Office of National Autism Coordination
 
 
 

Please enjoy ONAC’s quarterly newsletter, which includes news, events, publications, and recent activity of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).

Highlighted News

  
 
United States White House empty space Autism CARES Act of 2024 Signed into Law
The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2024, signed into law by President Biden on December 23, 2024, reauthorizes several programs that support autism education, research, and resources. The legislation also reauthorizes the IACC. A Call for Nominations for the next iteration of the Committee will be issued in early 2025.
 
 
Shelli Avenevoli empty space IACC Chairship Assumed by Dr. Shelli Avenevoli
Shelli Avenevoli, Ph.D., Acting Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is the new Chair of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) following the departure of Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., from NIMH. Dr. Avenevoli will serve in this role until a new NIMH Director is named. Read the full announcement to learn more about Dr. Avenevoli.
 
 
   
Autism Meetings & Events
  
 
Susan Daniels, Crystal Hernandez, Jules Edwards and Jim Warne empty space ONAC Webinar: Understanding Autism in Indigenous Communities
The Office of National Autism Coordination (ONAC) hosted the first webinar in their new series, Voices of Diversity: Conversations on Autism Across Cultures and Identities on November 15, 2024. The webinar, Understanding Autism in Indigenous Communities, was held in honor of Native American Heritage Month and featured an interview with Dr. Crystal Hernandez, Jim Warne, and Jules Edwards, who shared from their lived and professional experiences on the needs of autistic people in Native American communities across the U.S. The webinar was recorded and can be viewed here.
 
 
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee empty space IACC Summary of Advances Discussion
Today, January 14, the IACC will be holding a virtual meeting to discuss the committee’s nominations of articles for the 2024 IACC Summary of Advances in Autism Research report. The final report will summarize the top 20 advances in autism biomedical and services research, as selected by the IACC.
 
 
  Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee empty space September 2024 IACC Strategic Plan Update Meeting
In September, the committee discussed the draft 2024 IACC Strategic Plan Update, which addresses a wide range of health conditions that can co-occur with autism and impact health outcomes. 		 
 
 
 
  Several Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee members sitting around a table empty space July 2024 IACC Meeting
The July IACC meeting featured a session on family caregiving, which included an overview of supports for family caregivers and a lived experiences panel. The meeting also featured presentations from members of the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Autism (FIWA). 		 
 
 
 
Stanford Medicine empty space Stanford Neurodiversity Summit September 2024
The annual Stanford Neurodiversity Summit was held on September 22-24, 2024 as a hybrid meeting. The theme of this year's summit was “Putting Strengths-Based Approaches in Action.” The summit brought together neurodiverse/neurodivergent individuals, employers, service agencies, educators and students, parents, and professionals from all areas of the field to discuss issues and advances in the neurodiversity field. IACC member Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Ph.D. was a keynote speaker at the conference.
 
 
Administration for Community Living empty space Bringing Olmstead to Life: Celebrating 25th Anniversary of the Landmark Disability Rights Supreme Court Case
On June 22, 2024, the Administration for Community Living celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v L.C. This historic decision found that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community and affirmed the value of the lives and contributions of people with disabilities. ACL and its partners from the Department of Justice and the HHS Office for Civil Rights hosted an event on June 20 to commemorate this piece of legislation, which was recorded and can be viewed here.
 
 
   
News & Blogs
  
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services empty space HHS Finalizes Rule Strengthening Protections Against Disability Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), finalized a rule that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. This rule, titled “Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities,” advances equity and bolsters protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). The Section 504 Final Rule clarifies and strengthens civil rights protections for people with disabilities and advances the promise of the Rehabilitation Act. It helps protect people with disabilities from experiencing discrimination in any program or activity receiving funding from HHS because of their disability.
 
 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services empty space Biden-Harris Administration Partners with States and Releases Data Recommendations to Strengthen the Direct Care Workforce
HHS announced recently that 20 states have been selected to participate in two separate technical assistance programs that together will help participating states better recruit, train, and retain direct care workers, who provide home and community-based services (HCBS) for older adults and people with disabilities. Both programs are offered through the ACL’s Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center.
 
