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GAO-15-583R 1 (2015-06-30)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaajay0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 June 30, 2015 Congressional Requesters Federal Autism Research: Updated Information on Funding from Fiscal Years 2008 through 2012 Autism is a complex developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors, or by severely limited activities and interests.1 The most recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-indicate that about 1 in 68 children have been identified as having autism.2 According to CDC, there are likely many causes of autism and many factors, including environmental, biologic, and genetic, that may make a child more likely to have autism. There is no known cure for autism; however, research shows that early intervention can greatly improve a child's development. In November 2013, we reported that 11 federal agencies awarded a combined total of approximately $1.2 billion to fund autism research from fiscal years 2008 through 2012.3 The 11 agencies are the Department of Defense (DOD); Department of Education (Education); Environmental Protection Agency; National Science Foundation; and 7 agencies within HHS: Administration for Children and Families, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CDC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. To advance federal activities related to autism, including research, the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2014 was enacted in August of that year.4 The Autism CARES Act reauthorized the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), which is a federal advisory committee composed of federal and nonfederal members. The act also requires IACC to develop and annually update a strategic plan for autism research., 1What is commonly referred to as autism is a group of disorders-known as autism spectrum disorder-that can range from mild to more severe in their symptoms. In this report, the term autism is used to refer to autism spectrum disorder. 2This estimate is based on a review of health and education records of 8-year-old children living in 11 communities across the United States during 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2010, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 63, No. SS-2, (Mar. 28, 2014). 3GAO, Federal Autism Activities: Better Data and More Coordination Needed to Help Avoid the Potential for Unnecessary Duplication, GAO-1 4-16 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 20, 2013). 4pub. L. No. 113-157, 128 Stat. 1831 (Aug. 8, 2014). 5IACC was initially established under the Children's Health Act of 2000. Pub. L. No. 106-310, § 104, 114 Stat. 1101, 1109 (Oct. 17, 2000). IACC was subsequently re-established by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109- 416, 120 Stat. 2821 (Dec. 19, 2006), and received authorization of appropriations in the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011, Pub. L. No. 112-32, 125 Stat. 361 (Sept. 30, 2011). GAO-1 5-583R Federal Autism Research Page 1

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