www.inclusivechildcare.org || Concordia University, College of Education
Cindy Croft, Director || croft@csp.edu || 651.603.6265
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CICC E-News, Issue #9. Mar - Apr 2009
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The Combating Autism Act of 2006
The Combating Autism Act of 2006 The Combating Autism Act of 2006 was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006 with four major areas of funding:- Autism services, diagnosis and treatment at the Health Resources and Services Administration: $36,354,000, a $16.354 million increase over Fiscal 2007 ($37m was the level authorized by Combating Autism Act).
- Autism surveillance and awareness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: $16.212 million, a $1.2m increase over Fiscal 2007 ($16.5m was the level authorized by the Combating Autism Act).
- An estimated $108.5 million for National Institute of Health-funded autism research.
- Implementation of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC): $1 million within the budget of the National Institute of Mental Health is earmarked for IACC implementation.
Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks, said "By passing this landmark single-disease legislation, the House has recognized the daily plight of the thousands of families struggling every day with autism, and has once and for all acknowledged autism as a national healthcare crisis. (Wikipedia, 2009). The legislation will primarily fund research, prevention, awareness, and early identification over the next five years. Funding from this Act enabled the Centers for Disease Control to initiate a $5.9 million study to help identify factors that may put children at risk for autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. The Act also authorizes research under the National Institute of Health to address autism as the entire spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism, sometimes called "classical autism," is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Other classifications within ASD include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS)[www.autismspeaks.org. 2009]. It is significant that the Combating Autism Act encompasses all disorders within the spectrum.
One of the key features of the Act is an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) whose purpose is to facilitate the efficient and effective exchange of information about autism activities, programs, policies, and research among the Federal government, several non-profit groups, and the public. The Combating Autism Act will require the IACC to make recommendations and provide information to autism-related programs, research, and initiatives for a more coordinated approach to the work around autism.
This bill is a federal declaration of war on the epidemic of autism, said Jon Shestack, co-founder of Cure Autism Now. It creates a congressionally mandated roadmap for a federal assault on autism, including requirements for strategic planning, budget transparency, Congressional oversight, and a substantial role for parents of children with autism in the federal decision-making process. (www.autismspeaks.org. 2009).