 
Administration for Community Living empty space Improving HCBS Access and Quality: Groundbreaking New Rule From CMS
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services rule. The Access Rule will strengthen the home and community-based services (HCBS) that make community living possible for millions of people. It includes important new requirements related to the direct care workforce, health and safety protections, access to HCBS, quality measures, and state accountability and transparency. This historic rule takes significant steps toward expanding access to HCBS and to improving quality.
 
 
Social Security Administration empty space Social Security Updates Occupations List Used in Disability Evaluation Process
The Social Security Administration (SSA) published new public guidance and instructions about changes to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), removing jobs that exist in only a limited number around the country. The agency anticipates that, as a result, it will only consider the most relevant occupations when determining if someone applying for disability benefits could perform other types of work. These changes add to a growing list of policy updates that Social Security is publishing to improve its disability programs.
 
 
Administration for Community Living empty space ACL Announces Nearly $2 Million To Support State Implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The Administration on Community Living (ACL) recently announced about $2 million to support statewide implementation of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. ACL will award four cooperative agreements to state units on aging to undertake a range of activities. Each project will be fully funded for a period of 24 months with one, 24-month budget of up to $490,000. Each grantee will be expected to focus on implementing at least three of the five goals of the Strategy, as determined by the state’s needs and priorities. Successfully implementing the actions and recommendations contained in the Strategy will require the grantees to break down siloes that exist through close collaboration by multiple agencies in the state.
 
 
Neurodiversity at Work Playbook Cover empty space Playbook Promotes Neuroinclusion at Federal Agencies
The Neurodiversity@Work Playbook Federal Edition is a resource to help leaders in federal agencies attract, onboard, and retain neurodivergent workers who can help fill talent needs in the federal government. The Playbook dispels misconceptions about neurodiversity employment and provides practical tools and tips for federal employers. By reimagining Federal hiring processes to be more broadly inclusive and creating a neuroinclusive culture and supports, participation of neurodivergent people in federal employment can be enhanced to address exist and future talent needs within the Federal workforce. The Playbook was developed in a collaborative effort of the University of Washington Information School, MITRE, and Melwood.
 
 
   
Publications & Reports
  
 
2023 Report to Congress Cover empty space HHS Releases FY 2019-2023 Report to Congress on Federal Autism Activities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the FY 2019-2023 Report to Congress on Activities Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities Under the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act (Autism CARES Act) of 2019. The report describes the autism-related activities of over 25 federal departments, agencies, divisions, and offices between fiscal years 2019 to 2023. The report provides updates on progress made in implementing the provisions of the Autism CARES Act of 2019, as well as information on topics requested by Congress, including the prevalence of autism, progress on diagnosis and interventions, and home and community-based services (HCBS). In addition, the report includes updates on interagency coordination of autism efforts by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and the HHS National Autism Coordinator.
 
 
Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services empty space CMS Releases 2024 Autism Infographic About Medicaid & Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Beneficiaries
CMS provides states with several options under the federal Medicaid program for providing services to eligible individuals with autism, including access to therapy services, preventive services and other licensed practitioner services. This document provides additional information about autistic children who are Medicaid beneficiaries.
 
 
   
Solicitations and Community Participation Opportunities
  
 
National Institutes of Health empty space NIH Requests Public Feedback on Framework for Disability Health Research Strategic Plan
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing the NIH Strategic Plan for Disability Health Research FY26-FY30. The Strategic Plan will help guide NIH’s future disability research activities. People with disabilities; family members and care partners; community professionals; researchers; scientific organizations and professional associations; advocates and advocacy organizations; federal, state and local government agencies; tribal and territorial governments; and members of the general public are invited to share feedback on the proposed framework and priorities at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-038.html. The Request for Information closes on March 12, 2025.