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  4. Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Investigator appointed to Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Investigator appointed to Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

November 2, 2015

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the appointments of new and returning members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), reauthorized under the Autism CARES Act. Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Special Education and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) investigator, has been appointed as a new IACC member.

Taylor's research focuses on factors that promote a positive transition to adulthood for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. She has published research on a variety of autism and disability services-related issues, including sex and gender differences, peer victimization, transition planning, secondary education and vocational training, employment, and daily life skills for people with ASD.

New and continuing members were appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sylvia M. Burwell. The IACC advises her on how best to advance research, strengthen services, and increase opportunities for people on the autism spectrum.

The IACC is a Federal advisory committee created by Congress in an effort to accelerate progress in ASD research and services. The IACC works to improve coordination and communication across the Federal government and to work in partnership with the autism community.
IACC responsibilities include annually updating the IACC Strategic Plan for ASD, preparing an annual summary of advances in ASD research, monitoring federal ASD activities, and providing guidance to the HHS Secretary on matters related to ASD.

The first meeting of the new committee will take place on Nov. 17, in Rockville, Md.

The IACC is made up of officials from many different Federal agencies involved in autism research and services, as well as adults on the autism spectrum, parents and family members of individuals on the autism spectrum, advocates, researchers, providers, and other members of the autism community.
For more information on the IACC, see www.iacc.hhs.gov.

To learn more about Taylor's research, see http://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/people/taylor-julie-lounds