About the Act Early Summit Project

July 19, 2010

Since 2007 AUCD has partnered with The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to implement the Act Early Regional Summit Project supported by the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." campaign and the implementation of the Combating Autism Act.

AUCD convened 11 Act Early Regional Summits to bring together key state leaders from the early intervention and early childhood community to:

Enhance relationships and collaborations among key stakeholders
Provide a forum to share information and insights

Each Act Early Regional Summit explored the opportunities, challenges, and barriers for families and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related disabilities in the identification, assessment, diagnosis and intervention areas.

The Act Early Regional Summits built upon and initiated important relationships among key stakeholders in the field, provided forums to share important information, and served as catalysts for the development of state teams. Key stakeholders include:

Parents
State agencies
Provider groups
Autism and other related disability organizations
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs)
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LENDs)

Each state team developed an Act Early action plan to enhance the capacity to respond to the increasing demand for evidence-based practices for children with ASD and related disabilities. The state teams continue to use and update their Act Early action plans. See past Summit information and materials here.

Forums for past "Act Early" Regional Summit participants and state team members are available to share information and disseminate resources include:

Act Early Resource Sharing Site