IACC Meeting Focuses on Strategic Plan for Autism Research
Committee Also Hears Reports on Services, Town Hall Meeting

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) met on May 12 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. The IACC is tasked by the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (CAA), P.L. 109-416, with coordinating all efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder, including drafting a strategic plan for autism research with budgetary requirements.

The morning session included a report from the IACC Services Subcommittee on its first meeting to address service needs and coordination. It also included a report from Cindy Lawler, Ph.D. of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on a public town hall meeting that occurred in Sacramento on May 3. The IACC decided that similar town hall meetings would be constructive in the future.

The remainder of the meeting was devoted to the strategic plan for autism research. This included a report from the NIMH Autism Team on the strategic planning process to date and discussion of the process going forward. The committee determined that the Strategic Planning Workgroup should meet again to prioritize research spending based on 41 recommendations generated by the strategic plan workshops. Autism Speaks Executive Vice President Peter Bell and Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geri Dawson both serve as members of the workgroup. July 1 was set as a deadline to have a draft strategic plan. The full IACC will review it at its July 15 meeting.

Alison Singer, Executive Vice President, Autism Speaks, in her capacity as a Public Member of the IACC spoke about Autism Speaks' review of the NIH research spending inventory that was provided since the last IACC meeting. According to the review, only 63% of the $127 million of the NIH's autism-related spending in FY2007 was on direct autism spending. She called for NIH spending on autism research to be increased by $34 million to reach the level of funding authorized and appropriated by Congress under the Combating Autism Act and the Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

The IACC is next scheduled to meet on July 15 to review the draft strategic plan for autism research.