Portfolio Analysis Report
IACC Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
2017-2018
The IACC Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research Portfolio Analysis Reports provide the IACC with comprehensive information about the status of autism research funding among federal agencies and private research organizations in the U.S. This edition of the report features analysis of funding trends in autism research from 2008-2018, the first breakdown of the Lifespan Issues category (Question 6) into subcategories, and an analysis of projects focused on racial and ethnic disparities in ASD research. Begin publication.
Introduction and Analysis Framework
The Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC) is the office within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that manages the activities of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). In 2008, OARC began issuing a series of IACC Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research Portfolio Analysis Reports to provide the IACC with comprehensive information about the status of autism research funding among federal agencies and private research organizations in the United States. Read more.
ASD Research Funders and Funding in 2017 and 2018
Nine federal agencies and fourteen private funders provided their autism research funding information for the 2017-2018 ASD Research Portfolio Analysis Report. These 23 agencies and organizations are listed in Table 1. The IACC and OARC routinely review the funding landscape and offer opportunities to new funders to join the IACC portfolio analysis effort in order to provide a more comprehensive depiction of federal and private contributions to ASD research in the U.S. Read more.
ASD Research Areas and Funding in 2017-2018
To better understand what areas of research were funded in 2017 and 2018, projects were aligned with the Questions in the 2016-2017 IACC Strategic Plan. Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the breakdown of the research funding per each of the Strategic Plan’s seven Questions, which are related to Screening and Diagnosis (Q1), Biology (Q2), Risk Factors (Q3), Treatments and Interventions (Q4), Services (Q5), Lifespan Issues (Q6), and Infrastructure and Surveillance (Q7). Read more.
Analysis of Funding Toward IACC Strategic Plan Objectives by Research Area
Question 1 of the IACC Strategic Plan (“How can I recognize the signs of ASD, and why is early detection so important?”) pertains to the issues surrounding screening for and diagnosis of ASD, with a focus on early identification so that children will have the opportunity to receive interventions and supports that will lead to improved outcomes. Read more.
The 2017-2018 IACC ASD Research Portfolio Analysis Report represents the tenth and eleventh years of data collected and the eighth comprehensive report of U.S. ASD research funding across both the federal and private sectors. It is the second analysis to measure research funding progress against the 23 Objectives from the 2016-2017 IACC Strategic Plan. Read more.
