advisor on International Disability Rights
On October 28, 2021, President Joseph Biden announced the appointment of Sara Minkara as U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights, re-establishing this important role at the U.S. Department of State. Ms. Minkara will lead the Department’s comprehensive strategy to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities internationally. In the President's December 2, 2021 Proclamation on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, he reiterated the U.S. commitment to equity and opportunity for people with disabilities.
 
 
   
Publications & Reports
  
 
  Cover of the 2021 Report to Congress on the Health and Well-Being of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which includes government building empty space 2021 Report to Congress on the Health and Well-Being of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The 2021 Report to Congress describes efforts supported by U.S. federal departments and agencies in fiscal years (FY) 2018 to 2021 to address research, health, education, and social services that will improve health and well-being among children, adolescents, and adults on the autism spectrum. 		 
 
 
 
The National Council on Disability Logo empty space Federal Report Finds Foreseeable, Disproportionate COVID-19 Fatalities, Heavy Toll for People with Disabilities
The National Council on Disability released a report entitled 2021 Progress Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities, which found that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted people with disabilities. The report examines how the pandemic impacted healthcare, the direct care workforce, congregate care facilities (CCFs), education, employment, effective communication, and mental health and suicide prevention policy. About one-third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths came from congregate care settings.
 
 
  Text, The Lancet empty space The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism
The Lancet convened a Commission to provide suggestions on how to improve the future of care and clinical research in autism. Their report focuses on five-year goals, such as shifting toward personalized medicine; adapting services for low- and middle-income countries; prioritizing funding for research projects that can immediately enhance the lives of autistic people; and including the autism community in research. The report is also available as a PDF. 		 
 
 
 
   
Community Participation Opportunity
  
 
  patient centered outcomes research institute logo empty space PCORI Inviting Public Comment on Research Agenda
The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute is an independent nonprofit, nongovernmental organization authorized by Congress to support comparative clinical effectiveness research. In 2019, intellectual and developmental disabilities was identified as a priority topic for PCORI and they are funding research in that area. PCORI is inviting public comment on their research agenda until January 31, 2022.