Autism
News
10/13/2020
MN UCEDD Pinpoints Autism's Reach
To better quantify the prevalence of autism across Minnesota, investigators at University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration (MN UCEDD) will tap into large statewide education and social services databases under a new grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
9/19/2019
AUCD Applauds Congress' Passage of Autism CARES Act
AUCD applauds Congress' passage of the Autism Cares Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill to expand research and coordination, increase public awareness and surveillance, and expand interdisciplinary health professional training to identify and support individuals with autism and their families. Passage of the bill, which occurred by voice vote, has been championed by Senators Enzi (R-WY) and Menendez (R-NJ) and Representatives Smith (R-NJ) and Doyle (D-PA), which reauthorizes CARES programs at NIH, CDC, HRSA, and IACC over the next five years.
1/8/2021
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and Other Vanderbilt Disability Inclusion Programs Receive National Recognition
Several Vanderbilt University diversity and inclusion programs are being recognized by a federal office with a strong commitment to protecting workers, promoting diversity and enforcing nondiscrimination laws for government contractors. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs website lists the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND), Next Steps at Vanderbilt, Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Divinity Friendship House @ Vanderbilt, and InclusAbility initiative among its sample disability and inclusion resources that meet the agency's criteria.
1/4/2021
Bronx UCEDD Publishes Mapping of ASD Rates in Children by Language and Socio-Demographics in NY State
The Rose F Kennedy UCEDD's Research Coordinator, Ms. Katie McGrath, MSW, 'ABD' led this spatial analysis of data from the NY State Department of Education. In contrast to prior research on ASD prevalence, school districts with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic students had the highest rates of ASD.
Upcoming Events
AIR-P Presents: COVID-19 Vaccine, I/DD Populations, and the Needle Anxiety Program at UCLA
Tuesday, February 16, 20214:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Zoom Webninar
Immunizations are crucial to protect all people from vaccine-preventable illnesses. Some studies suggest that autistic individuals have lower rates of immunizations, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Multiple organizations have called for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be prioritized in COVID-19 vaccination distribution. Vaccine hesitancy and needle phobia are two likely contributors towards lower vaccination rates. One of the initial intervention projects from the AIR-P focuses on reducing needle anxiety and improving immunization rates among autistic individuals. This intervention was developed as a pilot to address needle anxiety in conjunction with Pfizer and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for use in an Improving Pediatric Immunization Care collaborative but has not been widely implemented. The AIR-P network provides an opportunity to implement this needle anxiety intervention in multiple sites. Measures of success for this intervention would include vaccination rates among autistic individuals and satisfaction with the vaccine administration process.
Past Events
AIR-P Presents: The National Autism Indicators Report on Health and Health Care
Thursday, January 21, 20214:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Zoom Webinar
This webinar presents findings from the recent National Autism Indicators Report: Health and Health Care. This report, the sixth in the National Autism Indicators Report Series produced from the Life Course Outcomes Research Program area at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, reports indicators of health and health care for autistic people across the lifespan.
