Project Description:
The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) is a collaborative among the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN), the Network Coordinating Center (NCC) at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The AIR-P is made possible through funding from the Autism CARES Act of 2014 and by cooperative agreement UA3 MC 11054 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Research Program. On a day-to-day basis, the work of the AIR-P is carried out by the 12 ATN centers, under the general guidance, leadership, and direction of the Principal Investigator, Karen A. Kuhlthau, PhD at MGHfC. The goals of the AIR-P are to:
1. Conduct multi-site research on evidence-based interventions that improve the physical health of children and adolescents with ASD and developmental disorders, especially underserved populations;
2. Transform AIR-P into a multisite Learning Network (LN) which will provide a collaborative laboratory for developing and testing evidence-based interventions and accelerating the adoption of effective interventions to improve care and reduce disparities;
3. Support the development and mentorship of emerging new investigators;
4. Develop and disseminate guidelines for interventions developed by the network;
5. Accelerate the adoption of effective interventions, tools, and systems management; and
6. Leverage network capacity to compete for grant opportunities from other Federal and private sources.
